Tony’s Christmas lights raise over €4k!
EVERY year crowds flock to Drinagh to what has become commonly known as ‘the Christmas house’.
A real sight to behold, Tony Fitzpatrick has been collecting and adding to his magnificent collection of festive lights for over twenty years now and for many Wexford families, it wouldn’t be Christmas without a trip down to Drinagh.
While it’s enough to spark that Christmas excitement in young and old, a vast array of local causes have also hugely benefited from Tony’s work and this year, he was delighted to hand over a cheque for a whopping €4,164 to the Irish Cancer Society.
‘I just love doing it,’ said Tony. ‘It gets bigger and bigger every year. Believe it or not, I’m already starting to work on next year’s already!’
‘I start putting them up on October 1, but I’d be working away on them in the shed before that. I’ve invested a good bit in it over the years, but I love doing it for the kids.’ My late wife also encouraged me to keep it going.’
Tony’s wife Mary sadly passed away from cancer in recent years, however, with her encouragement to keep it going, he is more determined than ever and that was the reason he chose this year’s cause.
‘Last year I did it for Hospice,’ he said.
‘They were very good to Mary before she died. She wanted to be at home and that and they made it possible.
‘This year I decided to do it for the Irish Cancer Society in Wexford and they were absolutely delighted with it. This year was probably the most we’ve got in the box so far!’
When asked how much his famous Christmas lights have brought in to date, Tony was pretty much stumped.
‘I’ve often wondered that myself,’ he said. ‘I suppose at this stage it must be somewhere around fifty or sixty thousand since I started. We pick different causes each year and it’s great to be able to help.’