Walsh family are shining lights for Temple Street
THINGS got a little bit brighter in Killinick recently as the Walsh family switched on their famous Christmas lights. Every year, Wexford families travel from far and wide to the house at Trimmer’s Lane to see one of the most Christmassy houses in Wexford.
Bringing the magic of Christmas to young and old, the annual Christmas display is a fitting tribute from Tim and Kathleen Walsh to their granddaughter Chloe, who sadly passed away 14 years ago, aged just four. The whole family undertook to erect the Christmas lights every year and raise as much money as possible for Temple Street Children’s Hospital via a donation box.
Visitors to the house are asked to dig deep and give as much as they can to an extremely worthy cause.
A real labour of love, Christmas gets under way early in the Walsh household.
‘Really, from the end of October it’s full steam ahead,’ said Anne. ‘It takes about two or three weeks to check all the bulbs and make sure everything is working. Then you’re talking definitely another two weeks putting everything up and making sure nothing blows.’
In the past couple of weeks, the house has been a hive of activity with family members running in and out of the house, flicking switches and making final checks before the lights were officially switched on by South East Radio’s Tony Kehoe.
‘We pay the bill ourselves out of our own pocket and it comes to around €800 each year,’ Anne explained. ‘That leaves everything that’s raised going directly to Temple Street.’
The family are hoping to have quite a few visitors to the house over the festive period and people are asked to dig deep and give whatever they can to the cause.