Dublin City Council (DCC) are coming under sustained criticism online over what is perceived as a failure to recognise the traditional meaning of Christmas and instead describing its installations as “Dublin Winter Lights”.
“Dublin Winter Lights is back this December, bigger and better,” DCC posted on social media. “Experience the magic in Dublin City Centre with 25 locations featuring spectacular light installations and interactive activities for all ages. Enjoy dazzling displays at iconic sites like Merrion Square Park, the GPO, Dublin Castle, and more!”
One observation in the hundreds of negative reactions to the post on X was that if Dublin City Council wanted to troll people they couldn’t have picked a better way. The ratio of likes to views on the post – just 77 likes out of almost 450,000 views “speaks for itself”, one Councillor told Gript.
In the 1,000+ replies, the comment most frequently made was that the installations should be called “Christmas Lights” – with many echoing the comment from activist Aisling Considine that “Christmas is part of our culture. People of all faiths and none are welcome to celebrate”.
It was difficult to find a supportive comment in the replies, while some poked fun by asking “will there be a winter tree and winter carols too?” or making comments such as: “There’s a name for this Winter festival. Chris… something or other.”
Lecturer Mark Humphreys posted: “Atheist here. It should be Christmas Lights. Winter Lights is Orwellian. Christmas Lights please. Thanks”.
Another woman wrote: “This is not ok! One of the good things about growing up in Catholic Ireland was Christmas, you’re very much mistaken if you think you can rebrand all those memories, feelings and sense of family, community, belonging.”
DCC also came under fire for litter and dereliction in the city: “Sounds like the city council is infested with far left woke clowns. Truth is you can’t even clean the place – maybe get that bit right first – before going on your woke crusade,” one comment read.
However one commenter welcomed the lights saying: “Love this, reality is, winter in Ireland is long and dark. We all need some light in the darkness. Winter lights give a different feel, less pressurised but inclusive of Christmas. Wether it Christmas or Winter lights it has the same purpose- getting us through the darkness”. It was also noted that DCC had posted earlirer regarding “Christmas Trees”.
Others pointed out that a much-loved ‘Nollaig Shona’ sign had previously been removed from Grafton Street and was restored after a major backlash.
At least three Councillors – two of them, Cllr Malachy Steenson and Cllr Gavin Pepper serving on the city council, reacted to the DCC announcement. Elected councillors play no part in deciding the lights or naming the festival.
Independent Cllrs Glen Moore and Gavin Pepper said that DCC should call the installations Christmas lights, while Cllr Steenson described the omission of Christmas in the name as “woke nonsense”.
“This has been going on for some years now, and it’s just more woke nonsense,” he told Gript. “Most people who take notice think its ridiculous and wonder why DCC won’t just use the word Christmas. The reaction speaks for itself – the ratio should be embarrassing for them.”
“People who want Winter Lights should be going into work on Christmas Day and not looking for the day off. As the saying goes: Put Christ back in Christmas,” he said.
Some of the comments under DCC’s announcement referenced attacks on Christmas markets by Islamic extremist in recent years. Yesterday, it was announced that the Magdeburg Christmas market in Germany “has been cancelled over security concerns after last December’s car-ramming terror attack, which killed six people”.
Security at such markets have increased since 2016, “when an Islamist extremist drove a truck into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, killing 13 people and injuring dozens more”, euronews confirmed.
Dublin City Council have been contacted for comment as to whether a decision was taken not to use the word Christmas in the installation of Dublin Winter Lights.