Irish neighbourhood lights up for Christmas to lift spirits and help cancer charity
Life & Style

Irish neighbourhood lights up for Christmas to lift spirits and help cancer charity

A DUBLIN neighbourhood has gone all out for Christmas to lift people's spirits and help raise vital funds for charity.

In Cappagh Green, Finglas, Dylan Walsh has been decorating his house to the max each Christmas for the past six years in memory of local man Anthony Doyle.

And each year, crowds of people, particularly young families with small children, flock to the area to look in awe at the dazzling lights, and are asked to donate to a cancer charity as part of the event.

This year the spectacle is bigger than ever, as everyone on Mr Walsh's street has lit up their own houses to help ift people's spirits after a gloomy year.

What a shot of Cappagh Green in Finglas where a neighbour got everyone on his road on board to light up their houses for Christmas! 👏👏👏

(📸 Image by the fantastic @Dublincityshots.)

Posted by Dublin's Q102 on Sunday, 22 November 2020

He told RTÉ News that "everyone needed a boost this year, especially after the lockdowns".

Each evening, the community rallies at a safe distance from one another to count down to the moment the lights are switched on, and the dazzling display is lit up to cheers from everyone present.

Mr Walsh admits there are "thousands of metres of lights to untangle"-- easily one of the most frustrating parts of setting up Christmas displays, even if you're only decorating one tree, but says "I don't mind. I want everyone to have a merry Christmas."

You can watch a clip of the evening's countdown and display from RTÉ News below-- and to donate to the fundraiser in memory of Anthony Doyle you can visit Dylan Walsh's GoFundMe here.