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DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL (DCC) has reminded the public that bonfires are illegal and urged residents to report any stockpiled materials.
DCC said they will be carrying out “dozens of stockpiling raids removing bonfire material between now and Halloween”.
They said they are promoting a safe Halloween that all the community can enjoy
Last year, DCC removed over 750 tonnes of bonfire materials during the Halloween period in 2015 in response to 453 reports from the public.
Simon Brock of Dublin City Council’s waste management services said they need the support of the public to help keep people safe on 31 October.
He said: “Dublin City Council is again putting in place an extensive action plan for the 2016 Halloween period.
“We need your support in this and are asking you to report incidents of stockpiling of bonfire material to us as soon as possible so we can remove the material and avoid the risk of serious injury to our children and damage to our environment over the Halloween period.”
The public can call Dublin City Council’s Litter Hotline on 1800 251 500 or log onto their website and click follow the instructions.
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Hate bonfires. Will never forget when I was a kid my friend and I were walking to school and came across the remnants of a bonfire from the night before. Of course we went over to investigate and amongst the debris and empty cans of cider we found the body of a dog that had clearly been tossed into the fire. Bonfires are for simple minded toerags.
That’s some generalisation you made there!
Don’t care. Hate bonfires. Some ‘traditions’ are best abandoned. Standing around a big fire should be one of them.
I don’t like something, therefore it should be banned!!
Never said it should be banned. Just said it was for gougers.
Damn loyalists..
@Meanderingsz Inflamitry comment, hard to pallet it .
Bonfires where not the problem, when I was young it was watched over by the adults of the community who kept us in check then in some areas that were more troubled the Garda allowed it to run, which the media jumped on and only portrayed. Which then had a knock on effect in the areas that had no probs but peoples minds were changing there was more money about so people distance them self’s from it leaving it to the trouble makers.
My car got stolen out side a friends home just before the summer the area is plague by kids who light fires, trow stones at people and cars, run muck these places the media could get the same story throughout the year but don’t I do know at Halloween there is more but any time there is an increase in people more issues will a rise.
Halloween was great when I was a kid, not the commercial crap you get now, a way for people to get rid of old
furniture the fun of collecting and building a bonfire, getting a few sweets a black bag and a 50p mask.
Things cant stay the same forever humans evolve ,But I m glad tho I have the memories of sitting by a bonfire that we made in a black bag and a 50p mask with a club shandy and penny sweets.
Some of my favourite childhood memories are of the build up to Halloween and collecting for the bonfire. I understand the risks involved but could we not have bonfires organised properly by the community with some designated marshals in place and the area cordoned off to stop kids getting too close. Without a bonfire there’s no build up to Halloween, there’s no fun. It’s just one night that you knock on doors and eat sweets.
Spot on Keith. Miss those days myself!
As long as it’s controlled and maintained I don’t see the harm – after all it’s a tradition. Seems the whole “health and safety” concern is becoming more and more of an excuse to institutionalise Ireland as the greatest nanny state the world has ever known!
@Karl Haycock: How do you control and maintain these little rats jumping walls into private property and taking anything that lights? Theres gangs in the liberties at it for weeks now, patrolling the streets with carts and gloves.
Why do the DCC not set up a bonfire night for all to enjoy. Don’t like them myself too much smoke from it for me to enjoy. By having a bonfire night and firework display would be great for the kids.
Pretty sure they have proper supervised fires around the city.
Nanny state nonsense. Weakest generation of humans ever.
What ever happened to help the halloween party.
Snowflakes stand no chance against the Might of the great bonfire.
Pagans! Down with that sort of thing.
We have an illegal supervised bonfire every year and set off loads of illegal fireworks.
Kids all dress up and have great fun.
All welcome.
Of course you do make the mistake of having them 5 days too early.
Bonfires will always be a hit on Halloween, it’s the one day of the year people will be able to clear out their sheds with old suits of furniture etc. As long as they are supervised by responsible adults & a safe area. We were all kids at some stage!
Yeah nothing like some hazardous waste burning to have some fun. Great idea
What did they do with the seized materials? Did they destroy them? And how?
They have their own massive bonfire.
That was my suspicion.
Hallowe’en bonfires are for Huns. Traditionally, bonfire night in Ireland was/is the 23rd of June, the feast of St. John. A bonfire at Hallowe’en is usually associated with Guy Fawkes night………not much cause to celebrate that in Ireland is there?
@James Onedin: traditionally in Ireland Halloween started, Samhain, with bonfires.
@Daimhín De Naois: That’s nice to know.
The Boyne valley being the Mecca of it all if I’m not mistaken? It’s a tradition going back nearly three and a half thousand years. It started here and migrated around the world. All fires in the area would be extinguished and the grand bonfire was then lit. Torch processions would then lead to several other stacks in the valley to light them. The thinking being that the great fire would guide the spirits of those who died that year onto the next world. The more you know, eh? :)
Fireworks, like bonfires, are another problem if in the wrong hands. I took the kids to St. Anne’s Park on Sunday. Walking back to the car I saw a group of scobies setting off fireworks right in the middle of a wooded area. Setting off fireworks. In the middle of a load of trees. How stupid and dangerous is that! Needless to say me and the kids hotfooted it out of there for fear of being hit by a stray firework ricocheting off the trees while the Gardai DROVE around the non-wooded area of the park looking for them. Facepalm!
Handy way to clear out the garden shed, mind :)
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