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Dublin’s Christmas lights have been switched on.
The likes of Grafton Street, South William Street and Capel Street have been lit up six weeks ahead of Christmas Day.
The lights were turned on by a child at Temple Street Children’s Hospital which links up with city centre business group DublinTown for the lights.
According to city centre business group DublinTown, the lights stretch to approximately 4km in total, consisting of over one million low energy LED light bulbs, with over 300,000 individual light bulbs on Grafton Street alone.
Bewley’s Café played host to a live broadcast of the ceremony as the lights were turned on at 6.54pm this evening.
Richard Guiney, chief executive of DublinTown said the ceremony holds special significance for its assortment of business owners given the difficulties they have faced throughout the pandemic.
“This year the erecting of the Christmas lights means so much more than any other year and we would ask people to come and support the city centre businesses at this special time. Stores have been gearing up for Christmas and are ready to meet customer needs,” Guiney said.
Christmas experience
“Shopping and socialising in the city centre of Dublin under the iconic Christmas lights is a key Christmas experience for many. We invite everyone to come to town and make new Christmas memories.”
“The DublinTown Christmas lights are by far the biggest task that we undertake for our business members and people of Dublin each year,” he added.
“Post-Covid, we all want to see a vibrant capital city and to make that a reality we need to make sure we support city businesses at this vital time, and if purchasing on-line the public are encouraged to buy from sites that support Irish jobs.”
For more information see DublinTown.ie.
For festive activities, family fun, shopping, socialising and special offers, Christmas starts here, see DublinTown.ie and follow #DublinTownChristmas and #WinterinDublin throughout the season to be kept up to date with all the city’s festive activities.
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Went from having a really smart name. To a very straightforward name and now to a name which doesn’t make much sense.
@Padraic Burke: Straightforward but confusing. “Is that my taxi outside?” “Well it’s MyTaxi but it mightnt by your taxi it could be my taxi.” “Is your taxi MyTaxi? cos my taxi isn’t.”
@Squiddley Diddley: my taxi implies I’m getting myself a taxi. If your confused by that I feel sorry for you.
@Padraic Burke: When did nasty become normal?
@Padraic Burke: also a shit logo
@Padraic Burke: that comment sums everything up 100% perfectly
@Ali Ní Dhomhnaill: It’s like a cross between the letter N and a dog having a slash.
I still call it Hailo. And I will continue to call it Hailo. The beauty of Hailo is that you can use it as a verb. Who’s gonna say “I’ll just Free Now a taxi” ?
@Accord Moan Eye: I still call Aldi in Tallaght H Williams.. I don’t like change..
@Accord Moan Eye: Snickers is still Marathon to me.
@Shelly Levine: I buy my marathon bars in Quinnsworth.
@Rob Cahill: still worshipping Lugh and living in an wattle and daub hut myself. This whole “modernity” lark won’t lead anywhere good, just mark my words. Smartphones are handy things though in fairness.
@Accord Moan Eye: Anything that stops people using stupid words as annoying verbs sounds like a win to me.
@Accord Moan Eye: getting a Hailo to Lansdowne road before heading to the point depot.
@Shelly Levine: Never mind Starburst. They will always be Opal Fruits to me
@Rob Cahill: I call it 3 Guy
@Accord Moan Eye: I still call Sri Lanka Ceylon.
Great mytaxi is free now
@john: does this mean taxis are all free now or is it false advertising?
Save me a fortune coming home from town!!
Worst. Name change. Ever.
@Catherine: and I thought the change from Hailo to MyTaxi was bad!
The original Hailo app was much better – lost lots features when it moved to MyTaxi.
Wow! That name really makes sense for a taxi company! There is absolutely no hint of sarcasm here….
Really bizarre, they only spent a fortune rebranding laws than two years ago. Something weird about this.
@Graham Dowling: not really, it’s clearly explained in the article!
@Graham Dowling: not so much weird – terrible business planning – terrible marketing – terrible new name – badly thought thru and a waste of money for the last two years – should have just kept Hailo Name even if it was just for Ireland – there is so much BS waffle in that latest ‘exciting news’ announcement – really badly managed a good taxi app business since buying Hailo – the radio ads today have a taxi driver saying – I will always be a taxi driver as long as Mytaxi is around ;-) they have that as a current my taxi campaign – and then out of the blue announce they are changing the name but they dont know exactly when – real sign of big international business very very poorly managing local business . Wow Hailo ( launched by some ex taxi drivers in the Uk ) was a great innovative new business – the mytaxi ownership is being very poorly managed in Ireland by comprison.
Sounds like tax issues, running away from the tax man with this constant rebranding for such a relatively new company.
@Sam Glynn: What in the name of God are you talking about? As if you can just change a trading name and all previous tax obligations vanish.
@Kilian Dunne: Thats a cunning plan. I’m going to change my name to Gunther Dorph and stop paying tax.
@Kilian Dunne: breaking news: apple’s punitive tax settlement of €13bn has been dismissed after the US corporation took advantage of a cunning loophole.
Sent from my Pear Mac.
@Shelly Levine: I all ready use that name
@Eugene Conroy: sorry Gunther. Hans Gruber? Don’t think that’s been taken.
Try it on a Saturday night and still can’t get one I gave up with My.Taxi when driver’s were Cancelling on me.so now I just go to a rank or leave half an hour earlier.
FREE NOW, as a taxi driver this is going to wreck my head. It’s bad enough everyone asks are you busy tonight, now there going to be is this taxi free. i for one won’t be advertising this on my taxi.
@IRISH REDS: ah but at a rank they always ask “are you free?”
Spend 5 million on “mytaxi” name and then decided to change name to free now?
Only German can do that.
I will keep using uber, as uber wont show ur destination to driver means no cancellation, mytaxi driver cancel when they see ur not going far.
@Noshah Noshah: Personally, I rather like my taxi driver to know where I’m going.
@Noshah Noshah: Uber drivers use your “star” rating to decide whether to take a fare or not. Less than 4 stars and your likely to be left waiting.
@Fred Coloe: why would u have less than 4 Stars ? If u r nice with driver than I don’t see u get less than 5 stars.
The sooner we properly have Uber in this country the better
@Frank Scanlon: You have a thirst for EXPLOITATION it seems!
@Fred Coloe: Innovation isn’t exploitation. Taxi drivers have to realise this.
When thay pay the right Insurance .
@Jason Genovani: oh it is not Innovation it’s a race to the bottom. Nothing more
Up there with Opal Fruits to Starburst….
Just rename it Cif already.
Hailo is my taxi free now
Why do they keep changing their name? It’s a marketing disaster
They’ll have another rebrand next year to Howmuchtotheairport
@Stevie Doran: or else they will relaunch as………. “I can’t believe it’s not a taxi ‘ or some other nonsense.
Artist formerly known as ….
Consistency builds brands – it’s about building familiarity and trust. However, sometimes there are legitimate reasons for a brand to change its name. But to have three different names within two years is grossly excessive.
“We were this yesterday, but tomorrow, we’ll be that. Please believe us”
Really? So, what will you be tomorrow?…..
When are taxis gonna be free really free for oap with free travel cards
@liam ward60: you think the workers of the country should be obliged to provide you their labour and services gratis because you’re over 65? Why stop with taxis, do you want me call round to paint the house and put on that extension you’ve been thinking of?
@Winston Smith: coz after working over 30 years on the Irish state and paying my taxis I should b entitled to it Winston
@liam ward60: so because you had a job once upon a time (well done you) you think hardworking people trying to earn a crust should provide you with services for free? You’re provided free public transport at significant cost to the productive members of society, you have two functional legs, but this isn’t enough and you think you should also be “entitled” to expensive private transportation options at someone else’s expense. Cos you had a job once upon a time. Disgusting, entitled parasite.
@liam ward60: You didn’t work for free, why should anyone else??
From Family Guy:
“ welcome to Boop, as our name suggests, our mainframe connects to every server on the globe”
Free Now – stupid made up name to sound cool and hip with no relevance to what the company actually does.
Ah hello, are ya free now?
Wow, that’s makes a hell of a lot of sense
They would be better off checking the honesty of their drivers – I took a Mytaxi a few weeks ago and after 10 min in the car I had to ask him where he was going – it was late at night and he must of thought I had a few in me (I was stone cold sober) – he tried to come up with reasons for his mad diversion – none held water, and then when we eventually got to the destination he tried to overshoot it with another wrong turn – I had to eventually tell him to stop and only paid him what the fair normally costs with an HONEST driver.
If he is representative of their drivers they probably needed to change their name to try save their reputation…
@Tom Purcell: He’s not. There are p***ks in every industry. Get a receipt and make a complaint please. Cheers
How about I’M FREE, has a better ring to it.
@Josh Hanners: Actually, it does sound better.
Missing the point. Joining = Monopoly. Too much power going to too few operators? Where’s the regulation…is this best for drivers and consumers?
This brand is getting more like the tv series are you being served “are you free mr humphries “. “Im free mr granger”
They can change the name if they want, but the driver is charged 12% commission per job and if you want to give the driver a tip on your card then they take part of the drivers tip on the commission
@Des Decourcy: There’s new legislation about tips going to the workers. Hope it will apply here.
@Des Decourcy: Well Irish taxi drivers got themselves in that situation by being “cash only” to avoid paying tax. Market adapts to what customers want.
Every industry is moving towards being mobile friendly, cashless and convenient. Crusty old taxi drivers insisting on cash are why you now find yourself in that situation.
You fought what the market wants and the market won. Surprise surprise
“Lets get a Free Now™ lads!” – Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it?
I wonder did they do any market research on this.
What was wrong with the name Hailo? I’ve never heard of the name it changed to and now they will be using a name that suggests free taxis.
what millennial a$$hole came up with this?!?!?!
@Neill Bradley: I doubt the CEO and Head of Marketing are under the age of 35, maybe look towards someone of your own generation?
Next time they’ll rebrand it to “I’m not racist..but”
Q: Why can’t Ireland have the excellent “blablacar” system they have in France?
A: Because Irish insurance companies will charge blabla drivers the same insurance rates as they charge taxi-drivers, and will invalidate your insurance – even if you take passengers during a tiny period of your use of your vehicle.
This is because there is no effective controls or regulation of the financial services industry in Ireland. They do exactly as they like – even if the consequence is to chill the development of services enjoyed in other countries.
Wish they’d make up their feckin minds
Jaykers, what an utterly confusing name. If they’d done an Eircom on it and changed to myt it’d have been better.
@Brian Cunningham: that would have been MYT indeed….defo missed a trick there me thinks ;-)
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