
TONY Noonan is keeping the lights on at his County Limerick home this Christmas, come hail, rain or even crippling energy bills.
For the past 23 years, the 66-year old father has transformed his house into a winter wonderland in aid of charities, with the exception of ย 2020 when the Covid pandemic pulled the plug on his festive funderland.
โLast year the bill was โฌ1,200, but I donโt know how much it will be this year – it could be โฌ20,000. If the Green Party leader Eamon Ryan wants to come down to us, heโs more than welcome, and he might even make a donation to charity on behalf of the entire government.
Maybe heโll bring a generator to keep us powered up,โ said Mr Noonan.
โIโm going to do this because I want to light up peopleโs lives in these dark times, weโve had Brexit, weโve had Covid, we have the Ukraine war, and now we have the cost-of-living crisis. I think thatโs enough now for people to be coping with.โ
โI want to put a smile on peopleโs faces, and, to be honest, I look forward to doing it every year.โ
Mr Noonan first started decking the halls of his home with Christmas bulbs because of the glowing effect it had on his daughter Siobhan who was born with Rett syndrome.
The annual fairy light fundraising drive has raised more than โฌ300,000 for charities.
โI don’t care if I have to power it with wind, solar, or generators, Iโm rolling out the lights again this Christmas to bring a bit of joy to peopleโs lives.
However, with the pre-winter energy crisis starting to bite,ย Mr Noonan said he is thankful to a number of private sponsors who have promised to foot what he expects will be a โhuge electricity billโ.
It will take him six weeks to set up 10,000 lights across his house, garden, front driveway and hedges.
Members of the three-in-a-row All Ireland Limerick senior hurling team, led by All Star goalkeeper Nickie Quaid, and shortlisted Footballer of the Year 2022, Kerry star, David Clifford, will help switch on the lights on Sunday, November 20.
Visitors can make a donation โbut thereโs no pressure to do soโ, said Mr Noonan.
โBlackouts or no blackouts, Iโm going full steam ahead, we have ten thousand lights, Santaโs, snowmen, reindeers, cribs and Christmas trees, everything associated with a traditional Christmas.
“I started last Tuesday and it will take six weeks to put it together, itโll be going for seven weeks.โ
The Noonan household is situated at the top of a hill at Tullig North, Templeglantine, โand on a clear night weโre told it can be seen from the international space station.
All donations will directly to charity, โand if you donโt have any money thatโs fine too. Just come along and enjoy itโ.