A SPARK has been lit around the idea of a community-led celebration that honours the city’s May Eve bonfire tradition.
Aontú councillor Sarah Beasley believes this would help preserve the city’s proud Bealtaine tradition while protecting green
spaces, reducing anti-social behaviour, and delivering significant savings for the taxpayer.
The City North representative’s call comes alongside figures showing that bonfire clean-up operations cost Limerick Council approximately €33,000 in 2025 alone — a figure that does
not include repair works to green areas damaged by fires.
Cllr Beasley said a fraction of this sum, invested in a well-managed community event, could transform May Eve into something Limerick can be proud of.
“May Eve is a beautiful and ancient tradition that belongs to the people of Limerick, and I want to see it celebrated properly. But spending over €30,000 every single year simply cleaning up afterwards, when that money could fund an incredible
community event, is something we have to address,” she said.
Having formally tabled a motion on the issue at a Metropolitan District meeting last June, Cllr Beasley says she has the wind of public opinion firmly at her back.
“The response from Limerick people across social media and in communities throughout the city has been overwhelmingly positive, with many residents expressing support for a managed, family-friendly alternative to the current unregulated bonfires,” she said.
She pointed to Cork City Council’s long-running managed bonfire event model as proof that the concept works. Fire brigade call-outs on bonfire night in Cork have halved since the model was introduced, and anti-social behaviour has fallen significantly, Cllr Beasley said.
“There’s no reason Limerick can’t do the same — and do it even better,” she suggested.
Charging a modest pitch fee to food and drink vendors at a Limerick event, and introducing a reduced-fee inorganic waste collection service in the days before May Eve — targeting the furniture, white goods, and hazardous materials that currently end up on bonfires — she believes that the Council could recover a significant portion of event costs while reducing the volume of toxic material burned and cutting post-event clean-up costs dramatically.
“With the right approach, we could turn a €33,000 annual clean-up bill into a community celebration that largely pays for itself. That’s good value for money, good for the environment, and great for
Limerick,” she concluded.
In response, the Council said that elected members are free to bring forward proposals by way of a Notice of Motion, which will then be considered through the local authority’s formal processes.
– Local Democracy Reporting Scheme