Floating Christmas tree to be launched today on Mayo lake

A floating Christmas tree will be officially launched on Lough Lannagh in Castlebar by inspirational local man Charlie Gannon at 5.30 p.m. this evening.

The tree was the brainchild of Karen Rowland and she approached the Castlebar Tidy Towns committee to become involved..

Ann Cresham, treasurer, Castlebar Tidy Towns, said: “Karen contacted us with this brilliant idea and we worked with her to see it come to fruition.

"There were a lot of technical issues, especially because we were working on water and using electricity to power the lights, so this took a lot of co-ordination.

"Electrician, Robbie Carson, was on hand to provide excellent professional advice and was responsible for lighting the lights.

"We are lucky that our former chairman, Ger Deere, is also a councillor and he was on hand to examine and deal with the regulations.

Many permissions had to be obtained from different regulatory bodies and, fair play to Ger, he got all relevant approval.”

Ann added: “Stanley Jackson came on board and offered to build the platform for the tree and the tree itself, and his engineering expertise was a joy to see.”

Once the tree and the platform were put together, the Tidy Towns, under Karen’s direction, decorated it and ran a check to ensure lights lit and it floated successfully.

The organisers believe that this project is a reflection of the good that is in a community.

Ann continued: “Over the last two years we all had a horrible time and we were looking for brightness in our lives.

"It is a light in the darkness of this virus and we think of all those frontline workers who cared for us when we knew nothing of Covid and we were scared.

"We think of those who died during this terrible time and to whom we never got to say a proper goodbye.

"The lake is a precious place to the people of Castlebar and they used it to exercise during lockdown while working within a 2km limit. The lake is also sacrosanct to the committee.

"Our former chairman, Liam Durcan, had a vision for Lough Lannagh before his untimely death in 2004.

"We are honoured to carry on Liam’s dream and to look after this area, to the best of our ability, in his honour.

"This tree will overlook his memorial garden and we are so happy for that.

"Coincidentally, the boat that the Tidy Towns won in a competition during Liam’s chairmanship came back to us recently and it is so fitting that this boat will be used to maintain the tree this Christmas, as well as the lake itself. We will think of Liam as we look at the lights while walking the loop of Lough Lannagh.”

The organisers asked another inspirational Castlebar man, Charlie Gannon, to switch on the lights on the tree at 5.30 p.m. today.

Added Ann: "This tree is a reflection of the community of Castlebar. It shows what working together can do, it shows how inspirational our community is, it shows leadership in dark days and shows that no matter what and no matter how dark, there is always a light."

The organisers thank Karen Rowland, who drove this and never let anything get in her way, Robbie Carson, whose professionalism and expertise gave them the confidence in the project, Pat Rowland from Elverys for sponsoring the lights, Stanley Jackson and his son Karl who designed the whole structure and made sure it would work and would float, Jarlath McHale from Mayo Adventure Experience, Sean Henehan, who came to rescue at last minute, Mick Baynes in the tourist office, and all the members of the Tidy Towns who got stuck into the project.