Limerick xmas lights to be switched on tonight

Limerick’s city centre Christmas lights will be switched on this evening.

The ceremony will be conducted at 5.30pm on O Connell Street.Mayor Joe Leddin will be on hand along with a "special" local Limerick "celebrity" to flick the switch. Other street entertainment will be on show also as everyone is invited to attend.

UPDATE: The "special" local Limerick "celebrity" turned out to be little 5 year old Jordan Crawford, the child who was injured in a shooting outside his family home in Southill in Limerick city last Sunday night.

From Irish Independent
In a bid to help the toddler get over his ordeal, Limerick mayor Joe Leddin asked Jordan to turn on the €200,000 lighting display.

"Jordan, like any five-year-old, should be eagerly looking forward to Christmas and Santa, and because of the horrific incident that this brave boy was caught up in, we wanted to show him that Christmas is still full of magic," Mr Leddin said.

"Hopefully, turning on the lights will be a memorable event for Jordan, and one that will erase some of the negative memories of the past week."

Jordan's mother, Olivia Crawford, said he was delighted when he was told that he had been chosen for the job.

"He was thrilled when he heard the news. It's a big treat for Jordan and it brought back the whole magic of Christmas again for him," she said.