Every year, we look forward to the illumination of Dublin’s beautiful Winter Lights. As the nights grow longer and colder, there’s something about these lights that lift our spirits and make the winter months even more special.
You can now visit the Winter Lights, with sixteen stunning installations around the city. They will remain lit until January 1, so there’s plenty of time to make your way around the trail.
Speaking of the trail, there’s a handy map that you can use to guide yourself around these locations:
- Liberties: Windmill Digital Hub
- Liberties: Bridgefoot Street Park
- Smithfield Square
- Wolfe Tone Square
- Millenium Bridge
- Liffey Viking Boat
- Barnardo Square
- Dublin Spire (from November 19)
- O’Connell Street Monuments
- Custom House
- Georges Dock
- Triumphal Arch
- Samuel Beckett Bridge
- Seán O’Casey Bridge
- Mansion House (from December 3)
- Merrion Square Park (from December 1)
It’s completely free, and given that we’re about to enter Christmas-present-buying-season, we are very thankful for that. Plus, this year there is a heavy focus on making the lights economical. We’ve all seen and read the news about potential issues with energy availability this winter and it’s always great to see the council taking steps to use energy more sustainably anyway.
For example, this year some of the installations will run off battery packs, which charge during non-peak hours and kick in during peak hours. Dublin City Council have managed to illuminate these lights using minimal energy:
‘The power used to light The Spire is comparable to that used in a domestic iron (1800w), a toaster (900w) uses the same power as we’re using on the Millennium Bridge, while Smithfield Sq will be illuminated using the same amount of power as a dishwasher (3000w).’
This year you’ll see some installations from previous years but there will also be some fantastic new light works to visit like the Viking boat on the Liffey. Plus, new installations at Bridgefoot Street Park, Wolfe Tone Square, Smithfield Square, George’s Dock and Seán O’Casey Bridge. For more information, check out the Winter Lights website.