The Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy has criticised opposition from Fine Gael to the removal of live farm animals from a Christmas nativity crib outside the Mansion House as an “opportunistic political attack”.
Ms Conroy, a Green Party councillor, said the experience offered to parents and children at the crib in Dublin city centre had been “underwhelming” in recent years.
“People enter what is effectively a shed at one end and passively view some farm animals for a few minutes, lately behind a perspex screen, before exiting the other side,” she told a meeting of Dublin City Council (DCC) on Monday.
The Lord Mayor said she had decided there was a need for a “significant revamp”, which included removing the live animals from the crib display.
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The councillor told the meeting instead a winter wonderland-style experience would be set up, with sleighs and Christmas-themed post boxes where children could pose for photographs.
Ms Conroy said she had previously informed the council’s protocol committee of the plans and was disappointed that the issue became a point of political controversy.
“I am disappointed that my initiative has been the subject of opportunistic political attack by Fine Gael,” she told the meeting. “This is not some culture war, it is an attempt to do things differently.”
Farm animals have been on display during the Christmas period at the council site on Dawson Street since 1995, with the Irish Farmers’ Association criticising the decision to end the tradition.
Ms Conroy told the meeting she did not believe “a busy and noisy city centre” was the right location for live farm animals.
Fine Gael councillor James Geoghegan, who opposed the proposed changes, said “significant criticism” over the decision had come from children and parents.
Mr Geoghegan said at “no stage” did Ms Conroy refer to animal welfare concerns when outlining the planned changes.
Independent councillor Mannix Flynn said he supported the Lord Mayor, adding he intended to put forward a motion to prohibit the use of live animals at any council event in future.
Cllr John Lyons, Independent Left, said it was “desperate” the council was debating the removal of live animals from a crib display, in light of other serious issues such as the housing crisis.
Mr Lyons said the controversy was created by “some spin head” in Fine Gael’s headquarters, who he said had sought to suggest “the Greens are stealing Christmas”.
“They are using this as a political football … It’s really cheap when we’ve so many things to be getting on with,” he said.
Dermot Lacey, Labour Party Cllr, said it was the Lord Mayor’s prerogative to change the Christmas offering at the Mansion House during her year in the role. He suggested St Stephen’s Green could be a possible site of a crib with live animals in future, where there was more free space.
Sinn Féin councillor Daithí Doolan said the matter had been “poorly handled” by the council but was not something the wider public felt strongly about.
Ms Conroy said the next Lord Mayor could reverse the decision and re-introduce live animals as part of the Christmas showcase or put forward alternative ideas.
