Some of Dublin's best-known retail streets, including Grafton Street and Henry Street, could be without traditional Christmas lights within the next five years because certain traders are refusing to pay for them, according to a city centre traders association.
Tom Coffey, of the Dublin City Business Association (DCBA), said in general about 70-80 per cent of traders were happy to pay average costs of between €400 and €2,000, depending on the size of the store, to provide the lights.
Increasingly, however, others are refusing to pay for storing, installing and removing the lights, which are organised by volunteers from each street. If the trend continued, Mr Coffey claimed, the tradition could die out due to lack of sufficient funds.
The business association plans to make a list available to the public of all those businesses on each street who have paid for the lights and those who have not.
Mr Coffey said many of the worst "culprits" were the large British multiples, which he claimed appeared to have no interest in promoting the Christmas tradition.
David Brennan, owner of O'Reilly jewellers, who organises Christmas lights on behalf of traders on Wicklow Street, said the issue was a significant concern. Streets such as South Great George's Street and Exchequer Street had no lights this year, Mr Brennan added.
One woman who had heard of the situation had insisted on making a donation of €250 towards the cost of the lights on Wicklow Street, he added.