Councillor urges better lighting for Shelbourne Park ahead of winter

Social Democrats councillor Shane Hickey‑O’Mara has called on Limerick City and County Council to improve public lighting in Shelbourne Park as daylight hours shorten.

Speaking at the September Metropolitan area meeting, Cllr Hickey‑O’Mara warned that the park’s 8 am opening time will fall before sunrise for much of October and will remain in darkness from mid‑November to mid‑February, raising safety concerns, particularly for women.

He described Shelbourne Park as a “terrific public amenity” used by local communities, school groups, yoga practitioners and sports teams, and said the existing lighting is poor year‑round but becomes a greater issue in the darker months.

The councillor urged the council to consider options such as festoon lighting, additional lamp posts or other measures to enhance safety.

In response, the council said it will review the park’s lighting and that any changes would need to go through the planning process, including ecological assessment. It also noted plans to crown‑raise trees in the coming weeks, which may help with lighting, and that park closing times will be adjusted to 4.30 pm during winter.

Source: Limerick Post. Photo: Jimmy Chan / Pexels.