Bonfires

bullets

spelling edit Bombfires changed to bonfires (sorry dunno where my mind was this morning)

Saw an article on one of the papers (cant remember which one) about
bonfires in some areas of the city.

Was coming home on the greenfields bus last night where a gang of Kids
had made a huge bonfire and set it ablaze (on the grass outside the Railway station)
The Fire service came out and put it out within about 30 seconds was very cool to see how effective those guys are.

It amazed me that the little brats that were setting the thing on fire kept trying
to throw chairs/foam and wood into the fire even when the firemen were trying
to keep them away from the thing. I noticed too that it must not have been the
first time they set a fire recently as there were other Scorch marks or burnt
grass close by. The last few weeks I could see kids start to pile rubbish and fuel
onto the green area so anyone with an ounce of sense would know that it was
going to be for a fire. Dunno why the Locals did not try and stop it when they
saw the kids start it or call the garda/firemen sooner as the blaze was well
on its way by the time they came.

The Firemen were great as they were lauging about it but still needed to drag
some kids away from it for safety. Wonder if it will make the papers.
May be some kinda incentive for the powers that be to maybe try provide
more activites or things to do for kids in high density population areas and all that.

~B

Sleipnir

It's a bleedin' "bonfire" not a "bombfire"

jonski

They have been lighting bonfires on the green for as far back as I can remember , and I can remember back a long way

sioda

Easiest and cheapest way to get rid of an old couch

Jumpy

Fantastic! I used to live around there and remember the apartment full of smoke from these little scumbags, and the apartment was a good way away. I called the Gardai and they said 'sure they arent doing any harm' and when I asked can I burn my rubbish rather than pay to have it removed he changed his tone saying that it wouldnt be a good idea, and when I asked him what they would do about the bonfire he said 'that it was the councils responsibility' and 'theres nothing we could do about it'

Amazotheamazing

Sure there's always bonfires at the start of May, it's an old pagan tradition. These kids are unwittingly keeping alive a tradition that goes back to pre-Christian Ireland. Would rather they were supervised etc but it's not the worse thing in the world they could be doing (unless more of those sick incidents with pets occurs).

Crea

Isn't bonfire night coming up?
Surely every child in the city is stock piling old furniture and pallets in order to beat the size of the next door neighbourhoods bonfires.
I would think that anyone raised in Limerick would know this.

In fact I lived near an area in Dublin and the buses wouldn't go there on bonfire night cause they'd have burning logs thrown at them.

bazz26

Sunday night afaik.

Jumpy

Crea wrote:

Isn't bonfire night coming up?
Surely every child in the city is stock piling old furniture and pallets in order to beat the size of the next door neighbourhoods bonfires.
I would think that anyone raised in Limerick would know this.

In fact I lived near an area in Dublin and the buses wouldn't go there on bonfire night cause they'd have burning logs thrown at them.

I could have sworn I saw a fridge on that one on the green there.

scrattletrap

There just a crazy disgusting eyesore, but me complaining about them isn't going to stop them. If the countless children and animals that have been seriously burnt by them hasn't what chance do I have.

Amazotheamazing

scrattletrap wrote:

There just a crazy disgusting eyesore, but me complaining about them isn't going to stop them. If the countless children and animals that have been seriously burnt by them hasn't what chance do I have.

Bonfires used to be great craic when we were kids, I don't see why this generation of kids can't enjoy them too.

I'm disgusted by the brutality to pets, but the people who do that are sick, the bonfires are just another way for these scumbags to get kicks, banning bonfires won't stop the cruelty being inflicted on animals.

munkeehaven

i would be concerend about burning of certain materials,some plastics can give off very nasty toxic smokes and spatter to give horrible burns..
i saw about four seperate fires on the way home on the bus on friday night..all kids and no adults..

scrattletrap

Amazotheamazing wrote:

Bonfires used to be great craic when we were kids, I don't see why this generation of kids can't enjoy them too.

I think it must be a city thing, I had never heard of May bonfires until I moved here. The village I grew up in never had them. So I never "enjoyed" them as a kid.

Amazotheamazing

Never heard of May bonfires? Are you sure you had a childhood? Might just a Limerick thing though (see below)

Beltane
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This article is about the Gaelic holiday. For other uses, see Beltane (disambiguation).
Beltane
Observed by: Gaels, Neopagans, Pagans, Various Polytheists
Other names Beltaine, Bealltainn
Meaning: "Bright fire"
Begins: Around the midpoint of the Sun's movement
between the Vernal Equinox and Summer Solstice.
Occasion: Traditional first day of summer in Ireland, Scotland and Isle of Man
Symbols: Bale fire
Related to: Walpurgis Night, May Day
Beltane or Bealtaine (Irish language) - Bealltainn (Scottish Gaelic [1]), - Bealtaine pronounced IPA /ˈbʲɑlˠ.t̪ˠə.n̪ʲə/) is an ancient Gaelic holiday celebrated around May 1. Mí na Bealtaine "month of the Bealtaine festival" is the name for the month of May in modern Irish. It was formerly spelt "Bealtuinn" in Scottish Gaelic. The name of the month is often abreviated to Bealtaine but this strictly speaking only refers to the first day of summer Lá Bealtaine / (May 1) and the festival associated with that day and eve of that day. This festival was celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. There were similar festivals held at the same time in the other Celtic countries of Wales, Brittany and Cornwall. The word Beltan in Wicca means "Fire in the sky."

It is a Cross-quarter day, marking the midpoint in the Sun's progress between the Vernal Equinox and Summer Solstice. The astronomical date for this midpoint is slightly later, around May 5 depending on the year. The festival marked the beginning of the pastoral summer season when the herds of livestock were driven out to summer pastures and mountain grazing lands. The lighting of bonfires on Oidhche Bhealtaine / "the eve of Bealtaine" on mountains and hills of ritual and political significance was one of the main activities of the festival. In ancient Ireland the main Bealtaine fire was held on the hill of Uisneach "the navel of Ireland", the reputed centre of the country, which is located in what is now County Westmeath. In Ireland the lighting of bonfires on Oidhche Bhealtaine seems only to have survived to the present day in parts of County Limerick as their yearly bonfire night. Another common aspect of the festival which survived up until the early 20th century in Ireland was the hanging of May Boughs on the doors and windows of houses and of the erection of May Bushes in farmyards, which usually consisted either of a branch of mountain ash or whitethorn which is in bloom at the time and is commonly called the May Bush in Hiberno-English.

Black Swan

The biggest bonfire I have heard of in he States is at Texas A&M University. A year or so ago some people got hurt when the stack of logs fell.

scrattletrap

I suppose I didn't make myself clear, I heard of them, but thought they were from way back when, and didn't realise they were still being performed, albeit not for the purpose intended but to get rid of old furniture.

The festival marked the beginning of the pastoral summer season when the herds of livestock were driven out to summer pastures and mountain grazing lands.

How many summer pastures do we have in Limerick city???

bullets

I dunno where they are getting all the Couch's to pile on the fires!
Passed by again the other day and saw a lovely Pink 3 piece just
waiting to be burned!

~B