Limerick Christmas Memories..

The Snipe

As IO was too lazy to start it, I decided I would :P


So lets start sharing all of our Christmas Memories of around Limerick!



I used to love the Window Display in BT when they had a little puppet show! Used to fall in love with it each yeah!


Oh yeah..

In before:
Giant Floating Traffic Cone being up until May.
Giant Floating Traffic Cone Crashing into the Bridge.
Christmas will be worth 10 Million Euro to the cities Economy!

AnCapaillMor

It's not BT, its Todds. Will always be in my memory anyway, like shannon bridge is still the new bridge.

The santa in speights.

Not in limerick but i'm sure alot of us done it, driving out to shannon to collect a relative and watching all the lights. Shannon airport used really light up for christmas.

Persiancowboy

Doing the Nativity play with St. John's Scouts at midnight mass on Christmas Eve in St. John's Hospital and then getting sweets/chocs/fanta from the nuns afterwards.

Santa in Todds or Cannocks (where Penneys is now) on Christmas Eve and being brought to (the old) Nancy Blakes afterwards.....

The Snipe

I remember comming up the Christmas Last year, (About this time), The Misses, a few friends of hers, and I all went into BT's to see Santa (I had to collect something off my aunt and santa was there!)

The Guy now was a complete perve! And he started going through all the girls bags (Most of which were from penny's, of which he'd insulted them for having to shop there!) And started showing off the stuff they had in their bag to everyone around, such as their newly purchased Bra's and underware; And including one of her friends Lingerie (She wasn't a bit impressed with him).

So needless to say, he was complained straight away, and I wont be going in there to visit Santa this year! (Despite the fact that I'm photographing him in two different venues, I'll be sick of the sight of him! :P)

Busi_Girl08

The basement of Debenhams Roches Stores being turned into the Christmas floor. Decorations, displays, candy cane samples, flashy lights and dancing santas.

LB6

Being driven around to all the Churches to look at all the Mangers!

CiaranMT

Santa and his Reindeer in Arthur's Quay.

Mc Love

Visiting Santa in Roches stores

Kess73

AnCapaillMor wrote: »

It's not BT, its Todds. Will always be in my memory anyway, like shannon bridge is still the new bridge.

The santa in speights.

Not in limerick but i'm sure alot of us done it, driving out to shannon to collect a relative and watching all the lights. Shannon airport used really light up for christmas.

Yep will always be Todds for me as well. The window displays seemed better before it became BT.

Had totally forgotten about Santa at Speights. Used to love the car park there

Poxyshamrock

Anyone remember the Storm on Christmas eve in 1997? Was only 6 at the time but I remember loving it. :pac:

Kess73

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

Anyone remember the Storm on Christmas eve in 1997? Was only 6 at the time but I remember loving it. :pac:

Yep, it was very bad on the 23rd and 24th December in particular that year with a lot of roads being closed because of fallen trees etc.

A friend of mine was on alarm call, and he got a call out on the night of the 23rd. I was staying in Limerick that Xmas so went for the drive with him between Limerick and Clonmel only to discover the road was closed in a few places and we ended up coming back to Limerick and having to go to Clonmel via Thurles instead of the usual Tipp town route. Will never forget the trip as it was a hairy drive.

Mr E

My Limerick Christmas memories are around bad traffic...

- Trying to go to a 6pm show in the Omniplex on the Saturday before before Christmas (baaaaaaaaad idea)
- Driving my mum into the city on a Christmas eve when it was absolutely pissing rain (fun)

Cookiemunster

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

Anyone remember the Storm on Christmas eve in 1997? Was only 6 at the time but I remember loving it. :pac:

I remember the windows in the mall in the Parkway blew in and didn't bits of Pennys clock fall down too? Just saw you were only 6 at the time :eek: so you probably dont remember that (I feel old).

Going back long before that when I was a kid I remember being brought to Santa in Dunnes Sarsfield Street, Newsoms, Roches Stores, Speights and Todds every year by various relatives.
I used to love Todds animated window. I wish BT would bring it back.

Poxyshamrock

Cookiemunster wrote: »

I remember the windows in the mall in the Parkway blew in and didn't bits of Pennys clock fall down too? Just saw you were only 6 at the time :eek: so you probably dont remember that (I feel old).

Going back long before that when I was a kid I remember being brought to Santa in Dunnes Sarsfield Street, Newsoms, Roches Stores, Speights and Todds every year by various relatives.
I used to love Todds animated window. I wish BT would bring it back.

I remember the Penneys Clock incident. My dad and sister were in town at the time. I have a sharp memory! :P

Insect Overlord

I remember the storm destroying the fences in our back garden that year,after they'd been blown down the previous year as well. We eventually had to get walls built instead. Very Robert Frost. :pac:

Berty

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

Anyone remember the Storm on Christmas eve in 1997? Was only 6 at the time but I remember loving it. :pac:

Yep, how many people claimed to be nearly hit by the Pennys clock when some of it came crashing down. :rolleyes:

I was working in a petrol station and one of the gas bottle things flew across the forecourt. :eek:

We also had a tree in our front garden that year, next day it was gone. We never did find it.

Christmas memories: Remember the tree that became a tourist attraction and sank 8 hours later after an unsucessful attempt at escaping out the estuary.

fryup

As a kid I remember going downstairs to look at the toy train set in tots to teens.

I also remember Woolworths, top of o'connell st with its reasonably priced toys.

And during the 80s when we were hard up a trip to King Canutes was a must for their cheap tat..(that place burnt down didn't it?)

Berty

Aha Good old Christmas memories was when Roches Stores Toy / Christmas shop was across the road.

Lobsterlady

fryup wrote: »

As a kid I remember going downstairs to look at the toy train set in tots to teens.

I also remember Woolworths, top of o'connell st with its reasonably priced toys.

And during the 80s when we were hard up a trip to King Canutes was a must for their cheap tat..(that place burnt down didn't it?)

What memories! I remember Woolworths too, and King Canutes was always great to buy dirt cheap blank tapes so you could record songs off the radio. Yes, it did have a fire and never reopened.

Santa in Todds, and going out to the 'old' Crescent Shopping Centre for a big xmas shop in Quinnsworth.

Berty

Ah Santa arriving by Helicopter to the Crescent. Didn't he arrive on a horse & cart last year?

:D:D

Cherrycoke

The Christmas department in Toy Roches Stores

RhubarbCrumble

I used to love the religious "stained glass" window in Roches. I must have been a strange child :rolleyes:

thefishone

My father taking us down to the market and picking out the turkey,then at home plucking and cleaning it.......going to see Santa in Newsoms and of course the Todds window.

bazz26

After seeing Santa Clause: The Movie in the Carlton, then brought to Burgerland for a treat.

LB6

Gawd I'll never forget Santa in Newsoms - Parents brought me and my younger brother in to see him and my dad took me away while my mother bought his train set. Was the year I discovered he's not real sob sob sob :eek:

CiaranMT

O' Mahoney's used to have a toy shop (or kids shop) near where Clohessy's is now, didn't they? I vaguely remember the shopping mall that was there as well, before it got knocked..

The Snipe

thefishone wrote: »

Newsoms

Now thats a Store I've not even heard of in years! :O

Poxyshamrock

CiaranMT wrote: »

O' Mahoney's used to have a toy shop (or kids shop) near where Clohessy's is now, didn't they? I vaguely remember the shopping mall that was there as well, before it got knocked..

I vaguely remember that! Was it in a mill building?

Kess73

The toy section in Boyds.

CiaranMT

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

I vaguely remember that! Was it in a mill building?

Could've been, I was but a nipper at the time.

Poxyshamrock

CiaranMT wrote: »

Could've been, I was but a nipper at the time.

Like myself! My grandad used to take me there to keep me quiet!

brousuka

fryup wrote: »

As a kid I remember going downstairs to look at the toy train set in tots to teens.

I also remember Woolworths, top of o'connell st with its reasonably priced toys.

And during the 80s when we were hard up a trip to King Canutes was a must for their cheap tat..(that place burnt down didn't it?)

Ah now! Tots to Teens! thats a memory! just down from cruises hotel. I remember being amazed at the Subbuteo soccer game there and got it for christmas, only thing is it turned out to be the worst thing ever cause it had to be played on a table with the pitch cloth glued to it!! it just didnt work on the floor or the kitchen table which definitely wasnt available on christmas day!! Baahhh.

brousuka

Actually, since i'm on it, does anyone remember Nestors in O'connell St.? toys, fishing and sports gear, bicycles, dart boards and all kinds of good stuff and being served by men in brown coats an the oul wans working there??! Chri$t they must have been in their eighties!! great shop though.

Berty

They were definately there around 1996 because I remember(around then +/- a year) making a nuisance of myself around the fishing rods. I barely touched a rod and the whole display came crashing down.

AnCapaillMor

CiaranMT wrote: »

O' Mahoney's used to have a toy shop (or kids shop) near where Clohessy's is now, didn't they? I vaguely remember the shopping mall that was there as well, before it got knocked..

Yeah but it was one of those evil toy shops that did more educational toys than real ones.

Nestors did toys?? It was all sports stuff with guns downstairs, although i suppose a shotgun would be a great toy.

zzxx

Santa in Boyds, being driven around town at night to look at the lights and see the window at Todds . Our yearly trip to the Crescent Shopping centre, I used to think it was an amazing place. And being a bit of bookworm, Christmas in Easons picking out annuals and box sets of books that Santa could bring me! I still love going to Easons around Christmas.

taxus_baccata

LB6 wrote: »

Being driven around to all the Churches to look at all the Mangers!

Our family too!:D My mam used to pack us into the car and we's see about 10 churches in one day! Gas wasn't it!

Also going to Shannon to see all the lights! I remember thinking that Shannon looked like that all the time and I was so jealous that my cousins got to live beside the airport!

I've often wondered if the decorations/lights were better back then or did they seem better because we were young?!

Busi_Girl08

Does anyone remember that giant chair they had in Oaklands (the place on the Dublin Road that burned down a few years ago) around Christmas time?

I mean a MASSIVE one, right near the entrance? Please tell me I haven't gone crazy.

Kess73

brousuka wrote: »

Actually, since i'm on it, does anyone remember Nestors in O'connell St.? toys, fishing and sports gear, bicycles, dart boards and all kinds of good stuff and being served by men in brown coats an the oul wans working there??! Chri$t they must have been in their eighties!! great shop though.

Nestors was a really excellent sports shop back when sports shops were not glorified clothes shops.

They also had a branch in the Crescent shopping centre at one point.

BobMc

Corbally Baths christmas morning swim, never did it but loved watching em all freezin their asses off

Poxyshamrock

Busi_Girl08 wrote: »

Does anyone remember that giant chair they had in Oaklands (the place on the Dublin Road that burned down a few years ago) around Christmas time?

I mean a MASSIVE one, right near the entrance? Please tell me I haven't gone crazy.

Ah busigirl! You're right! I used to love that!

They had a water bed at one stage too!

bazz26

Nestors definately sold bicycles, they were upstairs. I remember being brought in there to pick out a BMX. Cannot remember if they sold other toys though.

Sabre0001

Driving through Greenfields & Ballinacurragh on the way to visit Grandparents - some houses really decked out with lights and decorations!

The Snipe

Sabre0001 wrote: »

Driving through Greenfields & Ballinacurragh on the way to visit Grandparents - some houses really decked out with lights and decorations!

I know the exact house! The one on the corner comming from Greenfields into Ballinacurra Gardens! Did it up until about 4 years ago.

LadyTBolt

Going into town on Christmas eve with my parents and sisters, it was the only day of the year my dad ever went shopping with us. We would have a kiddies korner meal in Harrys coffee shop and then we would walk up town listening to the street corner traders shouting 'get your wrapping paper, 5 sheets for a pound. wrapping paper 5 sheets for a pound'. My mother would go into dunnes and get the last few bits for Christmas while my dad took us by the hand for a walk around town and we would always bump into friends of his who would give us 50p each or if we were very lucky got a pound note. Came home minted, so we thought.:D

Poxyshamrock

XiledSniper wrote: »

I know the exact house! The one on the corner comming from Greenfields into Ballinacurra Gardens! Did it up until about 4 years ago.

Noticed they stopped! Did they move house or something?

chucken1

Memories

Orminstons..that spelling looks wrong but if you remember its ok

1973..selling Holly outside the brand new Crescent SC with my crazy mad cousins.
I used to spend xmas with them..I always thought they were insane getting up in the middle of the night ..It was probably 7am?
I came from a 'town' in Clare. They came from a village.
Guess whos still working?

Mc Love

We as children used to go to my Granda's in Templeglantine. There would be a christmas fair type thing in the Halla Inse Ban, and you would meet Santa, get your present (although they must have cost a pound or something). Was great to meet up with the whole family.

Was there for that big storm, and with no electricity it was possibly the best christmas as it was candlelight in every room. I dont even remember how my parents got the christmas dinner up for everyone with no electricity

marienbad

AnCapaillMor wrote: »

Yeah but it was one of those evil toy shops that did more educational toys than real ones.

Nestors did toys?? It was all sports stuff with guns downstairs, although i suppose a shotgun would be a great toy.

Back in the 60's & 70's Nestors did brilliant toys , all very expensive , Hornby trains, Lead soldiers ,Mecano, Most of their stuff turned into collectibles in later years.

In our case it was sneak a look but don't touch before being run out of the shop. The Garryowen shower was not their natural clientele , don't you know. Snobs the lot of them .

The Snipe

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

XiledSniper wrote: »

I know the exact house! The one on the corner comming from Greenfields into Ballinacurra Gardens! Did it up until about 4 years ago.

Noticed they stopped! Did they move house or something?

No, I think he got ill a few years ago and couldn't put them up and hasn't bothered since.

boomerang

John the Man on the radio.

Todd's windows, without a doubt. I marvelled at them. And the winter wonderland scene with animatronic animals on either side of the queue for Santa in Todds. Not even the most stylish BT window can recreate that sense of wonder and excitement for me.

Roches' Stores toy department across the street, on Sarsfield Street.

Getting to go up the ramp to the upper level car park in Spaight's.

The school fair in Scoil Ide, when the hall and practically every classroom was taken over with sweets, secondhand toys and books for sale, have-a-go games, raffles, and of course, Santa. The idea that Santa visited your classroom! :eek: And the magic I felt that the whole school was transformed with music and lights and a hum of excitement!

Skating on the ice in the fields beyond Athlunkard Bridge.

Going up to Cappantymore in the snow and using my mother's trays off the trolley service (remember them?!) to slide down the road!