I used a iPhone 12 Pro Max and was very disappointed with the results. I had intended to photograph all 21 locations but have decided that I need a better camera solution.

I really like Christmas and as my birthday is on New Years Day I have always managed to take at least a two week break at Christmas but unfortunately because of Covid-19 restrictions I did not get to enjoy Christmas 2020. I am looking forward to Christmas 2021.

My father always brought us around the city at night during the first week in December to see the Christmas Lights and Decorations and back then many shops had impressive window displays. The window displays are now much less than impressive and the street decorations are not great however Dublin City Council has launched their very popular "Winter Lights" programme which will be active until New Years Day 2022.

21 locations, in the form of 2 walking trails around the city, have been transformed with colourful projections and lighting displays. Five new locations have been added this year including the historical Liberties area and Merrion Square Park.

This year photos of 76 people who work voluntarily in their local community will be rotated on the sails in Smithfield as part of the programme. Those featured include sports coaches, tidy towns volunteers, and charity workers.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin Alison Gilliland said she’s delighted to see the lights return: “I’ve been a huge fan of ‘Dublin Winter Lights’ ever since it began in 2018. The contrast between the bright lights and the dark evenings makes for a stunning backdrop to the city. I am delighted to see representative photos of so many of our community volunteers on the light sails of Smithfield Square. They really are the heart of every community. Our Childrens Wall on Barnardo Square will project entries from our recent Children’s Art Competition. We all need a bit of colour in our lives so I would encourage Dubliners to visit the city-centre and take in as many locations as they can. I know that’s definitely something I’ll be doing this festive season!”

No diesel generators will be used this year. Instead where main power is not available the City Council will use Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel. HVO is made from 100% renewable waste materials and results in an up to 90% reduction in CO2 emissions, up to 86% reduction in particulate matter, and up to 30% reduction nitrogen oxide emissions. The eco-friendly lights feature 157,800 low power LEDs, 100 tonnes of equipment and 15,780 metres of cable. The majority of the installations use LED powered lighting. There are three versions of the LED, 300w, 400w and a new 500w, which is replacing what last year was 2500w.

The projectors being using in Smithfield are new laser technology. The 24 projectors being are drawing a total of 13 amps which is the equivalent of a standard domestic socket. Custom House power usage last year was 40kw, whereas this year with LED, we are down to 12kw power usage. Samuel Beckett Bridge is completely LED using a total of 2kw (equivalent of vacuum cleaner).

Dublin City Council recycle all materials and branding from year to year. We store all the lighting in wooden crates each year and don’t use any single use plastics etc.