Bumper Christmas for traders

Christmas was a season to be jolly for Nenagh's retail sector who have reported bumper trade in the run-up to the festive season.
Nenagh Chamber of Commerce spokesperson Denis Finnerty said trade in the early part of the festive shopping season was extremely sluggish as the prolonged period wet weather kept shoppers away.
"But things really rebounded for us in the last number of days running up to Christmas," said Mr Finnerty. "The Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before Christmas Day were excellent, and people flocked to the shops in their droves in a great final flourish.
"I have been chatting with a number of traders in recent days and they all said they were very pleased at the way things went."
The spectacular 'Christmas Tractors of Nenagh' – a parade of festively ornamented and brightly lit tractors through the main streets on the Saturday – attracted large crowds to the town. "This is becoming a major event for us as it brought lots of people into town," said the Mr Finnerty. "I met people from all over the country who flocked to the town – people from as far away as Galway and north Cork. The event was a great spectacle for the town, and it boosted local trade considerably."
Corroborating the above comments on vibrant festive trade, Kenyon Street butcher Denis Quirke said: "I think it was a great Christmas for the small shops. I think the whole town had a great Christmas."
Mr Quirke, who starts his working day at 7am added: "I think people know that the local traders give a good service and a quality service and that we put in the hours to achieve that."
However, one issue that did concern traders was the quality of Christmas lighting on the streets of the town. Both Mr Finnerty and Mr Quirke said the absence of lighting on street-side trees in the main thoroughfare compared to previous years did detract somewhat from the festive atmosphere.
"It's definitely something we will have to work on with the council for next year," said Mr Finnerty, while Mr Quirke opined that town centre trade could be boosted even further if the council introduced 30 minute on-street free parking.
"It would be a period of grace for shoppers. It would mean they wouldn't have the hassle of getting a parking ticket when all they want to do is drop in to collect their turkey or call in to any shop to get some quick messages. We need this kind of incentive to prevent shoppers drifting to the bigger outlets on the edges of the town," said Mr Quirke.
Meanwhile, good weather on Christmas Day resulted in excellent turnouts for the annual Charity Swim at Youghal Quay – where Tipperary hurling Manager Liam Sheedy added to the festive occasion by bringing along the MacCarthy Cup – and the four mile fun run and walk from the CBS organised by Tony Hassett, held in aid of Nenagh Day Care Centre.