Christmas trees to be thrown for charity

ENNIS is set to host the first ever Irish Christmas Tree Throwing Championship, it has been announced.

The event, which is based on age-old lumberjack traditions commonplace across Germany and Austria, will see members of the public competing to determine the Irish distance record for throwing a standard 1.5 metre tree.
The world record is held by Klaus Pubnaz, who hurled a tree a distance of 12m in Germany in December 2010.
All proceeds raised at the January 7 event in Ennis will go toward the development of a new Clare County Dog Shelter. The inaugural competition will take place between 10am and 4.30pm in the car park of Our Lady’s Hospital, Gort Road, Ennis.
Organiser Brian Meaney said the competition is, “a novel way to turn Christmas tree recycling into a sport, while at the same time raising funds for a needy cause”.
“This a sporting charity event with competitors from the four corners of Ireland being invited to take part, with all funds raised going toward a fund to build a new dog shelter in Ennis. It is hoped this championship will become a yearly event and will be a precursor to Ennis holding the European Championship at some point in the future.”
He added, “Anybody who is thinking of participating and might still have to buy a tree could think of sleek and aerodynamic, rather than big and bulky, when purchasing. The event is open to men, women and children. Each contestant will get to throw a used Christmas tree three times. One way or the other, the Irish Christmas tree throwing record is going to be established in Ennis on January 7,” he predicted.
“Clare County Council will be providing a free Christmas tree recycling service at various locations throughout the county but we would welcome anyone who wishes to drop their tree at the contest and make a donation towards the development of a new dog shelter. We will arrange for the tree to be mulched for use by the council’s gardening section,” he concluded.
Clare county dog warden, Frankie Coote explained in excess of 2,000 dogs are taken in by the pound each year.
“Clare Dog Pound is one of the busiest such facilities in the country. We successfully manage, with the support of local radio and social media, to return between 200 and 300 dogs to their owners every year. We re-home around 500 dogs, while another 300 dogs are sent to a Welsh-based rescue group,” added Mr Coote.
“I would appeal to members of the public to consider the dog pound when seeking to source a dog as a present for a loved one this Christmas. We receive approximately 20 to 25 dogs of all breeds at our Ennis facility each week.”