Loop Head lighthouse to shine a light on frontline workers

LOOP Head Lighthouse is to play a key role in a moment of national solidarity this month. Photographs of front-line workers are to be beamed onto the Clare lighthouse in tribute to their tireless work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The images were taken by photographer Jeanette Lowe and are one of six projection instalments across the country which will be illuminated in the days leading up to the winter solstice.
The art installations will form part of a nationwide multi-platform event Shine Your Light, or Lonraigh Do Sholas. The event will also feature a live TV broadcast on RTÉ One featuring Clare’s Sharon Shannon, and a radio special on RTÉ Radio 1.
Funded by Creative Ireland, the Shine Your Light installations by Irish artists will be visible around the country from December 17 to 20 and will bring artworks from the Illuminations online gallery to epic and dramatic locations including Loop Head, bringing light, hope and colour to towns and cities across Ireland. 
Jeanette’s photographs were taken as a tribute to a number of frontline heroes from Pearse House Flats in inner-city Dublin. 
Speaking about the project, Jeanette said, “There are many frontline heroes of this pandemic. Some, like healthcare workers, are obvious to think about, but many others leave their homes each day to provide services that allow the rest of us a semblance of normality, putting themselves and their families at risk.”
She added, “I want to shine a light on a small selection of these frontline heroes in their home environment – and ask you to consider who you interact with during these difficult times and recognise them for the services that they are providing so that we can all ha ve a bit of normality.”
Joining Loop Head, other locations involved in the project are the R&H Hall, Cork City; Kilkenny Castle; the Wellington Monument in Phoenix Park; the north-west and Reginald’s Tower in Waterford City.
RTÉ in association with the Creative Ireland Programme is calling on the people of Ireland to shine their own light on Sunday, December 20 at 8.30pm.
This is the third in a series of national moments of togetherness organised by RTÉ, with millions of people participating by shining a light in their windows, at their doorsteps or within their communities using a candle, lantern, torch or Christmas lights to mark important milestones for the nation.
Catherine Martin TD Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media commented, “Shine Your Light conveys a simple message of hope delivered by some of our most talented artists. Through the prism of their imaginations, we can mark the end of one year and anticipate the next. Let 2021 be a year full of art, literature, drama, music, dance and above all hope.”
Shine Your Light – Solstice will be a 30 minute television special on RTÉ One on December 20 which will feature music from Sharon Shannon, Damien Dempsey, Erica Cody, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra as well as a live finale performance with images from around the country of people shining a light.
The theme of light will be rolled out to include the lighting of national and local public buildings across the island shining along with Irish embassies and missions around the world.
The extraordinary network of GAA clubs all around the country will light up. Further reflecting the richness of Irish life, other organisations sharing their light will include the Office of Public Works and the Irish Aviation Authority.