The countdown has begun to the Irish Christmas Tree Throwing Championship, which takes place at Active Ennis Tim Smyth Park in Ennis on Sunday, January 4. All proceeds
raised by the fourth annual event will go towards ISPCC Childline.
The championship, which is based on age-old lumberjack traditions and is commonplace across Germany and Austria, will see members of the public competing to achieve the longest distance for throwing a standard 1.5 metre tree.
John O’Dea from Limerick and Gary O’Growney from Dublin share the Irish record having both thrown their trees a distance of 10.2 metres, which is just under 2 metres short of the World Record currently held by Klaus Pubnaz, who hurled a tree a distance of 12 metres at an event in Germany four years ago.
Last year’s U-12 section was won by Soran Drayas (9.2m), who finished ahead of second placed Aoife O’Gara (7.86 m).
This year’s winner will once again receive the Irish Christmas Tree Throwing Championship trophy.
Organised by Clare County Council in conjunction with Active Ennis Sports and Leisure Facilities, the event will also see the public’s used Christmas trees being sent forward for recycling.
Tim Forde, general manager, Active Ennis Sports and Leisure Facilities, described the competition as “a novel way to turn Christmas tree recycling into a sport, while at the same time raise funds for a needy cause”.
“Disposing of the Christmas tree is often an arduous task for many so this event allows people to do so in style and with relative ease. The council will be providing a free Christmas tree recycling service at various locations throughout Clare, but we would welcome anyone who wishes to drop their tree at the contest and make a donation to ISPCC Childline Services. We will also arrange for the tree to be mulched for use by the council’s gardening section,” he added.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.