02.01.2020
Huge Crowd Welcomes New Year With St Mary’s Bells in Blessington
Up to 1,000 people gathered in the Square in Blessington on New Year’s Eve to ring out the old year and ring in 2020. Accompanied by the historic bells of St Mary’s Church, people converged on the town centre for this new event which was jointly organised by Blessington and District Forum and the Church of Ireland parish.
Carmel Cashin, chairperson of Blessington and District Forum and Canon Leonard Ruddock, rector of Blessington Union, were overjoyed by the local reaction to their initiative.
“Both Carmel and I are absolutely delighted with the response from the people of Blessington to our invitation to ring out the old year and ring in the new with the bells of St Mary’s,” Canon Ruddock commented. “It was a wonderful community event and hopefully it will be something that happens every year.”
As people flooded into the Square they were given tea lights which they lit at the stroke of midnight as the bells of St Mary’s marked the turning of the year.
While the bells of St Mary’s ring in every new year, this was the first time that a coordinated event has taken place.
