Tomorrow night, June 23rd, is St. John’s Eve, which traditionally was a night when fires were lit at sunset, and had to be watched and tended until early morning.
The bonfire tradition remains strong in parts of Donegal, with Donegal County Council particularly anxious that people do not waste materials such as mattresses, tyres, and sofas.
In the lead up to St John’s Night, the council is asking local communities not to provide materials for bonfires, with Waste Awareness Officer Suzanne Bogan saying the authority is currently monitoring a number of locations where waste materials have been supplied in the past.
She says if people have waste to be disposed of, there are alternatives………….
Release in full –
Bonfires can cause serious damage to the environment and our health
The 23rdJune is St. John’s Eve a night rooted in ancient traditions. In olden times a fire was lit at sunset and had to be watched and tended until early morning. Traditionally fires were built using wood and straw, however in more recent years some bonfires are built using waste materials including mattresses, tyres, sofas etc.
In the lead up to St John’s Night, Donegal County Council is asking local communities not to provide materials for bonfires. Suzanne Bogan, Waste Awareness Officer with the Council states that “while traditionally wood and straw were used on bonfires in recent times materials such as tyres, mattresses, furniture, plastics, metal etc are burned on bonfires. This type of activity is illegal. It is also an offence to supply waste materials to parties collecting for ‘Bonfire Night’. The burning of waste such as rubber, aerosols, plastics, foam, mattresses, couches and household waste material in bonfires is very damaging to our health and environment. When waste materials are burned on a bonfire harmful dioxins are created and released into the air that we breathe.”
She added “Donegal County Council is currently monitoring a number of locations where waste materials have been supplied as bonfire material in the past.”
Bonfires can also very often be built close to houses and other property and can cause serious damage and injuries particularly where the burning of highly combustible materials is taking place.
The Council is currently running ½ Price Bulky Goods promotions across its 6 Recycling Centres in partnership with Bryson Recycling funded under the 2023 Anti-Dumping Initiative. The intention of this initiative is to promote responsible waste disposal of large bulky items. To find out more information about this offer visit
https://www.donegalcoco.ie/services/environment/recyclingcentres/ .
Tips for a safe St John’s Night:
- Parents, businesses and householders should not provide any materials for bonfires.
- Do not leave material lying around that may be taken for use in a bonfire; many garage or garden shed items such as petrol, white spirits, diesel, aerosols, batteries, tins of paint, bottles and tyres are especially dangerous if set on fire.
- Explain the dangers of illegal bonfires to children and teenagers.
- Keep pets indoors on bonfire night – they are sensitive to noise.
- Respect the work of the Emergency Services, Council Staff and the Gardaí.
- Contact the Fire Service by calling 999 or 112 if you see a bonfire being lit close to buildings, trees, overhead cables, underground services or car parking areas.
