Christmas tree throwing championship to be held in Ennis

When the people of county Clare heard about the practice of throwing away old Christmas trees, they took it rather literally.

As such, Sunday will see the fourth annual instalment of the Irish Christmas Tree Throwing Championships taking place in Active Ennis Tim Smyth Park.

Admittedly, the competition holds the moniker of ‘Irish’ championships by virtue of the fact that it is the only one on the island. That said, the novel event has continued to grow in stature since its inception in 2012, with upwards of 200 contestants having a fling last January.

"Men, women and children are all involved," said Tim Forde, general manager of Active Ennis Sports and Leisure Facilities.

“Stature doesn’t seem to come into it. There are a number of different techniques used,” said Mr Forde, a stalwart of the nascent competition.

Fun and games form an integral part of the spectacle, which is also underpinned by a practical message about responsible tree disposal, according to Mr Forde.

"It was an idea that was generated with Ennis Town Council in its day, and elected representatives came up with the idea of raising awareness of recycling Christmas trees," he added.

“[A representative] had read somewhere that there was a Guinness World Record set by a German four years ago for the longest throw of a Christmas tree, so he figured we could make it entertaining, make a bit of a challenge of it and use that opportunity to raise awareness.”

The record alluded to is for an awe-inspiring throw of 12 metres, which was carried out by Klaus Pubnaz four years ago.

We may be competing against tradition in countries where such gatherings are commonplace, but Irish people have performed admirably over the last number of events, and the current national record now stands at an impressive 10.2 metres.

Patrons are encouraged to bring their own wilting trees; but they can’t throw them.

It’s all in the interests of fairness, according to Mr Forde: “We provide the tree for throwing. We monitor that tree as well because after a number of throws it can become damaged, and that’s a fair way of doing things because it means everyone is throwing from the same place.”

For such a prestigious competition, surely there must be some sort of coveted prize for the triumphant tree thrower?

“The winner gets the annual traditional trophy, put together by Ennis Town Council, which is - believe it or not - an old badminton trophy with a badminton racket hanging out of it and a Christmas tree on top,” Mr Forde said.

“It was put together by one of our local representatives for the first year and it’s become a tradition now, but you also get an engraved plaque from Ennis Sports and Leisure Facility acknowledging that you are this year’s champion.”

The quirky tournament aims to raise funds for the ISPCC’s Childline service, having raised in the region of €400-€500 for charities in each of the last three years.

Other local authorities might not be quite as inventive as their Clare counterparts, but tree disposal and collection services are operating around the country this time of year.

Eleven locations in Dublin city will accept old Christmas trees free of charge until January 22nd, as will five locations in Cork city, and two in Galway city.

Any county council hosting a tree recycling service will have details posted on their website, and Repak facilities nationwide will also cater for disposal of old decorations.