The Government has instigated a review of the 19th-century legislation outlawing the use of fireworks, a move which could eventually lead to a lifting of the ban, writes Róisín Ingle.
The legislation proved virtually impossible to enforce this Hallowe'en. Only 10 licences were issued for the legal importation of fireworks, yet hundreds of illegal displays lit up the sky for the annual celebration on Thursday night.
The prevalence of amateur pyrotechnics appeared much greater this Hallowe'en than in recent years, with everywhere from the quietest rural suburbs to flat complexes in Dublin city-centre being affected by the loud banging of fireworks.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice said yesterday it was concerned with the rise in the amount of illegal fireworks displays which had taken place over Hallowe'en and that it was working in conjunction with the gardaí to review the legislation.
"The Garda authorities are proactive in combating the illegal use of fireworks," the spokesman said.
"Vigilance by the gardaí alone is not sufficient. Parents, in particular, should ensure their children are aware of the serious dangers which fireworks pose to themselves and to others."
The 1875 Explosives Act, now under review, proscribes the possession of "every substance used or manufactured with a view to producing a practical effect by explosion of pyrotechnic effect". In the past, politicians have called for fireworks to be legalised, claiming quality checks would ensure public safety.
The number of fireworks being smuggled into the State from the North or from continental Europe over the Hallowe'en season was "significantly down" on recent years, according to gardaí, despite a public perception that there was a rise in the number of displays around the country. Early figures suggested firework- related injuries were also down.
Insp Ray McHugh of the Garda Press Office said there were around a dozen seizures of fireworks in the run-up to Hallowe'en. Last Saturday a consignment worth €26,000 was found in a business park in north Dublin.
Earlier this month the Garda Ballistics Section gave a demonstration of the effects of fireworks, using a chicken leg, to show what could happen if a banger went off in a child's hand.
One retail source on Henry Street said children were securing fireworks by approaching people known to sell them in the city- centre. They would then go with the trader to a less public location, out of view of closed-circuit cameras, to purchase the illegal goods.
Legislation introduced to the North, where fireworks are legal, has proved an early success in reducing Hallowe'en mayhem.
For the first time citizens across the Border had to obtain fireworks licences and purchase the goods from a registered trader.
A PSNI spokesman said yesterday that the legislation had led to a "much safer Hallowe'en".