THE Christmas countdown
has begun in earnest in Inishowen with one of the
year's busiest shopping weekends expected on
Saturday and Sunday.
Most workplaces around the peninsula will finish up
on Friday with pubs, hotels, restaurants and clubs
predicting large crowds of people getting into the
festive spirit.
Buncrana Chamber of Commerce manager, Deirdre
Bradley said with Christmas falling on a Tuesday,
people were initially lulled into a false sense of
how many shopping days they had left.
"A lot of people had been saying, 'sure, I've still
got all week and the weekend to do the shopping',
but they'll be out in force at the weekend getting
it all finished," she said.
"Shopping has been steady so far but we're expecting
it to be very busy over the coming days and the
weekend ahead."
The Chamber manager said the new pay and display
parking had been a huge boost to traders on the
town's Main Street and would significantly help
business in the run-up to Christmas Eve.
"Some traders have been telling me they've had
customers coming into their shops that they've not
seen in years because they could never get parked
outside. The feedback we're been getting back from
the traders on the parking has been phenomenal,"
added Deirdre.
Meanwhile, she said hotels and restaurants are
enjoying a "phenomenally busy" time with very
successful Christmas party nights. |
