Autism charity to benefit from Castletown display

There are not too many people around Meath who have not heard about or seen the Christmas lights at Tommy Quinn's house in Castletown. For at least 10 years, Tommy's Christmas display has been one of the most talked about in the county and attracts many visitors each year. This year, for the first time, he has decided to raise money from his display of lights for the Irish Autism Association, a charity that is close to his heart as he has a grandchild who has mild autism. Tommy was the first person in Castletown to have a Christmas lights display but said that, in recent years, more and more people have been catching up on him. He begins putting up his lights in October and switches them on in the second last week in November. There are so many lights that Tommy has many of them running off a generator. His electricity bill for the duration of Christmas is up about €400-€500, he said. This year, those who wish to do so, can make a donation to the Irish Autism Association. "People stop to look at the lights and there is a box there, but it is up to themselves if they want to make a donation, there is no onus on anyone," said Tommy. Santa visited the Quinn garden on Sunday afternoon to greet local schoolchildren and their parents, and many of them made donations to the autism charity while they were there.