Conor's car lights up Christmas for Jack and Jill Foundation

A local car enthusiast is brightening up the day for people around Mullingar this Christmas with his VW Golf covered in fairy lights.

Conor Montgomery and his friend Eryn Hosey spent hours applying the Christmas decorations to the car.

Conor had been thinking of a fundraiser, and when he saw the reaction of one local child, his mind was made up on the choice of charity.

“I’m raising money for the Jack and Jill Foundation, who provide in-home nursing care and respite support for children with brain injuries,” Conor told the Examiner.

“I was quite inspired by their origin story and I thought it would be a good charity, because the first time I drove into town [with the lights on the car], a man came over with his daughter, who was only about four years of age, and he asked for a picture.

“After I saw the smile on his daughter’s face, and the smiles on some of the kids’ faces when I drive by the schools in the mornings – I think that was the motivator to raise funds for Jack and Jill.”

Conor and Eryn bought the lights at Home Savers: “It took us about 12 hours each to put the lights on the car. There are currently 3,000 lights on it, and four rolls of painters tape. We just taped them to the car and we fed it through the doors.

“It took us a long time to make sure that we had functionality for the whole car but we got there - though the patience was wearing a bit thin near the end.”

So far the fundraiser is at around €350 and the target is €1000.

There are barcodes on the back window and the two back passenger windows of the Golf, so to donate, “all you have to do is just go up with your phone and you can scan it”.

“My social media pages also have links, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, and Mullingar Autos also have a link to donate to it as well.”

Conor plans on keeping the lights on the car until December 31. “Hopefully I can find a few tractor runs to promote the idea as well and spread a bit of Christmas cheer around the town.”

Conor is a student at Coláiste Mhuire Mullingar; he is from the Killucan area, where his father runs his own business, Montgomery Garden Services.

He took these photos at a nearby house, Olly Moran’s, which is also in the 'light up' Christmas spirit.

You can also donate to Conor's fundraiser at idonate.