Tim Burton got it wrong. In his whimsical The Nightmare Before Christmas, the idiosyncratic one envisaged Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, tiring of Hallowe’en and hijacking Christmas instead. It’s now apparent that the reverse has occurred. The commercial behemoth that once confined itself to the final month of the year is working its way back through the calendar by stealth, absorbing all in its wake.
Christmas hit the Dundrum Town Centre on November 5th this year. Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ blasted over the PA in defiance of the unseasonal date. A small, bewildered child who remembered recently returning to school was prompted by a prematurely jovial Marty Whelan to switch on the festive lights. Bah! Humbug! Anyone who indulges in untimely merriment should, in the words of Ebenezer Scrooge, “be boiled with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.” Is there a single unadulterated nook or cranny left in this entire city where the true spirit of Christmas still resides?
As a matter of fact, there is. Unassumingly occupying the premises of St Martin Apostolate in Parnell Square, just metres from the naked commercialism of the capital’s main shopping thoroughfares, is the incomparable Moving Crib. Established in 1956 by Father Louis Coffey, the 14 delightfully animated biblical tableaux on display have made tangible the true magic of Christmas for generations of Dubliners. Old and New Testament milestones are re-enacted in an animatronic nativity play populated by over 100 metre-high, mechanical papier-mâché mannequins.
Adam and Eve – oversize Ken and Barbie lookalikes, their eyes meeting across the lush vegetation of their jungle home – are strangely reminiscent of Johnny Weissmuller’s Tarzan and Maureen O’Sullivan’s Jane. Star Wars aficionados will be relieved to see that a pair of musical Ewoks apparently made it onto a tightly-packed Ark. Meanwhile, visitors who miss the musical stylings of 1970s heavyweight icon, Demis Roussos, will be delighted to see the Greek one putting in an appearance as the malevolent King Herod. Resplendent in a flowing purple kaftan, the songster fronts a psychedelic backdrop not seen since Hunter S Thompson suggested hopping in the car and heading for Vegas.
Perhaps it’s tempting to be disparaging, but the combination of sincerity and simplicity is very affecting. “Moving” applies to the sentiment engendered in visitors as much as to the jerky movements of the quirky mannequins. No matter what your persuasion – believer or non-believer – it’s likely you’ll be touched by the sight of a benevolent baby Jesus gazing out at visitors from his lowly manger. It’s certainly sobering to be confronted by the genesis of a celebration that has turned into such an unwieldy, all-consuming monster, enforcing jollity and over-indulgence on all who stray too close to its gravitational pull.
Ronnie Marsh, the kindly-spoken man charged with the upkeep of this irreplaceable Dublin treasure, confirms that its popularity remains strong. “These days our main visitors are the busloads of school children arriving from all over the city. That’s why we started opening in late-November rather than early-December.” November is a busy month for Ronnie: “The covers come off and we make sure that everything is in good working order before we open.” A visit to the Moving Crib is free of charge, although a donation of whatever you can afford is appreciated. It’s also worth popping into Saint Martin Apostolate’s little shop, also at 42 Parnell Square.
In this transient, throwaway world, it’s imperative that we maintain our links with authenticity. Many thousands of Dubliners, me included, fondly remember childhood trips to Parnell Square; some never stopped returning. RTÉ’s Joe Duffy for one is adamant that it’s his “favourite place” at this festive time.
42 Parnell Square, Dublin 1. Open until January 6th (except December 24th-26th & January 1st). Weekdays: 2-6pm; Saturday & Sunday: 11.30am-6pm. 874 5465, stmartin.ie
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