A north Dublin parish is to control the number of people attending its popular Christmas Eve Mass by making it a ticket-only affair for the fourth year in a row. St Maur's Church in Rush will again confine entry to people who apply for tickets for the 6 p.m. family Mass.
The tickets will be released for all members of a family, subject to a maximum of six tickets per family, on a first-come, first-served basis from December 6th.
Anyone not quick enough to secure a ticket will be able to go on a waiting list in case of cancellations.
The parish said the restriction will not apply to anyone directly involved in the Mass liturgy who will automatically be allocated tickets for themselves and their families.
St Maur's first introduced the ticketing system in 2006 because the number of people turning up for the Christmas Eve Mass had been giving rise to health and safety concerns.
The previous year, one girl in the squashed congregation fainted and there was difficulty in evacuating her speedily and safely from the building.
The Church has a maximum capacity to accommodate 800 people safely and in some comfort and this is the number of tickets the parish will release for Christmas Eve.
The family Mass has proven especially popular because it traditionally features Irish dancing, a nativity play, and singing by a local youth choir.
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