A French-designed Christmas tree is lighting up Dublin's O'Connell Street this year.

A French-designed Christmas tree is lighting up Dublin's O'Connell Street this year.

The 60ft structure, which weights five tonnes and is composed of 100,000 bulbs of different sizes is an eco friendly substitute for the normal type of large evergreen christmas tree. The hi-tech tree arrive by boat it took three days to put up at a site opposite the GPO.

The energy-efficient installation was designed by the French family firm Blachere, which has also created the lighting for the Eiffel Tower and the Principality of Monaco in the past.

The new LED Christmas tree is funded by the Dublin City Business Improvement District (BID) in partnership with Dublin City Council and Dublin City Business Association.

The 2B Light company, which is responsible for bringing the tree into Ireland, said it hopes the tree will capture the magic of Christmas in the city centre.

"We expect it will become a symbol of hope in these challenging economic times," said spokesman David Brennan.

New energy-efficient Christmas lights will also be turned on across some of the 115 streets under the BID's remit.

Other services funded by the BID include street cleaning, street ambassadors, street landscaping, local community initiatives and area marketing.

Richard Guiney, chief executive of the BID, said: "Dublin City Centre truly comes into its own at Christmas time and is a wonderful place to be.

"Over the years the retailers have worked to create a festive atmosphere for all and this year it will be truly magical.

"This year's display will be bigger and better than anything that has gone before and I'd like to invite everyone to come in and experience the atmosphere and see the display for themselves."