The lights have attracted significant attention on social media since being turned on last night.
The Christmas lights were turned on in Dublin City Centre on Tuesday night, to the delight of some and to the chagrin of others.
Some find it a bit too early to start getting into the festive period, while others would have done so in October if they were given the chance.
But it's the brand new lights and one sign reading 'Welcome to Grafton Quarter' that has everybody talking, so much so that the words were trending on Twitter on Wednesday.
https://twitter.com/GraftonQuarter/status/1194308231549661184
Following quite a bit of backlash online, CEO Richard Guiney told JOE that he is "surprised" by the reaction, and clarified that Grafton Quarter is not a new name for the area.
Guiney said that "people are entitled to their opinion", but that he is surprised by the negative reaction to the new sign, considering that Grafton Quarter is a name that has been used "for years", and that it is used to describe both Grafton Street and "the streets adjacent to it".
He clarified that it is a term often used by businesses in the area , and that it helps to illustrate when a location is in the general area of Grafton Street.
Guiney also pointed out that there are social media accounts bearing the Grafton Quarter name that are up to five years old; The Grafton Quarter Twitter account above has been in existence since May 2014.
A spokesperson for Dublin Town clarified to JOE that Grafton Quarter refers to the full district of streets from Dawson Street to Clarendon Street and all streets in between, saying that the use of the term is as much about supporting smaller businesses on side streets in the area as it is about the bigger businesses on Grafton Street.
"People seem to be blowing it out of proportion, we're just trying to do good and promote the city," the spokesperson added.
Dublin City Council have also shed some light on the situation, stating that the term 'Grafton Street Quarter' originates from 2014, and that it "refers to the public realm / precinct improvement plan for that area."
They said that it was used in the plan to define a specific area of the city - the area between South Great George’s Street and Kildare Street and between Saint Stephen’s Green and College Green.
