Waterford once again performed strongly in the SuperValu National Tidy Towns competition.Glaslough in County Monaghan has been named as Ireland’s tidiest town – beating off stiff competition from more than 900 others.
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The committee from Glaslough clinched the overall award as well as the Tidiest Village award in the prestigious competition which is now in its 61st year.Blackrock in County Louth was given the claim of Tidiest Small Town.
The Large Town award went to Westport in County Mayo, while Ennis in County Clare won Tidiest Large Urban Centre.In Waterford, the stalwarts of the competition once again performed exceptionally well while there were also strong showings from other Déise locations.
Lismore obtained a gold medal in Category C with 341 marks.Ballymacarbry received a silver medal in Category A with 340 marks.Silver medals were also obtained by Ardmore with 339 marks (Category B) and Dungarvan (Category E) with 329 marks.
Meanwhile, Tramore retained its bronze medal in Category F with 321 marks.Stradbally received the overall County award for Waterford with 342 points, while Lismore and Ballymacarbry were both highly commended.
Tallow won the County Endeavour Award while Ardmore picked up an award for Climate Action and Air Quality (Village/Small Town).Minister for Rural Development Michael Ring made the presentations in Dublin yesterday (Monday) afternoon.
“This is a fantastic achievement for Glaslough who are very deserving winners,” he said.“Glaslough, who first entered the SuperValu Tidy Towns competition in 1966, have great passion and pride in their community. They have been consistently achieving high standards in the competition at local, regional and European level.”
He went on to congratulate all of the prize-winners.“The work of all those involved in the Tidy Towns effort results in the attractive and welcoming towns and villages we see all over the country, from which we all benefit,” he said.
“It is this passion and pride that has made our towns and villages not only attractive and welcoming for visitors, but have created a ‘sense of place’ for those who live, work and raise families there. That is why this competition has continued to flourish for more than 60 years.”
Minister Ring also announced a special allocation of €1.4m to support the work of individual Tidy Towns Committees around the country to assist them in their continued efforts to enhance their towns and villages.
The Minister said: “All of the towns and villages involved in the competition across the country should benefit from this investment. Wherever you have active Tidy Towns committees, it gives the town a real sense of pride and engagement, and creates a great atmosphere for both residents and visitors alike.”