Donal Hickey: Here's how Ballyphehane won a Tidy Towns prize in their first year

And awards too for Ballyduff in Kerry which got support from the local Men's Shed, farmers and businesses 

Ballyphehane Tidy Towns ballyphehanetidytown.ie

The term, ‘dirty old town’, is now redundant as far as hundreds of towns and villages are concerned. Founded in 1958 with the simple aims of making places nicer to live in and instilling local pride, the Tidy Towns competition attracts an entry of 900 towns and villages involving thousands of volunteers.

The achievements of some volunteers are legendary — such as the late Fr Michael Murphy (affectionately known as Fr Tidy) who led by example and inspired three Kerry towns, Sneem, Kenmare, and Killarney, to win the overall prize.