It was once a quiet rural village with a one-sided main street. But following the opening of retail giant Tesco’s latest Irish store in Ballincollig, Co Cork, yesterday, the town on the western outskirts of Cork City now boasts one of the widest retail choices of any town in Ireland.

A West Cork town fighting to save its local council from abolition under sweeping local government reforms has urged other towns in a similar position to unite.

The Irish Business Against Litter group’s annual stick in the eye about our very poor record on litter in public places is a stark but undeniable counterpoint to the celebratory nature of the excellent Tidy Towns movement’s wonderful achievements.