It was a journey that gathered pace from what is now known as Earley’s Barn in Cloonelt to the house in Gortaganny that came with his father’s job as principal of the national school, before ending on the other side of the country in Newbridge.

President Mary McAleese has unveiled a statue of the late Dermot Earley in his hometown in Gortaganny in Roscommon today.

THEY’RE in neighbouring counties, but the best and worst of the Tidy Towns entrants are poles apart when it comes to impressing the judges.