Mayo tourist spot scoops Ireland’s Best Kept Town crown
Westport, which also won the accolade in 2003, faced stiff competition from 12 other towns and villages in the Republic and North to win the event on its 10th anniversary.
Batt O’Keeffe, a Minister of State at the Environment Department, presented a memento to all the past winners of the award in honour of the anniversary.
“In 1995, when my department and the Northern Ireland Amenity Council (NIAC) first considered this joint initiative, the intention was to develop a new environmental competition that would allow communities from north and south to pursue a common goal - that of sustaining and improving the environment in which they live.
“Some scepticism about the outcome might have been understandable but, clearly, the result is an important success story.
“Ireland’s Best Kept Towns competition has been organised and conducted in a spirit of respect, trust and friendship, though the underlying element of competition has been no less for that.”
The other awards given out included Best Village for Moynalty in Co Meath, and Portrush in Co Antrim won the Best Small Town award.
Each winner receives €3,200 - with Westport receiving €6,400 for taking the overall category of Ireland’s Best Kept Town 2005.
The towns and villages were marked on their cleanliness, the outward appearance of buildings, the presentation of roads, public facilities and the natural environment.
The awards began as a cross-Border competition in 1995 to raise the standards of towns and villages across the country.
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