Clean sweep: Westport wins tidiest town title
A great shout went up in thronged St Patrick’s Hall in Dublin Castle when the Co Mayo town emerged from nearly 700 other competitors. It also won the coveted award in 2001.
Elsie Higgins, chairperson of the tidy town’s committee, said this year’s challenge was to retain the marks Westport won in 2005.
“To win the overall was a total bonus, and Westport deserves it,” she said. “I love Westport; I think it’s a brilliant town — and everybody worked together.”
Tereasa McGuire, Cathaoirleach of Westport Town Council, said: “It’s just brilliant. It’s the culmination of a community effort that’s ongoing. We won it in 2001, so we have the experience.”
Ennis, last year’s overall winner, is the tidiest large urban centre — a new category introduced for towns with a population of over 15,000.
Aughrim in Co Wicklow won the tidiest small town category, while Birdhill, Co Tipperary, is the country’s tidiest village.
Clones Senior Mixed National School in Co Monaghan was given the first-ever Tidy Towns Primary Schools Prize for outstanding work on local environment issues in the community.
Junior Environment Minister Batt O’Keeffe, who presented the awards said interest in the competition was at an all-time high this year.
But the Tidy Towns was not just about competition, he said. “It is making a statement on behalf of your community that you care about the area in which you live.
“It is a statement to those people who, regrettably, are prepared to despoil their localities through litter, fly tipping, graffiti and other anti-social behaviour that they are not in the majority and do not represent you.
“It is making a statement that, as a community, you have the power to tackle local problems and improve your physical environment for everyone’s environment, for everyone’s benefit,” said Mr O’Keeffe.
The minister said there were few more serious challenges than the ongoing challenge to reduce our relatively high levels of municipal waste generation and to improve our overall waste management performance.
SuperValu managing director Donal Horgan said the core values of the group — which sponsors the national competition — and its 180 independent store owners countrywide include supporting local communities, local economies and creating jobs by working with Irish companies.
SuperValu has invested about € 5.5 million since its sponsorship of the Tidy Towns competition started 15 years ago.
Running since 1958, the national Tidy Towns competition was taken over from Bord Fáilte 11 years ago by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
