Killarney cleans up at Ireland’s best-kept town awards

KILLARNEY was yesterday named as Ireland’s best-kept town.

The famed Kerry tourist destination came out tops in a north-south competition that was confined to 12 of our most attractive towns.

The results were announced by Environment Minister John Gormley at an awards ceremony in Dublin Castle.

The Kerry town was initially a category winner, as the best kept large town, while Letterkenny won the best kept large urban centre.

Tallanstown in Co Louth won the best kept village category and Broughshane in Co Antrim was named the best kept small town.

All four were put forward for the overall award, with Killarney emerging as the outright winner.

The competition had been narrowed to 12 towns ahead of yesterday’s event.

Entrants were marked on cleanliness, outward appearance of buildings, presentation of roads and public facilities along with the natural environment.

The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Northern Ireland Amenity Council initiated the Ireland’s Best Kept Towns competition in 1995 to help raise the profile of both the Tidy Towns and Northern Ireland’s “Best Kept” competitions, and so help to improve the standard of towns and villages across the whole island of Ireland.

Tidy towns

* Overall winner: Killarney, Co Kerry.

* Best village: Tallanstown, Co Louth.

* Best small town: Broughshane, Co Antrim.

* Best large town: Killarney, Co Kerry.

* Best large urban centre: Letterkenny, Co Donegal.