Tidy Towns: Three contenders lose out on top prize by one point

To miss out on winning by one point is difficult. Nobody knows that better than the three runners-up in the 2015 National Tidy Towns competition.

While the top prize went to Letterkenny, with a total of 323 points, Clonegal, Co Carlow, Listowel, Co Kerry and Westport, Co Mayo, all finished with 322 points.

For Clonegal, the proximity to victory must have been particularly frustrating as this is the second year in a row it has been beaten by just one point, having lost out to Kilkenny last year.

But there was compensation for Clonegal in the award of Ireland’s tidiest village, a prize it has won two years in a row.

The village’s Tidy Towns committee chairman John Dunne and secretary Marie Byrne were all smiles as they posed with the trophy before bringing it back to the borders of Carlow, Wicklow and Wexford. “To miss out by one point is a bit hard, but we will be back again next year,” said Mr Dunne.

“We are a small committee of about seven,” said Ms Byrne, who put the award down to a combined effort from residents, who make a “huge effort” with their buildings and gardens. She also paid tribute to the employment training scheme Tuas, which she said had “helped enormously”.

Also beaming was photographer Frank Dolan, of the Westport Tidy Towns committee. “Westport has won in 2001, 2006 and 2008,” he said, a record which may have eased the pain of coming in one point behind Letterkenny.

Westport’s 322 marks earned it the award for best large town.

Mr Dolan was particularly pleased with the Tidy Towns Hero accolade given to schoolgirl Nicola Salmon, who was commended for her dedication to the local committee.

Westport Tidy Towns chairwoman Rhona Chambers said it was hard to keep ahead of a very competitive field.

“We have to innovate, to find new projects. We were the first to do a Good Friday Clean Up and now lots of groups are doing it; we always need new ideas. It is always difficulty to keep ahead of everyone,” she said.

Also proudly displaying their trophy were the committee from Listowel, Co Kerry, which won Ireland’s tidiest small town. Chairman Kieran Moloney ascribed the success to a “dedicated morning crew” of committee members who patrol the streets from 5.30am making sure nothing is out of place.

This year the committee’s special project was the approach roads to the town and, in addition to flower planting, efforts were made to cut down on unsightly advertising. The committee also put on an “upcycle and recycle” fashion show in conjunction with Listowel races.

Fáilte Ireland also announced the shortlist of 10 towns in the 2015 Tourism Towns Awards. The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Dublin in November. Two winners will ultimately share the accolade of being Ireland’s top town for tourism – for the best large town and best small town.

The shortlist for the best small town is: Adare, Co Limerick; Ardmore, Co Waterford; Clonakilty, Co Cork; Kenmare, Co Kerry; Lismore, Co Waterford and Sneem, Co Kerry.

The best large town shortlist is: Cobh, Co Cork; Killarney, Co Kerry; Kilkenny, Co Kilkenny, and Tralee, Co Kerry.