An Irish village and town have taken honours in the prestigious European Entente Florale Competition.
The village of Abbeyshrule, Co Longford, took the gold medal, while Clonmel, Co Tipperary, won the silver medal. Members from both communities were in Venlo in the Netherlands for the results of the competition, which aims to promote a greener and more pleasant environment.
It is the second win in a week for Abbeyshrule, which was named the overall winner of the National Tidy Towns competition on Monday.
Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan congratulated the communities, saying they “should be immensely proud of their achievement”.
There are 12 member countries in the competition and each one puts forward a town and village, which are judged on criteria such as house colour schemes, planting and amenities.
