'Sliabh na mBan' chorus as Emly comes out tops

AWARDS CEREMONY:THE DUKE of Ormonde, founder of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, might have raised a Kilkenny eyebrow yesterday if he had heard the gutsy rendition of Sliabh na mBanfilling the rooms of what is now the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

The Tipperary anthem was blasted out by members of the Emly Tidy Towns Committee as they accepted their award for overall winners of the Tidy Towns competition.

Hosted by velvet-voiced RTÉ presenter Michael Ryan, the award ceremony came to a fitting close with the impromptu chorus.

The delighted group, “22 years on the go”, hugged, kissed and cheered their success before rushing out into the plaza at the centre of the museum to phone family, friends and neighbours with the good news. They toasted themselves with champagne, had their photos taken with Minister for the Environment John Gormley and generally congratulated each other for their work.

Chairwoman of the Emly Tidy Towns Committee Sharon Cunningham said they were all totally shocked by their success.

They had hoped to hold on to last year’s gold medal and maybe win the regional, but they could not believe that they had won the overall award.

“It is absolutely super . . . I was at the match and it totally, totally makes up for it, we’re still bringing silver back to Tipperary,” she said.

She attributed the village’s success to community spirit and hard work. The clubs, local organisations and the local authority all worked together, she said.

“We work all year around, we go out three nights a week and every Saturday morning for six months,” she said.

Her father, Denis Heffernan, who also attended the ceremony and led the singing, was chairman of the committee for 16 years.

“I’m involved since I was 12 years of age, so I was brought up painting,” Ms Cunningham said.

This year’s crop of young tidy towners included the students of Kiltallagh National School, Castlmaine, Co Kerry.

They attended the ceremony with their principal Paula Ní Bhriain and Tidy Towns co-ordinator Clodagh Sertutaxa. The boys and girls from third, fifth and sixth class were “stunned” when they won the national Schools Award and a prize of €750.

Pamela Flanagan, chairwoman of last year’s overall winner Westport, Co Mayo said the town was not disappointed to be pipped at the post by one point.

The town won this year’s Tidiest Large Town with 304 points and had won the overall competition three times since 2000. “Westport is a beautiful town, it is a charmed town and we are all so proud of it, but we wouldn’t expect to win all the time,” she said.

Main awards

National Award Winner: Emly, Co Tipperary

Tidiest Village: Emly, Co Tipperary

Tidiest Small Town: Aughrim, Co Wicklow

Tidiest Large Town: Westport, Co Mayo

Tidiest Large Urban Centre: Ennis, Co Clare