Tidiest town battle won by Aughrim

There were whoops of jubilation in St Patrick's Hall, Dublin Castle yesterday as Aughrim was declared overall winner in the National Tidy Towns Competition.

The Co Wicklow town, which which has a population of less than 2,500 people, lost out by just one point in overall competition competition last year, picking up the category title, Ireland's Tidiest Small Town.

This year Aughrim's Tidy Towns effort celebrates its 21st birthday and, having picked up the title Ireland's Tidiest Small Town again yesterday, the committee held its collective breath as Environment Minister John Gormley prepared for the final announcement of the overall winner.

To shrieks and hollers of joy in the background Aughrim Tidy Towns committee chairman Bernard Keating collected the overall trophy and a cheque for €15,000, telling broadcaster John Bowman, compere for the ceremony, it had been "a long time coming".

"The committee's been 20 years a-growing and there is going to be some 21st birthday celebration tonight - you are all welcome," he declared, before being taken outside for photographs.

In second place in the overall competition was Killarney, Co Kerry, which won its category, Ireland's Tidiest Large Town.

Killarney, which scored 298 points in the competition, was beaten to the overall prize by just one point. The Killarney Tidy Towns Committee received a cheque for €4,000 and a trophy.

Birdhill in Co Tipperary won its category, Ireland's Tidiest Village, with a score of 297 points. The committee were also given a trophy and a cheque for €4,000.

Killarney and Birdhill are Ireland's entrants in this year's international tidy towns competition, the Entente Florale, the results of which are to be announced in Britain on September 21st.

Ireland's Tidiest Large Urban Centre was adjudged to be Letterkenny in Co Donegal. The Tidy Towns Committee there also received a trophy and a cheque for €4,000.

This year there was a record entry of more then 800 towns and villages in the competition - a feature which Mr Gormley put down to the involvement of sponsors, the SuperValu supermarket chain. Mr Gormley said an initial 700 entries had been submitted by Tidy Towns Committees, which itself was a "significant" increase on the number of entries in 2006. But he paid tribute to Supervalu, which he said had used its expanding branch network to increase the number of entries by another hundred.

Presenting the overall award Mr Gormley said the Government "fully appreciates the importance of active citizenship" and volunteerism and would be asking local authorities to engage more actively with Tidy Towns committees throughout the State.

"One of our key objectives is to strengthen the relationship between central and local Government and community and voluntary organisations," he told the assembled participants.

Speaking after the awards ceremony, Ted Moynihan, chairman of the Birdhill Tidy Towns committee, also praised the input of local volunteers. The Birdhill committee, which took home a cheque for €1,000 and a gold medal, said they were looking forward to travelling to the Entente Florale competition adjudication in Britain later this month.

Mr Moynihan promised Birdhill "will be back next year" to take the overall prize.

Yvonne Quill of the Killarney Tidy Towns Committee attributed the town's performance to "sheer hard work" on the part of the committee but also added, "in Killarney we have a saying: Heaven is only a local call away".