Tidy Towns (Irish: Bailte Slachtmhara) is an annual competition, first held in 1958, organised by the Department of Rural and Community Development in order to honour the tidiest and most attractive cities, towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland. The competition is organised on a national basis, and entrants must complete modules including Overall Developmental Approach (5 Year Plan), The Built Environment, Landscaping, Wildlife & Natural Amenities, Litter Control, Tidiness, Waste Minimisation, Residential Areas, Roads and Streets & Back Areas.
The Competition is judged during the summer months (May to August) by an independent adjudicator, who issues each town with a written report complimenting positive development and actions and providing positive suggestions on how the community can improve their general surroundings.
This competition covers many aspects of environment and prizes are awarded to winners of all areas. Other than that, there's an overall winner which is named as "Ireland's Tidiest Town" which is announced at the end of competition every September. [1]
The 2020 competition was cancelled by Minister Michael Ring due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland for the first time in its history. [2]
Killarney is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Castle, Muckross House and Abbey, the Lakes of Killarney, MacGillycuddy's Reeks, Purple Mountain, Mangerton Mountain, Paps Mountain, the Gap of Dunloe and Torc Waterfall. Its natural heritage, history and location on the Ring of Kerry make Killarney a popular tourist destination.
Clonakilty, sometimes shortened to Clon, is a town in County Cork, Ireland. The town is at the head of the tidal Clonakilty Bay. The rural hinterland is used mainly for dairy farming. The town's population as of 2016 was 4,592. The town is a tourism hub in West Cork, and was recognised as the "Best Town in Europe" in 2017, and "Best Place of the Year" in 2017 by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland. Clonakilty is in the Dáil constituency of Cork South-West, which has three seats.
Ennis is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,276, making it the 6th largest town, and 12th largest urban settlement, as of 2016. Dating from the 12th century the town's Irish name is short for Inis Cluana Rámhfhada deriving from its location between two courses of the River Fergus.
Letterkenny, nicknamed 'the Cathedral Town', is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal, a county in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Letterkenny lies on the River Swilly in East Donegal in the north-west of Ulster, and has a population of 19,274. It is the 36th largest settlement in all of Ireland by population, and is the 15th largest settlement by population in the province of Ulster. Along with the nearby city of Derry, Letterkenny is considered a regional economic gateway for the north-west of Ireland. Letterkenny acts as an urban gateway to the Ulster Gaeltacht, similar to Galway's relationship to the Connemara Gaeltacht.
RHS Britain in Bloom is the largest horticultural campaign in the United Kingdom. It was first held in 1963, initiated by the British Tourist Board based on the example set by Fleurissement de France, which since 1959 has promoted the annual Concours des villes et villages fleuris. It has been organised by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) since 2002.
Eamon Michael Ryan is an Irish Green Party politician who has served as Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport since June 2020 and Leader of the Green Party since May 2011. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Bay South constituency since 2016, and previously from 2002 to 2011 for the Dublin South constituency. He previously served as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources from 2007 to 2011.
Raheny is a northern suburb of Dublin, Ireland, halfway from the city centre to Howth. It is centred on a historic settlement, first documented in 570 CE. The district shares Dublin's two largest municipal parks, Saint Anne's Park and Bull Island with its 4.5 km beach, with neighbouring Clontarf, and is crossed by several small watercourses.
Phil Hogan is an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as European Commissioner for Trade between 2019 and 2020, and previously European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development between 2014 and 2019.
Clonegal, officially Clonegall, is a village in the southeast of County Carlow, Ireland. It is in a rural setting, close to the border between counties Wexford and Carlow, 5 km from Bunclody, County Wexford and 22 km from Carlow town. It is just over a mile north of where the River Slaney and the River Derry meet. Clonegal has a much smaller "twin" village across the River Derry in County Wexford, Watch House Village.
Aughrim is a small town in County Wicklow, Ireland. It lies in a scenic valley in the Wicklow Mountains in the east of Ireland where the Ow and Derry rivers meet to form the Aughrim River. Aughrim is on the R747 road between Arklow and Baltinglass, and the R753 regional road.
Abbeyshrule is a village in south-east County Longford, Ireland, on the River Inny and the Royal Canal.
Keadue, officially Keadew, is a village in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is on the R284 and R285 regional roads close to the borders of County Leitrim and County Sligo.
Castletown is a small village and also a parish in County Laois in Ireland.
Belcarra is a village in County Mayo, Ireland about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south-east of the county town of Castlebar.
Birdhill is a village in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is in the barony of Owney and Arra and is part of the parish of Newport, Birdhill and Toor in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. Its Irish name was historically anglicised as Knockan or Knockaneeneen.
Tallanstown is a village in County Louth, Ireland. It lies on the R171 Regional road and on the banks of the River Glyde, 11 km southwest of Dundalk. It was the winner of the 2010 Tidy Towns competition.
Seán Canney is an Irish Independent politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway East constituency since 2016. He served as a Minister of State from 2016 to 2017 and again from 2018 to 2020.
Daire O'Brien is an Irish broadcaster and journalist. He is best known for being the presenter and anchorman of RTÉ Sport's coverage of the Pro14 rugby union competition, and has been with RTÉ since 2010. Before this he presented for Setanta Sports, where he was one of their most recognisable faces. Here he was successful until Setanta Sports went bankrupt in 2010, after which he moved to RTE Sport and began broadcasting for them. He has also contributed to Newstalk. He has written for the Irish Independent, The Sunday Times, The Sunday Business Post and the Sunday Tribune and reported for Prime Time in the 1990s. He narrated the RTÉ series Tidiest of Towns in 2007.
Junk Kouture is a television fashion competition for post-primary school students, where participants design, create and model fashion, made from recycled items. The competition has run in Ireland, since it was founded in 2010, by Troy Armour. The annual Grand Finale has been held in the 3Arena, Dublin since 2015.
As with other sports, the COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption to Gaelic games, primarily in Ireland but also elsewhere in the world. Competitions were cancelled, postponed or restructured, while some teams were withdrawn or were unable to participate in those competitions that went ahead.