Clare takes away 13 Tidy Towns awards

Tidy Towns committees from around County Clare were in celebratory mood this week when they were presented with a total of 13 awards at the Shannon Region Tidy Towns awards ceremony in Bunratty.

The competition is organised nationally by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and is co-ordinated in the Shannon Region by Shannon Development, the regional tourism authority.
Ennis once again scooped the overall Shannon Region Tidy Towns Award of €2,000 and new to the competition this year, the Smarter Travel Award worth €1,000. Tuamgraney Community Woodland won the Regional Notice Nature Biodiversity Award worth €1,000 while St Senan’s National School in Kilrush won the Shannon Region Schools Award of €750.
This year’s SuperValu Endeavour Award of €500 went to Killimer.
In the county awards section, Ennis, as winner, was awarded €1,000. Ballynacally was presented with a highly commended award of €800 and Kilrush received a commended award of €500.
In the Medal Awards section of the competition, Ennis and Kilrush won gold medals in their population categories, receiving €900 each. A silver medal went to Ballynacally, along with a cheque for €700 and Mountshannon won the bronze medal and €400.
This year, Shannon Development Tidy Towns Personality Award was awarded to Rita Higgins of Sixmilebridge. Rita received the award for her tremendous contribution over the years to the success of Sixmilebridge in the Tidy Towns competition.
John Quinlivan, Shannon Development’s visitor services manager, who was the MC for the awards ceremony, described Rita as “a wonderful role model for tidy towns volunteers throughout the country and whose commitment to the ethos of tidy towns has been superb”.
Minister Tony Killeen said the Mid-West Region has once again recorded significant achievements in this year’s competition.
“While we recognise the performance of all participants, I have to especially congratulate Ennis for continuing to set the standard for the region. I think you’ll all agree that the consistent performance of Ennis in this competition has been remarkable,” he added.
Commending the commitment of all Shannon Region Tidy Towns Committees, Dr Vincent Cunnane, chief executive, Shannon Development, said the tremendous success of the competition illustrated what could be achieved when people work together to enhance the attractiveness of their communities.
“Tidy Towns has grown into a competition that has delivered positive economic benefits in a range of areas from industry and environment, to tourism and fostering community spirit. This year’s event attracted over 120 entrants from all over the region, which demonstrates the huge interest and pride of place people have in their local communities,” he added.
In all, the Shannon Region won 23 Tidy Towns awards in the national competition.