ALTHOUGH the ultimate accolade eluded them, both Ennis and Mounthsannon made the shortlist for final adjudication in Ireland’s Best Kept Town for 2014.
At an awards ceremony on the SS Nomadic, Titanic Quarter in Belfast on Tuesday, the county Fermanagh town of Enniskillen was voted the overall winner and in the category of Best Kept Large Urban Centre which also included the towns of Ennis and Kilkenny.
Emly, Co Tipperary won the Best Kept Village category which also featured Mountshannon and Lack, Co Fermanagh.
At the presentation ceremony, Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Dinny McGinley paid tribute to each of the category winners and also to the other towns that had been nominated for awards.
He said, “Being nominated for the awards represents an achievement in itself, and is reward for your efforts in the SuperValu TidyTowns and the Best Kept competitions. These competitions continue to demonstrate the great pride that people have in their communities, North and South, and the hard work carried out by volunteers.
Doreen Muskett MBE, Chair of the Northern Ireland Amenity Council, the body that organises the Best Kept Awards, said, “The competition is designed to reward those who take great pride in their communities, those who work tirelessly to make their surroundings a nicer place to work, live and play in.”
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.