The latest survey by business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) shows Shannon to be among the cleanest towns in Ireland. Shannon is positioned sixth in the ranking of 40 towns and cities and deemed Cleaner than European Norms.
Ennis also recorded one of its best results in years, in 14th position.
While nearly all of Ireland’s main towns are now clean, pockets of our major cities continue to suffer from significant levels of litter, The study, conducted by an Taisce, showed only two of 25 towns surveyed to be littered, but 7 of the 8 bottom places in the rankings to be occupied by city areas. IBAL says councils need to concentrate on those specific areas where the problem is worst.
Of Shannon, An Taisce reported: “Shannon has scored very highly, with eight out of the ten sites surveyed getting the top litter grade. The N19 Approach from Shannon Airport and Exit 8 on N18 coming from Limerick were exceptionally good routes – not just clear of litter but excellently maintained throughout. Other top ranking sites in Shannon included Shannon Leisure Centre and Skycourt Shopping Centre.”
The report on Ennis stated: “Some of the excellent sites included the N85 from Limerick to Exit 12 to Ennis – it was in impeccable condition with a complete lack of litter throughout. This positive impression is sustained for the majority of the remaining sites surveyed in Ennis. The residential area of Hermitage was adorned with colourful flowering. The Planet Leisure Centre was in very good order with a complete absence of litter and Parnell Street was generally very clean. Westpoint Business Park was a seriously littered site.”
Kilkenny once again topped the table, ahead of Enniscorthy, Kildare and Waterford City.
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.