Tallanstown is Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2010
13/09/2010

Tallanstown, Co. Louth was today awarded the title of Ireland’s Tidiest Town 2010. This is the first time that the Louth village has secured the title although they have been consistently strong contenders in recent years and have won many county and medal awards.

On hand to present the prizes in The Helix, DCU, Dublin was Mr. John Gormley, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Mr. Ray Kelly, Marketing Director of SuperValu, the competition’s national sponsor.

Representatives of many TidyTowns Committees from around Ireland travelled to Dublin to see Tallanstown pick up five awards in total, including the overall prize.

Minister Gormley said after the awards ceremony, "The adjudicators were extremely impressed with Tallanstown this year and they commented that ‘Tallanstown has an idyllic rural charm that has been enhanced by the considered approach the TidyTowns Committee have taken to projects within the village area. It is a remarkable achievement to win this award in the face of such strong competition and I wish to express, again, my deep appreciation and admiration for the work that all involved carry out in their communities."

The Minister also thanked SuperValu, the competition’s national sponsor for 19 years. He said, "In these economic times, where money is scarcer, we value the continued support of SuperValu all the more and I thank them for their commitment both at a national level and in the work that all of the SuperValu stores do with local TidyTowns groups."

Ray Kelly, Marketing Director SuperValu, said "TidyTowns is the public expression of the work countless individuals undertake to build community spirit and make their local area a better place to live. SuperValu together with its countrywide network of local retailers is - through the continued sponsorship of TidyTowns - committed to helping build and support vibrant local communities. I am delighted to congratulate this year’s winners and to recognise the commitment and dedication of TidyTown committees nationwide who make such a real difference at a local level."

Tallanstown was chosen from 764 competitors in this year’s National TidyTowns Competition and also claimed the award of Ireland’s Tidiest Village. Other winners included Lismore, Co. Waterford which received the award of Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town, Killarney, Co. Kerry which received the Ireland’s Tidiest Large Town award and Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny was named Ireland's Tidiest Large Urban Centre.

The winner of the SuperValu TidyTowns Schools Award was Ardee Educate Together N.S., Ardee Co. Louth. Pupils and teachers travelled to the Helix to accept their award. A new Smarter Travel Award, sponsored by the Department of Transport, was won by the TidyTowns Committee in Ballymun, Dublin 9 and The Repak sponsored Best Bring Bank National Award was taken by Kill, Co. Kildare.

The Tidy Towns competition is organised by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and sponsored by SuperValu. SuperValu have sponsored the National TidyTowns competition since 1992.

Other Winners announced today were:

Ireland's Tidiest Small Town - Lismore, Co. Waterford
Ireland's Tidiest Large Town - Killarney, Co. Kerry
Ireland's Tidiest Large Urban Centre - Kilkenny
Ireland's Tidiest Village - Tallanstown, Co. Louth