Eyeries, County Cork is the overall winner of Ireland’s Best Kept Town competition, 2012. The results were announced on 26th June 2012 at an awards ceremony in Titanic Building, Belfast.
Eyeries also won the Best Kept Village category. Broughshane, County Antrim won the Best Kept Small Town category, Westport, County Mayo won the Best Kept Large Town category and Coleraine, County Derry won the Best Kept Large Urban Centre category.
Doreen Muskett, MBE, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Amenity Council (NIAC), organisers of the SuperValu Best Kept Town awards in Northern Ireland said; “The towns competing in this year’s contest were successful in the North’s 2011 SuperValu Best Kept Awards and TidyTowns competition in the South, but the all-Ireland awards are the ultimate prize. The judges have an unenviable task comparing the most attractive towns and villages across Ireland, but they always find there is a good humoured spirit of competition among the finalists.” She added; “We are delighted that Coleraine and Broughshane have been successful in this year’s awards, and particularly that Coleraine won its category for the third consecutive year. Congratulations to all the winners.”
Rita McNulty, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government paid tribute to each of the category winners and also to the other towns that had been nominated for awards. She said; “Congratulations to all of the winners, and in particular to Eyeries for winning the overall title. Congratulations also to the other towns and villages nominated for today’s awards. Being nominated for the awards represents an achievement in itself, and is reward for your efforts in the Tidy Towns and 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 the volunteer committees. Well done for your efforts and hard work, and I’m sure that you have great joy and pride in being here today.”
SuperValu Marketing Manager Briege McGinty of Musgrave Retail Partners NI, the company that supports independent SuperValu retailers across Northern Ireland said; “SuperValu has been the proud sponsor of Ireland’s Best Kept Towns competition since it was established, and has also supported the North’s Best Kept Awards and TidyTowns in the South over the long-term. We do this as part of a varied community involvement initiative which aims to support local communities where SuperValu retailers trade. The independently owned SuperValu outlets across the island of Ireland operate at the heart of local towns and villages and our retailers are keen to support the awards, because they believe it makes a real difference to the well-being of their communities and the environment. On behalf of all of our SuperValu retail partners I’d like to congratulate the winners on demonstrating their impressive pride of place and a commitment to making their towns and villages great places to live and visit.”
The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Northern Ireland Amenity Council initiated the Ireland’s Best Kept Towns competition in 1995 to help raise the profile of both the TidyTowns and Northern Ireland’s “Best Kept” competitions, and so help to improve the standard of towns and villages across the island of Ireland.
All entrants were marked against strict adjudication criteria that included cleanliness, the outward appearance of buildings, the presentation of roads and public facilities and the natural environment.
List of Participants 2012
Clonegal County Carlow Village
Eyeries County Cork Village
Loughgall County Armagh Village
Adare County Limerick Small Town
Ballycastle County Antrim Small Town
Broughshane County Antrim Small Town
Carrick-on-Shannon County Leitrim Small Town
Holywood County Down Large Town
Shankill County Dublin Large Town
Westport County Mayo Large Town
Coleraine County Derry Large Urban Centre
Drogheda County Louth Large Urban Centre
Letterkenny County Donegal Large Urban Centre
The full results are:
Best Village – Eyeries , County Cork
Best Small Town – Broughshane, County Antrim
Best Large Town – Westport, County Mayo
Best Large Urban Centre – Coleraine, County Londonderry
Overall winner – Eyeries, County Cork