Cork town picks up the top prize as Ireland's tidiest towns in 2024 are named

Ballincollig has been named Ireland's tidiest town as volunteers took to the stage in Croke Park to claim the top prize on Friday morning.

The Cork town has long been a contender for the SuperValu Tidy Towns title, with a small army of volunteers cleaning the streets weekly.

Last year, Ballincollig took home the top prize for Tidiest Large Urban Centre and lost out on the overall award by just a single point. The 2023 award was taken home by the village of Abbeyleix in Laois with a score of 376, while Ballincollig scored 375 overall, reports Cork Beo.

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Other towns to win big on the day included Ballinahown in Westmeath, named as Ireland’s tidiest village, Blackrock in Louth, named as Ireland’s tidiest small town and Westport in Mayo, named as Ireland’s tidiest large town. The Town Centre First National Award was also awarded to Carrickmacross TidyTowns in Monaghan,recognising their tremendous efforts to address vacancy and dereliction in line with the Government’s ‘Town Centre First‘ policy.

Walking through Ballincollig, winner of Ireland's tidiest town for this year, it's easy to see the hard work put in by the Tidy Towns volunteers who have become familiar faces in the local community. From watering the greenery to picking up litter there's no task too big or too small for the Tidy Towns crew.

The group was congratulated on their win by Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Dan Boyle, who said: "We are all so proud of Ballincollig and all the tidy towns volunteers who have worked so hard over the years to make it one of the most attractive spots to live and work in in Cork.

"The teams have done fantastic work around greening, fostering biodiversity and are trailblazers in terms of community climate action and protecting local heritage. Cork City Council works well with the tidy towns teams and everyone in City Hall believes the award is so deserved after years of dedication by the people who live there".

Ballincollig beat out 904 towns and villages from across the country to claim the grand prize on Friday, which came with €15,000 in prize money.

Local councillor Joe Lynch also congratulated the group, saying: "I want to warmly welcome Ballincollig being named the overall winner at this year's Tidy Towns competition. It is an incredible achievement for our town and one which everyone in the local community can take pride in.

"I warmly congratulate the Ballincollig Tidy Towns Committee, and those who volunteer week in, week out to make our community a cleaner, more sustainable place to live. Their work is invaluable and this award is a testament to their hard work. Comhghairdeas mór leo uilig."

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