Ballincollig in Co Cork named Ireland's tidiest town

Ballincollig in Co Cork has won the overall award at this year's Tidy Towns competition.

It was also declared Ireland's Tidiest Large Urban Centre for the second year in a row at the award ceremony in Croke Park this morning

It held off stiff competition for the top prize from 904 towns and villages around the country.

The other big winners in the Supervalu Tidy Towns competition was Ballinahown for the tidiest village and Blackrock, Co Louth for the tidiest small town.

The winner of the tidiest large town was Westport, Co Mayo.

Chair of Ballincollig Tidy Towns, Tom Butler, attributed the success to 25 years of effort during which time he said they improved their marks "year-on-year".

"We worked steadily, and it's a constant 52 weeks of the year that we work and it has eventually paid off," he said.

Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, he said it was a "fantastic" feeling for the committee and volunteers, and that it was a "group effort" supported by the area's local authorities.

"The only things you get from it is pride," said Mr Butler.

Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys congratulated Ballincollig, saying it was a "great achievment" and a "special moment of immense pride".

She added: "Having first entered the competition in the 1960s, Ballincollig today continues to showcase all that is good about innovation, sustainability, community spirit and volunteerism. This is at the core of what the competition is all about."

Fine Gael Councillor and Ballincollig Tidy Towns committee member Garret Kelleher has described the achievement as "a major boost" for the town, adding it is Ballincollig's "twelfth gold medal in a row".

Mr Kelleher said the win is "down to the hard work, commitment and countless hours" put in by volunteers and the committee.

He also paid tribute to long-standing members who have helped Ballincollig acheive success in the competition over the years.