Laois town nominated for Ireland’s Greenest Town award

A Laois town has been nominated for the prestigious title of Ireland’s Greenest Town.

The competition recognises cosmetic and environmental efforts made by local communities, with over 26 locations nominated in four categories.

Abbeyleix has been nominated in the Irish Greenest Town category, following extensive work undertaken by the local Tidy Towns Committee.

Abbeyleix Tidy Towns, with the support of local people, businesses, agencies, and Laois County Council, has worked hard to advance its Biodiversity Action Plan through tree planting, pollinator-friendly habitats, and community-led citizen science projects.

Chairman of Abbeyleix Tidy Towns, Mr Robbie Quinn, welcomed the news of their nomination.

“It’s great, it’s another lovely accolade and acknowledgement for all the hard work we have put in,” Mr Quinn told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

“We are not sure where it will go but it will be shortlisted in time, and we look forward to it. The news only broke yesterday, it was sent to me and I put it in our WhatsApp group chat, everyone is chuffed,” he said.

“All of these awards are good for the town and the county, it keeps us on both a national and international stage. It creates footfall in the town, which means more business.”

The Chairman shared that the committee have been taking a breather for the past few weeks, following the visit of judges from the 31st edition of the International Communities in Bloom competition. The town are still waiting to be judged for this year’s Tidy Towns Competition.

The town was recently shocked by the theft of a community bench from the town, yet Mr Quinn did not let it take from their exciting news.

“It just goes to prove that it’s not all good news, we are like any other community. We suffer from fly tipping and dumping, like any other community. But hard work pays off and we’ll keep it going. We want to sort out the traffic in the town, we don’t want to cut it off,” he said.

“It needs to survive, but we think something radical would be cutting our nose off to spite our face. 

Abbeyleix Tidy Towns has seven members on their committee, with almost 25 members volunteering on sub-committees.

The Chairman has said that the committee’s next goal is to develop a new town plan.

“We were one of the first towns to receive a funded town plan, consultants were brought in from out of the town. It is no coincidence that it has led to all the awards, the Council had the foresight with the plan,” the chairman finished.

Former Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan is one of several judges who will name Ireland’s Greenest Town. The former Minister praised local community-led environmentalism.

“We have always been good at community-led environmentalism in Ireland, whether it is through the Tidy Towns competition, angling clubs or local heritage organisations, adds the former minister for climate, environment and energy,” he said.

“What The Irish Times Greenest Places initiative shows is how much this activism has deepened and spread in recent years. At a time when people are anxious about climate change and biodiversity loss, it helps to think global but act local.

“Taking action gives you hope and calms anxiety by showing we can turn things around,” the former minister said.

Also nominated within the Ireland’s Greenest Town catgeory was Skerries, Co Dublin; Killarney, Co Kerry; Ballina, Co Mayo and Kiltimagh, Co Mayo.

Three locations were nominated for ‘Ireland’s Greenest Suburb’; Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin; Cabra, Dublin and Harper’s Island, Cork Harbour.

The award for Ireland’s Greenest Village received nominations for Louisburgh, Co Mayo; Maharees, Co Kerry; Inagh, Co Clare; Cloughjordan Eco village, Co Tipperary and Quin, Co Clare.

The award with the most nominations was ‘Ireland’s Greenest Community’ with 13 nominations from across the country.

Nominees include Rathcroghan, Co Roscommon; Derrybeg Farm, Celbridge, Co Kildare; Gaelscoil Raifteirí, Co Mayo; Charlemont Deck Culture Garden, Dublin; Dysart River Project, Co Westmeath; Waterford Trees for Life; The Three Sisters Gardening Community Group, Belfast; Taplin’s Fields (Bridgefoot Street Park Community Garden), Dublin; Coolmine Lodge, Dublin; The Dingle Peninsula, Co Kerry; Inishturk Island, Co Mayo; Fahburren Forest, Co Mayo and Ambrosetown Cemetery, Co Wexford.