The shortlist for Ireland’s Greenest Places 2025 has been announced with 14 entries from around the country making it through to the final stage of the competition.
Across categories for Ireland’s greenest suburb, village, town and community, Dublin has emerged as the county with the most contenders with a total of four nominees.
The shortlist shows that Dun Laoghaire (Suburb Category), Skerries (Town) as well as Coolmine Lodge in Dublin 15 and Taplin’s Fields Community Garden in The Liberties (Community) have made it through to the final.
Kerry had three nominees on the longlist and all three – Castlegregory/Maharees (Village), Killarney (Town) and The Dingle Peninsula (Community) – have all made it onto the shortlist.
Mayo like Dublin had six nominees on the longlist but just two – Louisburgh (Village) and Ballina (Town) – made it through.
Other places to make the shortlist include Harper’s Island in Cork (Suburb) Inagh in Clare and Cloughjordan Ecovillage in Tipperary (Village), Ambrosetown Cemetry, Duncormick in Wexford and the Dysart River Project in Westmeath (Community)
‘Ireland’s Greenest Places 2025’, an initiative, which is being run by The Irish Times in association with Electric Ireland, began in late May when members of the public were invited to nominate a special place or project which they believe contributes to a genuinely greener environment.
Over the last couple of months, over 120 nominations were received from across the island and after reducing that number to a longlist of 26 the judging panel has now confirmed a shortlist of 14 places.
The chair of the judging panel, Irish Times features editor Mary Minihan said they had been blown away by the quality and diversity of the environmental projects being undertaken around the country.
“All 14 community entries which have made it through to the final stage have demonstrated clear evidence of widespread action on climate and sustainability goals. Many of the locations have benefitted from truly transformative action, changing both physically and culturally as a result of collaborative green projects.”
“It was extremely difficult in the first instance for us to come up with the long list and more difficult again to come up with the shortlist. Congratulations to the 14 projects who made it on the shortlist but also to everyone who entered and is doing such valuable work.”
She said each place was judged on specific criteria including its beneficial environmental impact, level of ongoing collective engagement by the community and evidence of behavioural change by people.
“Our judges have visited all the wonderful projects and places which made the shortlist, and we will be sitting down over the coming weeks to decide the winners. We know already it is going to be so so difficult,” Ms Minihan said.
The panel of five judges includes Eamon Ryan, former leader of the Green Party, who said the Ireland’s Greenest Places initiative shows just how much community-led- environmentalism 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.
“The short-listed entries show the variety of what is taking place around Ireland. People in every community seem to be looking to see what they can do by promoting pollinators, planting trees or establishing sustainable energy or transport solutions”.
The category winners and overall winner of Ireland’s Greenest Places 2025 will be announced on the weekend of the 12th/13th of September.
Ireland’s Greenest Places 2025 – The Shortlist:
Ireland’s Greenest Suburb (2)
Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin v Harper’s Island, Cork Harbour
Ireland’s Greenest Village (4)
Louisburgh, Co Mayo
Castlegregory/Maharees, Co Kerry
Inagh, Co Clare
Cloughjordan Ecovillage, Co Tipperary
Ireland’s Greenest Town (3)
Skerries, Co Dublin
Killarney, Co Kerry
Ballina, Co Mayo
Ireland’s Greenest Community (5)
Dysart River Project, Co Westmeath
Taplin’s Fields (Bridgefoot Street Park Community Garden), Dublin
Coolmine Lodge, Dublin
The Dingle Peninsula, Co Kerry
Ambrosetown Cemetery, Co Wexford
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