Abbeyleix in Co. Laois named as Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2023
Minister Humphreys announces €1.5 million in grant aid for circa 900 TidyTowns groups nationwide
Print9 October 2023
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys has announced Abbeyleix, Co. Laois as Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2023.
Over 600 TidyTowns volunteers were present at the SuperValu TidyTowns awards ceremony at Croke Park in Dublin on 6 October with the event live-streamed to thousands more online.
This year, 887 towns were competing for the prestigious awards demonstrating the continuing huge national interest in the SuperValu TidyTowns competition which has been running since 1958.
As well as being named Ireland’s Tidiest Town, Abbeyleix, Co. Laois was named as Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town.
Minister Humphreys also presented a new award to Cappoquin, Boyle and Ballyshannon TidyTowns groups, recognising their tremendous efforts to address vacancy and dereliction in line with the government’s Town Centre First policy.
“I offer my warmest congratulations to Abbeyleix and all of its TidyTowns volunteers for being crowned Ireland’s tidiest town for 2023,” said Minister Humphreys.
“This is a truly great achievement and a special moment of immense pride for Abbeyleix and indeed the wider county of Laois,” she continued. “Having first entered the competition in 1960, Abbeyleix 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.”
Minister Humphreys added that the standard of competition was extremely high this year in all categories, with 887 entries received overall. She also paid tribute to the “vital role” of TidyTowns volunteers across the country as “the embodiment of everything that is good in our communities”.
SuperValu has been the competition’s main sponsor for over 30 years, and Ian Allen, managing director of SuperValu, announced the results with Minister Humphreys.
Some of the other big winners on the day included:
- Geashill, Co. Offaly awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Village.
- Abbeyleix, Co. Laois awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town.
- Killarney, Co. Kerry awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Large Town.
- Ballincollig, Co. Cork awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Large Urban Centre.
Minister Humphreys also thanked SuperValu, the competition’s sponsor, adding: “SuperValu has been a loyal supporter and sponsor of the competition for over 30 years and continues to champion sustainability through their supportive network of retailers countrywide. Their team has worked very closely with my Department to make sure that this competition continues to be a success.”
“On behalf of SuperValu, I would like to congratulate Abbeyleix on becoming Ireland’s Tidiest Town,” said Ian Allen, managing director of SuperValu.
“This achievement is a testament to the hard work and commitment of the committee and team of volunteers involved in the town. Since the inception of SuperValu’s valued partnership with TidyTowns, the competition has grown significantly and meaningfully. There are now over 1,000 active committees backed by a powerful movement of almost 30,000 volunteers all of whom are highly committed to enhancing their towns and villages all around the country.
“As a community retailer, it is a source of great pride for us at SuperValu to be involved in such an incredible initiative,” he continued. “For more than three decades, our teams and dedicated local SuperValu retailers have worked hand in hand with the Department of Rural and Community Development to develop and grow the SuperValu TidyTowns competition. The competition has become a powerful and uniting force, bringing together people from communities all over the country, working towards a common cause, and, critically, caring for our environment.”
Minister Humphreys also announced a special allocation of €1.5 million in funding to support the work of TidyTowns groups in their continued efforts to make their towns and villages better places to live, work and visit. Since 2017, the Department has provided €9.5 million in funding to support the important sustainability and other activities of these groups.
Full details of all this year’s winners are available at www.tidytowns.ie and at www.supervalu.ie
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