The Irish Times is on the hunt for Ireland’s nicest neck-of-the-woods, and invites you to nominate your favourite. It can be a town, suburb, village or remote spot – anywhere that, despite all the problems our little nation is going through, you feel supremely lucky to have landed in. The reason could be the neighbours, social life, scenery, the facilities or none or all of these.
THE PRIZE
The winning "place" will be announced in early summer. The Irish Times will mark the accolade with a plaque for the locality, publish a story on the winning place, and make a short film about it for irishtimes.com.
THE JUDGES
The best place will be chosen by a panel of five judges: Maureen Gaffney, adjunct professor of Psychology and Society in UCD; architect Paul Keogh; statistician Gerard O’Neill from Amárach Research; Irish Times Environment Editor Frank McDonald; and Irish Times journalist Edel Morgan.
YOU
But the process starts with you. We want you to tell us in no more than 500 words why you think your area is the best place to live in Ireland.
Pitch, argue, convince and gush, and explain what gives your neighbourhood the X factor.
There are also some questions about everything from the local schools to the quality of the environment.
But don’t be put off if you live in an area that doesn’t fit all these criteria. Ultimately, the strength of your pitch will count.
See irishtimes.com/bestplacefor details on how to submit your entry.
Claire Flavin: Ardmore, Co Waterford
THE ANCIENT seaside village of Ardmore, Co Waterford is renowned for its sandy beaches, cliff-top walks and breath-taking scenery. No matter the weather there is no place else you would rather be.
I began my love-affair with this pretty village and its people when I married one of its natives and set up home on its periphery. It was then that my journey of discovery of this ancient place and alluring people began.
Dating back to the arrival of St Declan in 416, Ardmore is the oldest Christian settlement in Ireland. As you ramble around the ruins of St Declan’s Well, Round Tower and Beannacháin a great sense of past surges within. It is a spiritual place that eases the mind and soothes the soul. The people of Ardmore welcome you with warm, curious eyes and are eager to get to know you. Before you know it you are enveloped in the heart of the community, being addressed by name, in that familial way that makes you realise you are home.
Ardmore’s sandy shores provide a natural playground for our children and hours can be spent splashing about, or walking and cycling along its intertwining streets and tranquil heritage sites. The hustle and bustle of Main Street is infectious as visitors and locals mingle to experience the culinary delights, moving on to view local artistic talents at the many studios around the village. A selection of public houses and hotels offer relaxing refreshments after a busy day at work or play, prescribed to get the sand out of your craw and wash the salty taste of the sea from your lips.
It is a vibrant community with outstanding spirit. A multitude of committees and clubs cater for all, and then there is our enthusiastic Tidy Towns Committee, which is attempting to regain the title of overall winner last won in 1992.
The Ardmore Pattern Festival is a fun-filled family festival, organised by volunteers, and celebrates our village every July. Attracting more than 15,000 visitors every year, it is a prime example of community spirit in action culminating in the promotion and sustainability of Ardmore.
Ardmore is one great big adventure; each day offers some new experiences. I invite you to visit, experience its beauty, soak up the richness, meet its welcoming people, sample delicious and decadent dishes, view the artistic talent on offer, and experience its vibrant spirit. But be warned, a visit will leave you wanting more and unknowingly your love affair with the oldest Christian settlement in Ireland will begin.
Ardmore is the best place to live in Ireland, I fell in love with it and I know you will too.
Áine Uí Ghiollagáin: An Cheathrú Rua, Co na Gaillimhe
BA MHAITH liom labhairt libh faoin áit ina bhfuil mé i mo chónaí le beagnach seacht mbliana anuas, An Cheathrú Rua. Deirtear go bhfuil go leor áiteacha sa tír seo go hálainn, ach tá sé fíor sa gcás seo go cinnte. Tá an Cheathrú Rua lonnaithe ar leathinis: ó dheas tá na hoileáin Árann; ó thuaidh tá na cnoic; siar uainn tá Leitir Móir, Camus, Ros Muc agus Conamara thiar, agus soir uainn tá cathair na Gaillimhe. Nuair a bhíonn dea-aimsir againn, níl aon áit níos deise ar domhan ná é.
Bíonn daoine ag baint lán na súl as na radharcanna ach tá an cultúr sa gceantar seo níos spéisiúla fós. Tá an Ghaeilge á labhairt ag cuid mhór den phobal agus tá an cultúr traidisiúnta fós á chleachtadh sa gceantar, húicéirí agus iascaireacht san áireamh. Bhí an-spéis agam féin, bean as Florida ann, nuair a thuig mé go raibh teanga agus cultúr beoga ann, agus go raibh fáilte romham páirt a ghlacadh sa chultúr agus sa phobal.
Cé go bhfuil an eacnamaíocht faoi bhrú sa gceantar seo (mar atá i gceantair tuaithe ar fud na tíre), tá muintir na háite tar éis comharchumann nua a chur ar bun le díriú ar dhul chun cinn an cheantair agus an phobail. Leis an suíomh idirlín nua, ancheathrurua.ie, tugtar tacaíocht do ghnólachtaí áitiúla agus do thurasóirí chomh maith le heolas a chur ar fáil don phobal féin.
Tá go leor fostaíochta sa gceantar go fóill, in ainneoin an cúlú sa ngeilleagar, in earnáil an oideachais agus na meán ach go háirithe. Tá Raidió na Gaeltachta sa gceantar, agus níl TG4 i bhfad uainn ach an oiread. Tá Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge lonnaithe i sráidbhaile na Ceathrún Rua, timpeall an choirnéil ón Scoil Chuimsitheach. Tá bunscoileanna go leor ann, agus téann m’iníon ag Scoil Náisiúnta Leitir Mucú i gCinn Mhara, Camus: tá rogha fairsing anseo chun oideachas cuí a fháil.
B’fhéidir nach féidir dul siar mórán níos faide sa tír seo ná ceantar na Ceathrún Rua, ach cén dochar a chairde: níl Baile Átha Cliath ach dhá uair an chloig ó chathair na Gaillimhe. Níl muid chomh fada sin i gcéin. Tá dúshláin roimh an bpobal seo cinnte, an éagsúlacht agus na buanna eile iontacha a bhaineann leis an bpobal a choinneáil, ag an am céanna agus iad ag dul i ngleic leis an mbrú eanamaíochta agus cultúrtha atá ag láidriú lá i ndiaidh lae orthu. Is seod í an Cheathrú Rua, ní hamháin i ngeall ar an teanga, an cultúr, áilleacht an cheantair agus na staire, ach i ngeall ar an bpobal: idir shean agus óg, idir mhuintir na háite leis na glúnta agus le cúpla bliain – fiú Yanks san áireamh tá súil agam. Ar scáth a chéile a thiocfaidh an dul chun cinn.
Mary Buchalter: Kingswood Heights, Tallaght, Dublin
IN JANUARY 1980, I moved into a detached bungalow in Kingswood Heights in Tallaght. Each road in the estate, almost all of which are cul-de-sacs, has at least one or two different house designs. When built, all the houses had white exteriors, which contrast beautifully with the large green open spaces dotted around the area. To me, this is the nicest large housing estate I have ever seen.
From my sitting-room window I look directly along the road and have no houses facing me. There is a private courtyard to the front of the house, which provides an outside room in summer as it gets the sun from early morning until mid-afternoon. It is a magical space and I would be lost without it.
For several periods of time, since 1980, I have lived and worked in southeast Asia and west Africa but I always dreamt of coming back to Kingswood Heights. During those travels I occasionally purchased items of interest. I would envisage such treasures within the house and all turned out to fit in beautifully. Nowadays, they act as reminders of faraway places.
My long back garden runs in the direction of the greenbelt between Tallaght and Clondalkin. Hence, I am “living at the edge” and I have no sense of living in an estate.
This is my paradise. Sitting or working in the garden, with its ivy-clad walls, I could be anywhere in the country. Just an hour ago, as I did some weeding, I was revelling in the sound of a blackbird’s song from a nearby conifer. He couldn’t be seen but he made his presence feIt in the chilly April air.
It is hard to believe that, if I hop into the car, after 20 minutes I will have left that solitude and be in the city centre. If I take the light rail or a bus it takes a bit longer.
Another great plus, of the best place for me to live, is the ease of access to the M50, N7 and the Dublin Mountains. And, right on my doorstep, I can walk to Ballymount Park in five minutes and feed the ducks and swans or just enjoy the fresh air.
While I grew up close to the coast, I can be over in that direction in 20 minutes, walking Dún Laoghaire pier and smelling the sea, should I feel nostalgic for my childhood days. Thus I feel that Kingswood Heights gives me the best of urban and rural living.
I have lovely neighbours, some of us having been here for 30-plus years, and now several of a younger generation have started to move in to my cul-de-sac. There are thoughts, among a couple of us, of planning a summer street party to welcome the newer residents, thus providing an opportunity for them to get to know each other.
Aidan McClements: Virginia, Co Cavan
VIRGINIA IS EASILY the most beautiful town in Cavan, nestled on the lovely shores of Lough Ramor. The sense of community here is amazing. The town is 400 years old this year and the town will be celebrating this birthday all year long, with a wide range of events.
The Deerpark Forest is beautiful, great for walking and cycling and there is a nine-hole golf course there that is good for beginners.
The town has a few unfinished estates, although compared with the other towns in the county, there are barely any. There are many things in the town to do, from cycling in the forest, to seeing plays and concerts in the Ramor Theatre. Commuting is very easy from the town, with buses going to Dublin, Cavan and Navan. The arrival of the newly-built M3 motorway also makes visiting the capital and airport easy in under an hour.
Lough Ramor is the second-largest lake in Cavan out of 365 lakes. Angling and fishing is very well known in this little town. The forest stretches from the port, 6km to the end of the lake on the Oldcastle Road. Shopping is easy with a small shopping centre and a Main Street full of nice, independent shops.
Virginia is known for the only Pumpkin Festival in Ireland, with a huge parade, stalls with food lined down the Church of Ireland pathway, and it is followed by a firework display at the port near Lough Ramor.
A Viking brooch was found in Lough Ramor some years ago and is now in the National Museum of Ireland. It will be brought back to the county museum, 9km from the town, for our anniversary this year.
Everything together in Virginia has to make it the best place to live in Ireland.
