Tidy Towns win for Kilkenny: a city with tourism at its heart

On a sunny September afternoon’s stroll through its spick and span city centre, it’s not a challenge to wonder how the adjudicators gave Kilkenny the top prize in the SuperValu National Tidy Towns competition.

It may not come with the same visceral emotion that an All-Ireland win would deliver but it’s probable that winning the overall title in the Tidy Towns awards means more in the way of a long-term economic boost.

Being able to boast that, despite being of substantial size by Irish standards, you’re the country’s tidiest “town” along with containing more heritage sites and beauty spots than you could shake a stick at, isn’t going to frighten off any tourists or investors, after all.

The judging was done in the summer but a spotcheck yesterday would surely not have diminished Kilkenny’s chances – a tribute to the Keep Kilkenny Beautiful group and the other committees and residents’ associations who work so hard to maintain that appearance. From the Castle Road, where there are more tour coaches than pieces of litter, right around the city centre and back, only the most pernickety could find fault.

Among the areas to please the judges were The Parade, which has changed utterly in recent years to become more welcoming to those who want to just sit and watch the world go by as well as to community events and markets. Not a chip bag in sight, either.

A walk up High Street brings home how much co-ordinated work goes on here to keep everything clean, with chewing-gum an obvious “no-no” based on how little of it can be seen squashed into the footpaths. A change in mindset among the chewing fraternity or a blitzkrieg approach to discarded gum? Probably a bit of both.

The same is true of sidestreets like James’s Street and the lanes and alleys that meander off the High Street, such as the Butter Slip and the Market Slip. Even outside the CBS secondary school there are none of the sweet wrappers, empty drink cans and takeaway papers that are a common feature outside schools the length and breadth of the country.

Rose Inn Street

Rose Inn Street, leading down to John’s Bridge and John’s Quay, can also hardly be faulted, apart from the odd cigarette butt, and even the new pedestrian bridge, which wasn’t greeted with universal enthusiasm when opened earlier in the year, looks well with the addition of some flowers, in keeping with the floral theme along the riverbank. Incidentally, it may only be open a few months, but that bridge has already attracted dozens of padlocks left by, presumably, loving couples.

The Nore Linear Park is a beautiful getaway from the shopping streets, stretching downstream almost under the castle walls, and also acts as a useful conduit to bring visitors from the Castle Park elsewhere in the city. There are also facilities aplenty to help dogs, and their owners, keep the dreaded “doggy-doo” (as it’s referred to in the Tidy Towns report) off the streets.

The park itself has its grass well- groomed and the only things littering its wide open spaces are toddlers running free, tourists and teenagers in school uniforms enjoying the autumnal sun before heading back to their books.

"It's well-deserved," said taxi driver Gerry Rooney while waiting for a fare outside the Market Yard. "Even driving around the city, many people would remark on how well it's been looking all summer."

Chairman of Kilkenny Tourism, Colin Ahern, said the Tidy Towns win was a "huge honour" for the city which is enjoying one of its busiest tourist seasons in years. "We have so much to offer visitors. Top-class arts, sport, culture, food and accommodation, heritage and adventure. The opening of the Smithwick's Experience in July gives us another great attraction and is providing a great boost to the sector. We are very optimistic for the months ahead.''