JUDGES' COMMENTS:THE TIDYTOWN awards are a competition and not a war. However, the judges said that Tallanstown had mobilised a "voluntary army" when it came to the support and enthusiasm of the local community in the competition.
The village’s long participation in the competition was noted as well as the dedication and enthusiasm of the committee which enjoyed “exceptionally high” membership given the small size of the village.
The judges complimented the village for its “idyllic rural charm”, pointing to the Co Louth village as an example of what can be achieved with hard work and determination.
“Tallanstown is exemplary, proving that through the initiative, imagination and sheer hard work of a small community what seemed, a quarter of a century ago, to be an unremarkable village has revealed itself as anything but,” the adjudicators said, detailing the steps taken by the committee over the course of 26 years. “The mix of traditional and sensitively designed modern additions . . . creates a suitable sense of arrival to the core village area,” the adjudicators noted.
The restoration of the Louth Arms and the exposure of the stone wall at the facade was said to have been “very sensitively done” and complemented the facade of the Old School House.
The expansion of the heritage trail was noted, as was the use of the burgundy colour as a unifying theme throughout the town.
Maguire Park was described as the “jewel in the crown” of the village while the judging panel wished the village well in its continued attempts to develop a riverside walk, noting that the river Glyde is a “hidden gem” within the village.
The approaches to the village were considered by the judges to be “very well maintained” and the planters to the circular stone beds on the approach from Ardee were admired. They noted that welcome signs were nicely detailed and reflected the design of the central water feature.
The village was commended for the structured approach to the organisation of litter patrols and the ongoing analysis of littering patterns, passing on the anti-litter message to the whole community including the younger generation.
Under the waste management category the village’s bring centre was singled out as being “a thing of beauty in itself with the witty and informative banners getting the recycling message across in a positive way”.