The Co Longford village of Ardagh, with a population of only 75, has been named Ireland's tidiest town.
The announcement was made by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, at a ceremony in St Patrick's Hall, Dublin Castle, yesterday. Ardagh, also nominated as tidiest village, was competing with the tidiest small town, Clonakilty, Co Cork, and the tidiest large town, Kilkenny, for the overall prize.
This is the second major award for Ardagh this year. In February it won an international award, the British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow environment award for Europe. It is the third time the village has won the overall Tidy Towns award, after earlier successes in 1989 and 1996.
It is also one of the 50 towns which first entered in 1958, the first year of the competition, and has been entering since. There were 724 entrants this year.
The 40th anniversary of the competition was marked by a special 40th anniversary prize of £5,000, which went to Ennis, Co Clare. Mr Dempsey, who presented the prizes, said some centres faced more difficulties than others, having less favourable natural advantages.
He told the assembled representatives of local Tidy Towns committees that the competition had been the major influence on the physical and environmental improvement of our towns and villages over the past 40 years.
"Back in 1958 I doubt if Dr Tim O'Driscoll, who as first director general of Bord Failte was so instrumental in launching Tidy Towns, could have in his wildest dreams foreseen the strength and vigour with which his brainchild has grown over four decades," he said.
However, despite the best efforts of the competitors, litter remained a scar on the environment, he added, reminding the audience of the recently-established anti-litter programme which he hoped would bring a breakthrough in the fight against this blight on the landscape.
He said that the Department of the Environment would be considering how to use the Tidy Towns competition to help mark the Millennium in two years.
Mr Eoin McGettigan, chief executive of SuperValu, the main sponsor of the Tidy Towns competition, said the company was committed to it because, like SuperValu itself, it was essentially community-based.
"However, I have to issue a word of warning," he added. "There is a threat to the future of our local communities from the proposed out-of-town superstore developments by the big UK multiples.
"If these developments are allowed to go ahead around the country, then the very towns and villages which we are trying to enhance by way of the Tidy Towns competition could be threatened through the closure of traditional grocery stores, hairdressers, chemists, boutiques and so on."
He congratulated the Minister for his awareness of the situation, and the measures he had introduced already to control largescale retail developments. He appealed for more public consultation on the issue.