Westport wins for second time in best-kept town contest

Westport, Co Mayo, has emerged as the winner for the second time in three years in the all-Ireland best kept towns competition organised by the Department of the Environment and the Northern Ireland Amenity Council.

Westport also won the award in 2003.

The Best Kept Towns in Ireland award scheme was initiated in 1995 by the Northern Ireland Amenity Council and the Department of the Environment, to promote a cross-Border competition which would help raise the profile of both Tidy Towns competition in the Republic and the Best Kept Towns Awards in Northern Ireland.

The all-Ireland awards are now in their 10th year and to mark the occasion, all the past winners were presented with a framed certificate by Minister of State Batt O'Keeffe at a ceremony in St Patrick's Hall in Dublin Castle yesterday.

Westport was selected over 12 other towns and villages in many of the category in the separate Tidy Towns and Best Kept Towns Northern Ireland competitions.

Winners in other categories yesterday were: best village, Moynalty, Co Meath; best small town, Portrush, Co Antrim; best large town Westport.

Each winning entrant received an award of €3,200, while Westport received an additional €3,200 for the overall award.

All entrants were marked on criteria that included cleanliness, the outward appearance of buildings, the presentation of roads and public facilities and the natural environment.

Mr O'Keeffe said anniversaries were a good opportunity for reflection. In 1995, while some scepticism would have been understandable, "clearly, the result is an important success story.

"Ireland's best-kept towns competition has been organised and conducted in a spirit of respect, trust and friendship, though the underlying element of competition has been no less for that. Let's hope the next 10 years will be as good," he said.

The sentiment was echoed by Ms Doreen Muskett, chairwoman of the Northern Ireland Amenity Council.

"Through a healthy spirit of competitiveness, a very good natured event has emerged. Each town is extremely complimentary about the other towns in the competition," she said.

The winning towns since 1995 which received the special awards included: Kinsale, Co Cork, 1996; Hillsborough, Co Down, 1997; Loughgall, Co Armagh, 1998; Ardagh, Co Longford, 1999; Kenmare, Co Kerry, 2000; Castletown, Co Laois, 2001; Loughgall, Co Armagh, 2002; Westport, Co Mayo, 2003; Keadue, Co Roscommon, 2004 Westport, Co Mayo, 2005.

The competing towns in 2005 in the large town category were Ennis Co Clare; Enniskillen Co, Fermanagh; Holywood Co Down; Malahide, Co Dublin, and Westport, Co Mayo.

The competing towns in the small town category were: Glenties, Co Donegal; Lismore, Co Waterford; Portrush, Co Antrim; Clonakilty, Co Cork; Richhill, Co Armagh. The village category entrants were: Loughgall, Co Armagh, Moynalty, Co Meath, and Stradbally, Co Waterford