Killarney was just one point off winning the prestigious overall award in this year’s Tidy Towns Competition, it has emerged.
The town improved its performance on last year by a whopping 14 points, rising from 361 to 375 to win the coveted Ireland’s Tidiest Large Town award.
It was just one short of the 376 points achieved by Abbeyleix, Co Laois which reached 376 marks to win the overall award previously claimed by Killarney in 2011.
The competition adjudicators were rich in their praise of Killarney which they described as a beautiful town with much to offer residents and visitors in terms of visual and recreational amenity, nature activities and heritage.
“Killarney was remarkably clean in terms of litter,” they observed.
The judges praised the local traders for the fantastic presentation of so many premises and they were also hugely impressed by Killarney House and Gardens, the Flesk Walkway and Cycleway, landscaping along Mission Road, the town’s cycle paths, the abolition of the single-use cup,the contribution by members of the Ukrainian community and the new outdoor dining area at Kenmare Place
This is what the judges had to say:
Community
Killarney was a pleasure to adjudicate this year, a festive summer-time ambience pervaded the town and many people were out and about enjoying all Killarney has to offer.
Condolences to the Tidy Towns committee on the recent death of their chairperson who will be sadly missed. Team Killarney, with 15 core members and up to 400+volunteers available for project work, will no doubt remember their deceased member with great affection as they continue the work of helping Killarney reach its full potential.
The excellent working relationship that has been nurtured with all stakeholders in the future of the town is commendable as is funding by sponsorship and a variety of other sources.It is good to note the support received.
The expertise available to Team Killarney from members with specialist skills in a variety of areas is invaluable. Tried and tested communication channels are being utilised to good effect and we note the achievement of Green Flag status by all primary schools and two secondary schools.
We wish you success in forming a Young Killarney Looking Good committee. Thank you for your 32 years of participation in the SuperValu Tidy Towns Competition. We are pleased to have made the journey with you and observe your success to date. Congratulations to KPFA who were celebrating their 50th year on the day of adjudication.
Streetscape & Public Places
The roadside façade of all hotels noted were presented to the highest standard and many were admired for their architectural features. The roadside floral display of The Shire premises was admired also. Most shopfronts featured an attractive presentation and upper storeys of buildings within the main thoroughfare looked well in most cases. The ongoing audit of business premises is favourably noted.
The EuroShow Funfair was in full swing at the time of our visit which contributed to the festive ambiance. Congratulations on the development of three new public realm spaces two of which offer outdoor dining facilities with the third developed for seated visual amenity and landscaping utilising LED street lighting.
The new disabled parking bays are a welcome addition as is the redevelopment of the playground in Deerpark. Congratulations on retaining your Purple Flag status and on the impressive artwork along the Flesk Walkway and Cycleway. Work on undeveloped sites will enhance their environs. Public buildings which were admired include the library, garda station, council offices, schools and churches.
Green Spaces and Landscaping
A successful balance has been achieved between hard and soft landscaping within Killarney. The town features many handsome stands of mature trees, shrubberies flower beds, container planting and hard surfaced areas developed for amenity. Your adjudicator’s favourite is landscaping along Mission Road which facilitates the needs of pedestrians, pedal-pushers and pollinators. The Missionaries Fern Garden is a wonderful space; interpretation here and elsewhere in the town is excellent.
Trees along New Road had sucker growth which diminishes their appearance to an extent and the base of some trees could have looked better also. Nicely maintained green open spaces throughout the town are easy on the eye.
Appreciation and thanks is extended to the Ukrainian community for the planting of the Honeytree, the national symbol of Ukraine, along the Flesk Walkway and Cycleway and the work of asylum seekers in the community garden. Maurice O’Donoghue’s Park will flourish beautifully with its tree and bulb planting. It is wonderful that a member is a horticulturist and can give specialist advice.
Well done on the replacement of a felled tree in the 1916 Garden of Remembrance and the sucker removal schedule alongside other maintenance activities throughout Killarney.
Nature and Biodiversity
The identification of wildflower species around Killarney is an invaluable initiative that will guide future actions. Several areas being managed for wildflowers, some with colourful displays, were admired. Wildlife information panels along the river were a great attraction for children during adjudication with more questions being asked than could be answered by parents. It was a pleasure to note the cleanliness of the river and its bed.
The Blue Pool project is a fine achievement which will, hopefully, be successful for the awards entered. The pool’s history as a mill pond and, later, fish hatcheries is intriguing and worthy of restoration together with the surrounding woodland area which involved clearing of rhododendron, brambles and debris. All involved in this project are to be commended. It is wonderful that it will be used by school children for their education in addition to use for recreational amenity.
Audio tapes for the visually impaired is an excellent feature and we wish you well in the development of an App. Congratulations on the Apps prepared for the Killarney area and on the handcrafted soap made from the spring water here and the growing number of eco-businesses within the town.
Both the white-tailed eagle project and the swift project are impressive and, no doubt, will achieve their aims. The Call of the Wild initiative, with its series of events ranging from photographic workshops to bushcraft scavenger hunts, sounds like great fun as well as raising awareness of nature. Cognisance is taken of Killarney’s biodiversity walks, talks and tours and the engagement of businesses in the Green Friday sale where native Irish trees are planted with every voucher bought. The eco-dens initiative for young people will, no doubt, bring great benefits to the community.
Sustainability – Doing more with less
Recycling points enjoy good maintenance and are well located. Cycle paths and stands are a notable feature of Killarney too. Congratulations to the Tan-Yard Restaurant for best sustainable practice with the emphasis on locally sourced food. Energy savings initiatives such as the workshop and the electric vehicles projects are impressive together with climate action talks. Water management with the replacement of 1,200 metres of aged water mains will reduce leaks and wastage.
The engagement of school children in sustainability projects augers well for sustainable living in Killarney. There are numerous projects offered under the three important headings of energy, water and travel. Consideration should now be given to assessing the measurable outcome of activities to put figures on savings made which can then be used as an indicator of Killarney’s progress towards being a zero waste and sustainable town.
Tidiness and Litter Control
Killarney was remarkably clean in terms of litter given the footfall in the town during adjudication. There was some graffiti but not a significant amount. Some gum-staining was evident along footpaths and a small amount of cigarette ends in places.
The public awareness media campaign on acceptable ways of presenting bins will have contributed to the towns litter-free status. The approach to the problem of dog-fouling is new to your adjudicator and we would like to know of its success or otherwise.
The community is indebted to the Killarney Meitheal team for the 1,002 hours spent on litter picking, weeding and related work; other initiatives such as Adopt a Road, participation in the spring clean, the Wednesday clean-ups and more are invaluable practices also both within the town and on the lakeshore and beach. The 368 volunteers involved in the Flossie Beach Cleaners who collected 390kg of litter are owed a debt of gratitude.
Residential Streets & Housing Areas
Natural stone roadside boundary walls to dwellings on Lewis Road were admired. These are an attractive feature of this entrance to Killarney. Engagement with residents’ associations regarding all aspects of estate management, from landscaping to signage, mulching, footpath maintenance and more, is most worthwhile as estates were nicely presented.
The redevelopment of the old Dawn Dairies site for residential is laudable together with redevelopment from commercial to residential on High Street. The Ballyspillane Community and Family Resource Centre offers a wide and invaluable range of services which will reap benefits for community well-being.
The Life project at Ballyspillane with the goal of encouraging creativity in children and youth is praiseworthy. We wish the Ballydribbeen Residents’ Association every success in the implementation of their five-year plan.
Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes
Approach roads to Killarney, together with entrances, enjoy a good presentation in terms of nameplates, road direction signage, road verges managed for wildlife, footpaths and in some instances cycle paths. Natural stone roadside boundary walls are an attractive feature also. Beautifully landscaped roundabouts together with car-parks looked well too.
Lanes are being presented creatively featuring, in some instances, beautiful artwork. Most street furniture is well managed with a few exceptions where seating and utility boxes needed refurbishment. Public toilets are being nicely managed, however, more finger-post signage for these is necessary with distance details provided. Additional age-friendly seating is suggested.
Congratulations on the new pedestrian crossing and new cycling network for greater access to community facilities. Hopefully, a permanent solution will be found for the accident blackspot on Lewis Road. Road and footpath upgrading is favourably acknowledged as is the successful acquisition of funding for improvements.
Concluding Remarks:
Killarney is a beautiful town with much to offer residents and visitors in terms of visual and recreational amenity, nature activities and heritage. Over 70 projects have been offered for consideration. It was not possible to see every one of them but all were considered. Thank you for your well organised submission with superb photographs and your three-year plan. We wish you success in its implementation.
Second Round Adjudication:
It had been a while since this adjudicator’s last visit to Killarney. Back then – pre-Covid and summery weather – the town was buzzing with life. Returning now in far less clement weather, it was fantastic to see that it was every bit as lively with masses of people on the streets.
Parking at Mission Road, a quick check showed that the extensive bottle bank here was spotless. As the adjudicator was travelling around Killarney by bicycle for the day, the traffic (lots of but moving well) didn’t impact movement. Indeed, a key takeaway from the visit was just how cyclable and walkable Killarney is.
Lots of little streets and alleyways were explored that the adjudicator didn’t remember seeing before. You’ll be pleased to read that no matter how tiny or out of the way, almost no signs of neglect or hidden litter blackspot was found. Indeed, the town was effectively litter-free on adjudication day, an amazing achievement given the footfall on any given day.
Well done everyone. We would suggest though that another look is taken at your lovely little laneways and see if some might be presented more appealingly.
Our congratulations, in particular, to the traders of Killarney for the fantastic presentation of so many premises. This section is too short to list all or even a portion of these but please accept our praise for your contribution to the vibrant and interesting streetscape of the town.
St Mary’s Church was visited and the spiritual tourism information was consumed with interest. The town hall was splendidly bedecked with flowers. Just down from here, the boxed street trees are effective and the outdoor seating areas really add to this thoroughfare
A few things for improvement – the old Eircom telephone boxes could have been cleaner. Some commercial signage, at some of the aforementioned alleyways, for example, are in need of replacement. Some litterbins are afflicted with a scourge of tiny stickers.
On the plus side, congratulations on your abolition of the single-use cup which made national news earlier this year. Looking back through the archives the adjudicator sees that you have form in this area with Killarney scouts launching the conscious cup in 2018.
This adjudicator loves the gardens of Killarney House and once again these were stunning as well as abuzz with pollinating insects. Lots of planting around the town was also admired, including at the Christ the King statue and opposite the Killarney Towers Hotel.
The new outdoor dining area is superb and a lovely place to sit. Signs, street furniture and railings were almost all clean and in good order.
All in all, a super showing by Killarney this year and the adjudicator is delighted to concur with the findings of the first round. Comhghairdeas agus míle buíochas.
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