All About Cork: Tidiest town Ballincollig celebrated at civic reception

Four words stood out on the citation for the overall winner of this year’s SuperValu TidyTowns, and they were: “Ballincollig is something special”.

The lord mayor, Green Party councillor Dan Boyle, was speaking at a civic reception for Ballincollig Tidy Towns (BTT) in City Hall last week.

It was the second year in a row the BTT volunteers had been afforded a civic reception by Cork City Council.

Ballincollig was also named Ireland’s ‘tidiest large urban centre’ for the second year in a row, and it also won its 12th gold medal.

Among those welcomed to City Hall by Mr Boyle were BTT’s youngest and oldest volunteers, Dominik Wachta, aged nine, and Jacqueline Cullinane, going strong at 90.

“Ballincollig Tidy Towns is a shining example of community spirit, collaboration, perseverance, and civic pride,” Mr Boyle said.

“They have done fantastic work around greening, fostering biodiversity, and are trailblazers in terms of community climate action.”

BTT chair Tom Butler noted that BTT is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025 and added wryly that he had been asked to babysit the group “for three months” 25 years ago.

“It’s the longest babysitting job that I have ever had,” he said, to laughter, “but it’s a babysitting job that I have loved every minute of.”

Cork City Council chief executive Valerie O’Sullivan said it was an incredible achievement for Ballincollig to come first in the country, adding that it was “so deserved”, given the outstanding work of BTT’s volunteers.

“Tidy Towns groups are local government’s best friends: We could do nothing without them,” she said. “We’re also very proud of our own teams of council staff, and it was great to hear Tom acknowledge that things are even better since Ballincollig came into the city, and that’s our job satisfaction, and that’s what motivates us to keep going.”

Mayor of the county of Cork, Fianna Fáil councillor Joe Carroll, said he was delighted to be at the civic reception.

“Ballincollig is a very, very busy town, and you always associate national Tidy Towns awards with more isolated towns. Ballincollig is on the fringes of the city, so, in my eyes, it would be a much harder job to bring it to that level, and they did it, and they deserve a lot of credit,” Mr Carroll said.

Cork City Council’s director of services, Rebecca Loughry, said that the council was proud to support the dedication and volunteer effort necessary to win such an award.

“I also want to thank our teams in City Hall, who work with and support those voluntary efforts,” Ms Loughry said.

Garret Kelleher, Fine Gael city councillor and BTT committee member, said it was a great honour that BTT had received a second civic reception.

“It’s a cause of great delight to have County Mayor Joe Carroll here, as well as Lord Mayor Dan Boyle, just to acknowledge the role that Cork County Council played in Ballincollig prior to the boundary extension in 2019, because both the city and county councils have, in their times, been very good to Ballincollig Tidy Towns,” he said.

Fianna Fáil councillor and former lord mayor Colm Kelleher said Ballincollig’s Tidy Towns victory was a testament to the hard work of BTT volunteers and Cork City Council staff.

“We’re at the top now, and, hopefully, we can stay at the top, and I’m absolutely delighted for everyone,” he said.

Joe Lynch, Sinn Féin councillor, said it was a great occasion for Ballincollig.

“Hopefully, tonight is an opportunity for not just the city council, but also the greater community, to say thank you to all the volunteers, because the work they put into it throughout the year is just immense,” he said.

Green Party councillor Honore Kamegni said he was delighted for the BTT committee and their community.

“It’s such a great achievement for Ballincollig, and I’m very proud to be part of this civic reception in their honour."

Fianna Fáil councillor and former lord mayor Tony Fitzgerald said he was delighted to see the BTT volunteers honoured.

“Actions at local level in communities are at the heart of what we do in Cork City Council, as is supporting organisations like Ballincollig Tidy Towns, and it’s only right that the volunteers are being recognised for all their great work,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

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