'A small area can have a big impact': Cork housing estate wins prestigious environmental award

Sat, 14 Nov, 2026 - 08:00

Donal O’Keeffe

Residents of a Cork housing estate have been presented with an award marking it recently winning a prestigious national environmental award.

The Rosewood Estate in Ballincollig was crowned Ireland’s Greenest Suburb 2026, and residents were recently presented with their award at an event in Dublin.

During the ceremony, the judges described the estate as: “A wonderful example of how a small area can have a big impact.”

This is the second year of the ‘Ireland’s Greenest Places’ awards, an initiative run by The Irish Times in association with Electric Ireland.

Members of the public are invited to nominate a special place or project that they believe contributes to a genuinely greener environment.

There were close to a 100 entries this year, with each nominated place judged on specific criteria, including its beneficial environmental impact, level of ongoing collective engagement by the community, and evidence of behavioural change by people.

A small group from Rosewood travelled to Dublin to accept the award on behalf of the estate’s residents.

One of them, Dan O’Riordan, said members of the Rosewood Residents Association were delighted to receive the award in recognition of the work done by volunteers on the development of a biodiversity area in a two-acre space, which had been overgrown and unused for many years.

“The project shows other groups how to promote biodiversity with just a small green space and some voluntary work,” Mr O’Riordan said.

“Rosewood is currently carrying out more wildflower planting along with developing a group solar power scheme in the estate in order to avail of green energy.

“The residents association would like to acknowledge the help received from Cork Biodiversity Hub and Ballincollig Tidy Towns in developing this project.”

Ireland’s Greenest Places judge and sustainability consultant Shannen Fenton highlighted how the meadow has become a focal point for the community.

“This area was previously an unused section of the estate, but with work and dedication over the last few years, it is now a huge addition to the biodiversity in the estate,” she said.

“This is a wonderful example of what can be done in a small area and the big impact it can have on the local community.”

Jillian Saunders, group sponsorship and PR manager at the ESB, said the energy provider was pleased to be involved with Ireland’s Greenest Places for a second year, and thanked the winners for attending the ceremony and sharing their stories.