Ballincollig in Cork named Ireland's Tidiest Town for 2024

Kenneth Fox

Ballincollig in Co Cork has been named as Ireland’s Tidiest Town  for 2024 as well as Ireland’s Tidiest Large Urban Centre.

Over 600 TidyTowns volunteers were present at the SuperValu TidyTowns awards ceremony at Croke Park in Dublin with the event live-streamed to more online.

This year, 904 towns were competing for the prestigious awards demonstrating the continuing huge national interest in the SuperValu TidyTowns competition, which has been running since 1958.

Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, presented the Young Person in TidyTowns award to Ballyphehane Co Cork as well as the ‘Town Centre First National Award’  to Carrickmacross TidyTowns, Co Monaghan, recognising their tremendous efforts to address vacancy and dereliction in line with the Government’s ‘Town Centre First‘ policy.

Announcing Ballincollig as the overall winner, Minister Humphreys said: “I offer my warmest congratulations to Ballincollig and all of its TidyTowns volunteers for being crowned Ireland’s tidiest town for 2024.

“This is a truly great achievement and a special moment of immense pride for Ballincollig and indeed the wider county of Cork.

“Having first entered the competition in the 1960s, Ballincollig today continues to showcase all that is good about innovation, sustainability, community spirit and volunteerism.  This is at the core of what the competition is all about."

Some of the other big winners on the day included:

Ballinahown, Co Westmeath awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Village;

Blackrock, Co  Louth awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town;

Westport, Co Mayo awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Large Town;

Ballincollig, Co. Cork awarded Ireland's Tidiest Large Urban Centre.