Teamwork is key in successful Tidy Towns campaigns for South Dublin
By Hayden Moore
SUCCESS is the general consensus for all of the estates, villages and towns in South Dublin that entered the Tidy Towns competition yet again this year having put in performances littered with pride in their residences.
A stand-out performer from the competition however was Lucan Tidy Towns, which carded a total mark of 322 – a mere 24 marks behind the newly crowned Tidiest Town in Ireland for 2019, Glaslough, Co Monaghan.
Junior members proudly show-of their Tidy Towns banner
Lucan was awarded the Bronze Medal for the third successive year after expanding their awarded marks in all eight of their categories.
The Mayor of South Dublin County Council, Cllr Vicki Casserly said: “I would like to congratulate all Tidy Groups in South Dublin County Council who again increased their scores in the 61st National Tidy Towns Competition.
“I would also like to acknowledge the huge effort and commitment by all the volunteers in our county involved in their local Tidy Towns.
“Thank you to all for your fantastic contribution.
“A special congratulations to Lucan, who achieved a bronze medal for the third year running, and to Brittas, Ballyboden and Friends of the Camac for their Special Recognition Awards. I am delighted with their hard work and commitment which has paid off and is recognised in this competition”
The biggest grower in South Dublin this year was Brittas, which notched an additional 17 marks on last year’s, while Chapelizod followed suit with an extra 14 points to finish only slightly behind Lucan with 316 overall.
Members of Lucan Tidy Towns: (front, from left) Kevin O’Loughlin, Marian McCabe, Pam Hegarty, Josephine Farrelly and Catherine O’Loughlin; (back) Joe Maher, Lucan Concert Band and Vincent Casey, Lucan Drama Society
Speaking to The Echo following a massively successful year for Woodstown Village Tidy Towns over in Knocklyon, an immensely proud committee member, Gabriel Curtis, expressed his delight with their result.
“We are over the moon with the result. We went up by 12 last year and then 11 this year which is something we didn’t expect,” explained Mr Curtis.
“We are only a small estate in Knocklyon competing with the big boys like Lucan, Clondalkin and Terenure, so we are punching way above our weight.
“We weren’t expecting such a jump in points again, it’s the result of many months of hard work and big groups all coming together.
Lucan Tidy Towns volunteers taking a well-earned break
“The neighbours, and kids on the junior committee who come out and not only pick up litter but plant flowers as well – it’s just a great place to live.”
Woodstown Village TT has grown year on year and now have over a dozen lawnmowers and gardening equipment that the landscaping arm of their committee use to keep the area looking in tip-top shape.
But there is also a biodiversity-centric section of their group that teach the young children from the group all about the importance of nature, giving them plants to nurture at home before they are planted around the estate.
Newcomers Rathcoole managed a respectable 216 in their first outing, while Palmerstown and Clondalkin grew by 11 marks each, with the former finishing on 298 after growing in all eight categories.
Pat O’Sullivan from Clondalkin Tidy Towns said: “Clondalkin Tidy Towns (CTT) was formed in 2012. In seven short years CTT has achieved a great deal.
Members of Clondalkin Tidy Towns, Alpha Gassama, Tommy Keogh, Sean Lavin and Pat O’Sullivan
“Our success has been earned through hard work, teamwork and the sum of its ‘parts’.
“Those ‘parts’ include many people of diverse backgrounds, skills, and talents with a common desire to make Clondalkin a better place to live and work in.
“Their voluntary ethos is second to none. An integral component of our success has been the financial support of many local businesses and residents.
“However, it has been the core funding by South Dublin County Council that has enabled and empowered CTT to undertake and complete many successful projects.
Woodstown Village Junior Litter Wardens Mia, Holly, Lauren, Grace and James taking a break with Cllr Deirdre O’Donovan from their patrol of Knocklyon Park
“CTT are delighted and proud to be one of the 918 National Tidy Towns groups taking part in this year’s SuperValu competition.”
In 2020, there will be an additional two Tidy Towns groups that have formed a partnership with the council, one in Tallaght Village and the other in Saggart.
All groups increase scores in this year’s competition
Lucan 322 points – up from 312 in 2018. Bronze Medal Award winners
Chapelizod 316 points – up from 302 in 2018
Terenure 307 points – up from 297 in 2018
Clondalkin 298 points – up from 287 in 2018
Newcastle Lyons 290 points – up from 280 in 2018
Woodstown Village 276 points – up from 265 in 2018
Palmerstown 275 points – up from 264 in 2018
Brittas 271 points – up from 254 in 2018. County Endeavour Award winners
Ballyboden 229 points – up from 221 in 2018. Sustainable Development Award runners-up
Rathcoole 216 points
Friends of the Camac Overall Waters and Communities Award. Winners category in Midlands & East
