Repak  

Emly, Co. Tipperary is Ireland’s Tidiest Town in 2009.  This is the first time that the South Tipperary village has secured the title although they have been consistently strong contenders in recent years and have won many county and medal awards.

On hand to present the prizes in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham was Mr. John Gormley, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Mr. Donal Horgan, Managing Director of SuperValu, the competition’s national sponsor. Representatives of many TidyTowns Committees from around Ireland travelled to Dublin to see Emly pick up four awards in total, including the overall prize.

Emly was chosen from 720 competitors in this year’s National TidyTowns Competition. Other winners included Aughrim, Co. Wicklow which received the award of Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town, Westport, Co. Mayo which received the Ireland’s Tidiest Large Town award and Ennis, Co. Clare was named Ireland's Tidiest Large Urban Centre. 

A new special award was launched this year, a Climate Change Award, sponsored by the Change Campaign – http://www.change.ie/, which was won by the TidyTowns Committee in Rathangan, Co. Kildare. The Repak sponsored Best Bring Bank Award was taken by Tallanstown, Co. Louth, who also secured the Regional Award for Midlands East.

The winner of the TidyTowns Schools Award was Kiltallagh National School, Castlemaine, Co. Kerry. Pupils and teachers travelled to the Royal Hospital to accept their award.

Minister Gormley said after the awards ceremony, "the adjudicators were extremely impressed with Emly this year and they commented that ‘the pride of the inhabitants is expressed in the every corner of the village’. I would like to congratulate everyone involved, the TidyTowns committee, the schools, the businesses, the local authority and the residents; it is a remarkable achievement to win this award in the face of such strong competition. There have always been challenges for Irish people down through the decades since TidyTowns was founded in 1958 but these challenges have not lessened the level of commitment that still continues to be demonstrated by TidyTowns activists today. I wish to express, again, my deep appreciation and admiration for the work that they carry out in their communities.”

Donal Horgan, Managing Director SuperValu, said “TidyTowns is not just about improving our local areas; it is about working together and building a community spirit and making Ireland a better place to live. SuperValu together with its 194 independent local store owners is, through the continued sponsorship of TidyTowns, committed to helping build vibrant local communities. I am delighted to congratulate this year’s winners, but to also recognise the commitment and dedication of all TidyTowns committees who make such a real difference in their local communities.”