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On Friday 17th October, the 2014 Killarney Looking Good awards took place at the Old Schoolhouse in Muckross. In spite of the wet and windy conditions, we were delighted to have a great turnout. The overall award was scooped by longtime and well-deserving recipient, the International Hotel, who overcame adversity last year and continued to showcase itself as one of the most well-preserved businesses in Killarney, while also showing fantastic floral displays. Well done to all of our award winners, we look forward to next summer already!
Overall Award: International Hotel Best Large Commercial Premises: Killarney Outlet Centre Best Medium Commercial Premises: Fairhill Butchers Best Small Commercial Premises: Petit Delice Most Improved Premises: Kerry Mineral Water Supply Company Best Newly Painted Premises: Gleneagle Hotel Best Public House: Dan Linehan’s Bar Best Hotel: Eviston House Hotel Best Restaurant: Cronin’s Restaurant Conservation Award: 5 Port Road Best Signage: Serendipity Best Guesthouse: Old Weir Lodge Best Private Residence: Paradise House, Dromhale Best Large Estate: Park Drive Best Medium Estate: Ross Dara, Loreto Road Best Small Estate: Torc Terrace Best Roadside Garden: 25 Pinewood Best Laneway: Church Lane Best Floral Display: International Hotel Best Kept School: Gaelscaoil Faithleann Biodiversity Award: St Brigid’s Secondary School Volunteer Award: Cathriona Foley Junior Volunteer Awards: Aileen O’Mahony and Claire O’Leary Pride of Place: Pat Curran Best Community Cooperation: Cluid Housing Highly Commended: 18 St Brendan’s Terrace; 17 Scrahan Court; 18 Scrahan Court Gardening with your Neighbour: 2-5 Pinewood and 81-88 Ardshanavooley.
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Last Thursday 22nd May marked the closing date for submissions to the 2014 Tidy Towns competition. The committee were hard at work collecting information, reports, photographs and maps to make our entry as good as ever! In addition to the main competition, there are a number of special awards up for judging this year:The Tourism Towns Award was introduced by Fáilte Ireland to support towns which have achieved recognition in the SuperValu TidyTowns competition and which have an interest in tourism. A strong tourism sector contributes to the sustainability of towns and villages and to the economic viability of local businesses. A monetary prize will be awarded to the top performers at the
end of the competition. Please Note: entry to this Special Award is confined to the Top 100 in the 2013 SuperValu TidyTowns competition. Fáilte Ireland will contact all qualifying groups directly. For further information around the Tourism Towns Award, please contact Fáilte Ireland by e-mail to tourismtowns@failteireland.ie The new EPA Waste Prevention Award is to recognise communities that have undertaken activities to prevent waste and use resources efficiently. To find out more about this new Special Award and to download the application form, please click 'EPA Waste Prevention Award 2014.' Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) Competition The GLT would like to reward communities that are implementing environmental awareness initiatives to eliminate chewing gum litter in their area. For more information about the Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) Competition, please click 'Gum Litter Taskforce 2014'. The TidyTowns Climate Change Award is a special competition sponsored by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, to raise awareness of climate change at a local level, to look at the way activities are carried out with a fresh eye and bring about positive changes which will reduce the impact of climate change. For more information about the TidyTowns Climate Change Award, please click'Climate Change Award 2014'. The Repak TidyTowns Best Bring Bank Award, sponsored by Repak offers a prize for each of the winning communities in each of the seven Supervalu TidyTowns regions with the overall winner receiving an additional prize. The award is a special competition award to recognise community support in maintaining local bring bank sites and assisting in their general appearance and usage. You'll find more information here: Repak - Best Presented Bring Bank Award 2014 The TidyTowns Biodiversity ‘Notice Nature’ Award is a special competition sponsored by The National Parks and Wildlife Service as part of their Notice Nature campaign to reward communities who have undertaken initiatives to protect the biodiversity in their local environment. For more information about the TidyTowns Biodiversity 'Notice Nature' Award, please click here. The TidyTowns ‘Can It!’ Award is a special art competition sponsored by Alupro Ireland (Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation) to find the most novel artistic design made from used beverage cans and foils. For more information about the TidyTowns 'Can It!' Award, please click Can It! 2014 The TidyTowns Tree Project Award is a special competition sponsored by The Tree Council of Ireland to recognises the huge impact that properly positioned trees can have in a town or village and the importance of having the right tree in the right place. For more information about the TidyTowns Tree Project Award, please click Tree Project Award 2014 The TidyTowns Heritage Award is a special competition sponsored by The Heritage Council to recognise projects undertaken by individuals or groups within the community that have helped to promote their local heritage and enhance access and knowledge to it in their community and beyond. For more information about the TidyTowns Heritage Award, please click Heritage Award 2014 The TidyTowns Sustainable Development Award is a special competition that recognise projects undertaken by individuals or groups within the community that have helped to promote sustainable development in their local areas. For more information about the TidyTowns Sustainable Development Award, please click Sustainable Development Award 2014 The TidyTowns Urban and Rural Village Award is a special competition sponsored by The Irish Planning Institute (IPI) to recognise appropriate town planning and maintenance in preserving the historical cores of our urban areas and the creation of dynamic village centres in new developments. For more information about the TidyTowns Urban and Rural Village Award, please click Urban and Rural Village Award 2014 Download Document: List of Special Awards 2014 Information courtesy of http://www.tidytowns.ie The National Spring Clean campaign came to Kerry last week, with a huge turnout across the county! Clean-ups took place throughout Killarney, Muckross and beyond. A huge thank you to KWD Recycling for supporting.Take a look at some great photos courtesy of the Killarney Advertiser below.   Killarney were delighted to win the Best Large Town category overall in the 2013 Tidy Towns Awards, announced on Monday 9th September to an excited crowd in The Helix, Dublin. We achieved a mark of 315, an increase of 5 on our 2012 score, and were just one point behind overall winners, Moynalty Co. Meath. You can read the full adjudicator's report on Killarney here http://www.tidytowns.ie/u_reports/2013/2013%20County%20Kerry%20Killarney%20340.pdf
Well done to all of our volunteers and supporters over the past 12 months for your hard work and dedication! Judging has begun for the annual Killarney Looking Good competition, which celebrates local homes and business who make an effort to keep their premises tidy and bright. Here are some tips from the judges on how your property can stand out:
This past Spring, KTT have been very active! We assisted Kerry Parents & Friends Association in the planting of a border of flowering plants and shrubs at Aras Padraig, Killarney, which encourage birds and butterflies. We also added yew and arbutus trees to the school arboretum at St Oliver's National School in Ballycasheen. We were delighted to meet with the students and teachers and learned all about their project for Bóthar and met several goats and chickens!
A number of clean-ups were performed with the help of KDYS Youth Reach and the local schools over the Spring months as part of on their participation in An Taisce Spring Clean. May was all about our submission for the National Tidy Towns Awards. The first judging is expected any day, so please keep an eye on your local area for any stray rubbish or graffiti. We are always grateful for new volunteers - if you'd like to take part, please sent us a message through the 'Contact U KWD Recycling and Killarney Chamber of Tourism & Commerce organised the 2nd succesfuk County Clean Up on the 13th April. This year's clean up attracted even more volunteers than 2012 and their time towards the cause is very much appreciated. 2012 2013 Bags Collected 5000 6500 Volunteers 500 900 Transport was sponsored by Deros Tours, J O'Callaghan Coaches and Kerry Coaches.  A presentation of the findings of the Urban Habitat Survey will take place on Thursday 7th february in Killarney. We will be publishing the
On 20th October 2012, the final judging will take place for the special 'Tourism Towns Award' in conjunction with Failte Ireland and Tidy Towns. Killarney is one of 10 shortlisted towns in line for this prestigious award, a new support scheme which aims to enhance visitor experience of Irish towns. This new award is part of the 2012 Tidy Towns Competition.
It will focus on the following key tourism areas: Sense of place - How does the town tells its own unique story to visitors, what’s special about it, and what distinguishes it from other towns? Local involvement - How well does the local community work together to provide an authentic visitor experience? Tourism products available - What unique products or experiences has the town developed to offer visitors? Development and promotion - Has the town taken a unified approach to marketing and developing itself into a “tourism town” The ultimate winner will be decided following a series of mystery shopper experiences over the summer period. A visit by external assessors will take place in the autumn, which will further explore and expand on each town’s application.  Killarney Town is the winner of the International Challenge (Large) category of the 2012 Edition of Communities in Bloom. Killarney Tidy Towns Chairperson Yvonne Quill and Treasurer Kathleen Foley travelled 5,000 miles to attend the conference and accept the prestigious award. Killarney also received a 5 Bloom rating and a special mention for Volunteer Involvement during the National Awards Ceremonies at the Edmonton Capital Region on October 12th and 13th. Following their evaluation of the community, volunteer judges Bob Ivison and Alain Capelle wrote: “Killarney is a small community of some 12,000 people. Killarney has been a great success with the emphasis on floral displays, appreciation of nature and heritage and the taking of responsibility for the maintenance and cleanliness of buildings and pavements. Killarney won the overall award of Ireland’s Tidiest Large Town in 2011. This was only achieved by the vast volunteer input with as many as 300 volunteers that worked every evening for six months, painting, planting and picking up litter. The same energy has been dedicated to major local sports facilities including the Gaelic football stadium and racecourse. It is no coincidence that Killarney gained excellent marks for Tidiness, Environmental Action and Heritage. So is this the place where angels fold their wings and rest?” Communities in Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement and the challenge of a national program, with focus on the promotion and value of green spaces in Community Settings. Participants are invited to attend from all over the world, with past winners from Canada, Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and Asia competing for the prestigious awards. Photograph shows Yvonne Quill and Kathleen Foley accepting the flag of hosts, Strathcona County, from Mayor Linda Osinchuk |
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