This article is from page 5 of the 2006-09-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 5 JPG
ENNIS once again enhanced its reputation by landing one of the top prizes at the annual Tidy Towns competition.
At yesterday’s ceremony in Dublin Castle, Ennis was named Ireland’s tidiest large urban centre, a new category introduced for towns with a population of over 15,000. Ennis scored 288 points – nine more than last year’s total of 279.
Due to competition rules, Ennis were not in the running for the title of Ireland’s Tidiest Town as they had won last year. Ennis also won a gold medal in a category alongside Letterkenny, Kilkenny City and Malahide.
Speaking at the event, Minister of State at the Department of the Environment Mr Batt O’Keefe singled out Ennis for praise, saying it was a shining example to other large towns for the progress it had made over the years.
Judges were impressed with the wellkept entrance routes to the town, along with the standard of water features and the town’s sculpture trail.
This latest success is expected to generate significant economic benefits to the town. Mayor Joe Reidy (FF) said the win was a credit to the people of Ennis and, in particular, the efforts of staff of Ennis Town Council.
“This is a great achievement and to win in the new category was exceptional. It shows the hard work done by the committee. It is a credit to the people of Ennis especially the council staff. These people are out at 4.30 every morning, making sure the town is tidy. This really exceeded our expectation and hopefully we can build on this into the future.”