“He was delighted to be in a position to attend the awards on behalf of Minister Ring and encouraged committees to avail of the €1.4 million in grant funding recently announced by Minister Ring to assist committees in preparing for the 2019 competition.

“Generations of communities have volunteered with TidyTowns to make our country a place we can all be proud of. I have nothing but admiration for the volunteers here tonight and across the country and this grant scheme is recognition from the government of the huge contribution made by committees to their community.

“It is fantastic to have the opportunity, this evening, to meet TidyTowns groups from across the Midlands and East region. These awards are just a small reward for the efforts of so many volunteers who take pride in their home town and work tirelessly to make it a better place now and for future generations. This unselfish effort and the generosity displayed by these volunteers makes a huge difference in our communities.

“We also recognise all the other TidyTowns groups not here today who are equally committed to improving their community year on year but have not achieved formal recognition in the competition this year, well done to you all on the work you do and we hope to see you here with us next year.

“I want to also give a special mention to Abbeyshrule, congratulations on winning the regional title and also to all of today’s other prize winners.”

“For 27 years SuperValu as the main sponsor has been involved in this competition at local and national level.

“SuperValu has helped the competition to flourish and grow and continues to demonstrate a real commitment to supporting local communities and have worked closely with department officials to help make it the success it is today.”

“2018 marks the 60th anniversary of SuperValu TidyTowns, with close to 900 committees entering and 12 new committees getting involved for the first time this year.

“I would like to thank all of these new SuperValu TidyTowns committees for getting involved during the 60th year of the competition. It goes to show that SuperValu TidyTowns is a unique initiative, there is no other competition like it in the rest of Europe, thanks to the commitment of volunteers, committees and SuperValu retailers.

“The competition has had a huge benefit across Ireland for the past 60 years, and this year was no exception, with SuperValu TidyTowns committees building greenways, eradicating plastic straw use and delivering heritage projects, while bringing people from all ages and backgrounds together to build thriving, sustainable communities.

“We are delighted to have been involved in the TidyTowns competition for the past 27 years and look forward to continuing to work with communities in the coming years."

Recipient	County	Award
Abbeyshrule	Longford	Regional Winner

Recipient	County	Award
Abbeyleix	Laois	Gold Medal
Abbeyshrule	Longford	Gold Medal
Ardee	Louth	Gold Medal
Blackrock	Louth	Gold Medal
Dalkey	Dublin	Gold Medal
Drogheda	Louth	Gold Medal
Dundalk	Louth	Gold Medal
Kill	Kildare	Gold Medal
Leixlip	Kildare	Gold Medal
Malahide	Dublin	Gold Medal
Maynooth	Kildare	Gold Medal
Naas	Kildare	Gold Medal
Skerries	Dublin	Gold Medal
Staffan	Kildare	Gold Medal
Trim	Meath	Gold Medal
Tullamore	Offaly	Gold Medal
Arklow	Wicklow	Silver Medal
Aughrim	Wicklow	Silver Medal
Ballymore Eustace	Kildare	Silver Medal
Celbridge	Kildare	Silver Medal
Geashill	Offaly	Silver Medal
Moynalty	Meath	Silver Medal
Newbridge	Kildare	Silver Medal
Portlaoise	Laois	Silver Medal
Swords	Dublin	Silver Medal
Wicklow	Wicklow	Silver Medal
Athlone	Westmeath	Bronze Medal
Ballinahown	Westmeath	Bronze Medal
Bray	Wicklow	Bronze Medal
Cabinteely	Dublin	Bronze Medal
Clane	Kildare	Bronze Medal
Clonbullogue	Offaly	Bronze Medal
Greystones	Wicklow	Bronze Medal
Knockbridge	Louth	Bronze Medal
Longford	Longford	Bronze Medal
Lucan	Dublin	Bronze Medal
Lusk	Dublin	Bronze Medal
Newtowncashel	Longford	Bronze Medal
Raheny	Dublin	Bronze Medal
Rathangan	Kildare	Bronze Medal
Shankill	Dublin	Bronze Medal

Recipient	County	Award
Skerries	Dublin	County Winner
Dalkey	Dublin	Highly Commended
Cabinteely	Dublin	Commended
The Naul	Dublin	Endeavour *
Maynooth	Kildare	County Winner
Naas	Kildare	Highly Commended
Staffan	Kildare	Commended
Milltown	Kildare	Endeavour *
Abbeyleix	Laois	County Winner
Castletown	Laois	Highly Commended
Ballacolla	Laois	Commended
Mountmellick	Laois	Endeavour *
Abbeyshrule	Longford	County Winner
Newtowncashel	Longford	Highly Commended
Longford	Longford	Commended
Moydow	Longford	Endeavour *
Blackrock	Louth	County Winner
Knockbridge	Louth	Highly Commended
Ardee	Louth	Commended
Kilcurry	Louth	Endeavour *
Trim	Meath	County Winner
Moynalty	Meath	Highly Commended
Athboy	Meath	Commended
Johnstown	Meath	Endeavour *
Geashill	Offaly	County Winner
Tullamore	Offaly	Highly Commended
Clonbullogue	Offaly	Commended
Kinnitty	Offaly	Endeavour *
Ballinahown	Westmeath	County Winner
Tyrrellspass	Westmeath	Highly Commended
Glasson	Westmeath	Commended
Streamstown	Westmeath	Endeavour *
Aughrim	Wicklow	County Winner
Wicklow	Wicklow	Highly Commended
Arklow	Wicklow	Commended
Hollywood Village	Wicklow	Endeavour *

Recipient	County	Sponsor & Award
Biodiversity Project in association with Dunboyne TidyTowns Committee & Dunboyne Senior Primary School, Dunboyne, Co Meath	Meath	Supervalu School Award – sponsored by SuperValu
Grange TidyTowns	Louth	Waters & Communities Award sponsored by Inland Fisheries Ireland, Watersways Ireland and the Local Authority Waters & Communities Office Regional Highly Commended
Ballymore Eustace Trout & Salmon Angler’s Association/Ballymore Eustace TidyTowns	Kildare	Waters & Communities Award sponsored by Inland Fisheries Ireland, Waterways Ireland and the Local Authority Waters & Communities Office Regional Winner
Geashill TidyTowns	Offaly	Let’s Get Buzzing Pollinator Award – sponsored by Local Authorities – Small Town Category Regional Winner
Swords TidyTowns	Dublin	Let’s Get Buzzing Pollinator Award – sponsored by Local Authorities – Large Town Category Regional Winner
Naas TidyTowns	Kildare	Gum Litter Taskforce Award sponsored by the Gum Litter Taskforce – Large Town and Urban Centre Category
Ashbourne TidyTowns	Meath	The Big Scoop Award – sponsored by Dogs Trust – Joint National Winner
Naas TidyTowns	Kildare	Clean Air Award Runner Up – sponsored by Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Donnybrook TidyTowns – Project Seat & Retreat	Meath	Sustainable Development Award Runner Up – sponsored by Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment
The Riverwalk with Arklow TidyTowns	Wicklow	Sustainable Development Award Second Place – sponsored by Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Hollywood TidyTowns	Wicklow	Sustainable Development Award National Award Winner – sponsored by Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment