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Killarney Town, Co Kery, Tidy Towns Volunteers, Kathleen Foley and Yvonne Quill, Winners of the Tidy Towns Gold Medal Award 2018, which was presented by Cllr Mike Kennelly and Dolores Farrell, SuperValu Community and Sponsorship Brand Manager, at the Listowel Arms Hotel, County Kerry. The Competition now in its 60th year had a record 883 towns and villages entered. The Awards are hosted by the Department of Rural and Community Affairs, sponsored by SuperValu and supported by Fáilte Ireland.Photo:Valerie O’Sullivan/FREE PIC 

All the months of hard work was worth it - as dedicated volunteers finally got their eight Gold Medal at the Mid-West and South West Regional Tidy Towns Awardson Thursday night last, (November 22).

Listowel was the location for the award ceremony asthe town was named as the 2018 National Tidy Towns winner in September, while Killarney retained its Gold Medal status for the eighth consecutive year.

On the night, SuperValu Tidy Towns winners, including volunteers from Killarney Tidy Towns, were presented with their awards by Councillor Mike Kennelly, Kerry County Council and Dolores Farrell, SuperValu Community and Sponsorship Brand Manager, long time sponsors of the competition.

Known as the tourism capital of Ireland, Killarney has maintained its supremely high standards since winning the overall award in 2011, with an overall mark 334 this year - six points higher than in 2017.

“There was a huge effort by locals this year,” said Yvonne Quill, Chairperson of the Killarney Looking Good Committee. “It was extremely successful and the fact that Listowel are now the fourth town in Kerry to win the overall title is amazing.”

The Tidy Towns competition is now in its 60th year and in 2018 a record 883 towns and villages entered. The awards are hosted by the Department of Rural and Community Affairs, sponsored by SuperValu and supported by Fáilte Ireland.

Killarney has been one of the competition’s high achievers over the past decade and Yvonne believes that their continued success is something to be celebrated.

“The biggest thing for Killarney is that we’ve never slipped since we started going up the ladder. We won in 2011 and our score has never dropped since then. Our marks have gone up every year. We’re very proud of that.

“I think it’s very important to the town. It’s lovely to live in a place that makes you feel proud.”

Yvonne was quick to thank all the locals who went above and beyond to make sure Killarney was looking its best during the judging periods in July and August, and she also paid tribute to Kerry County Council for their continued support.