Mayo Tidy Towns group celebrates 30 years of community spirit

NOT even a wet and windy winter evening could dampen the spirits of those attending the Castlebar Tidy Towns awards night. With standing room only, the community gathered to mark the group’s 30th anniversary and honour the dedication of individuals and organisations working tirelessly to make Castlebar a better place to live, work, and play.

Vice-chairperson Ger Deere was MC for the evening, which began with warm opening remarks by chairperson Alan Mee and Anne Conlon, president of Castlebar Chamber. The night then turned to recognising achievements across the community.

Sharon Cameron, environmental awareness officer with Mayo County Council, presented prizes in the schools poster competition, which was sponsored by the council and judged by Aoife Hughes.

In the Under 8 category, Marko Velychko (Castlebar Primary) took the top prize while Juliette Nic Suibhne (Scoil Raifteiri) and Filip Koziol (St. Peter’s) took second and third.

Sophie Slabik (St. Peter’s) got first prize in the Under 12 category with Pierce Nestor (Castlebar Primary) and Emad Mahmoud (Castlebar Primary) taking second and third.

From St. Anthony's and St.Brid's, Emma Purcell (St. Anthony’s) took the top prize with Shane McDonagh Tolan (St. Anthony’s) and Isla Slammon (St. Brid’s) taking second and third.

Pat Rowland, Elverys CEO, sponsored and presented the schools' awards to Davitt College (Secondary Schools winner), Scoil Raifteiri (Primary Schools winner) and St. Anthony’s (Special Needs Schools winner).

In the Public Building category, the Family Centre and Church of the Holy Rosary won first prize with the Garda Barracks and the Courthouse taking second and third. Corrib Oil took the first prize in the Petrol Stations and Auto Outlets category followed by Mulroy's, Breaffy Road and Togher Tyres. Joint winners in the best Floral Display category were The Rose Garden B&B and The Green Bay B&B followed by Carragh House in second and McDonald’s Restaurant in third.

As always, the businesses and shopfront category was hotly contested as Ann Cresham and Marita Murtagh, Tidy Towns Committee members, presented the winners, Barrel & Castle, Brant Rock and Egan Jewellers with their accolades. In the Industrial Award category, recognising their sustainability efforts, Fort Wayne Metals was a worthy recipient on the night.

A highlight of the evening is the very competitive estates category with over 100 estates throughout the town entering and being judged on their general upkeep and overall appearance. Lakeview won the Large Estates category and also the best entrance award with The Brambles and Knockaphunta Park taking second and third. Fortfield won the medium estates category followed by Foxfield and Heather Vale. Cois Abhainn was the Small Estates category winner, with Greenfields and Blackthorn Village awarded second and third.

An ecstatic Cois Abhainn returned to the stage to pick up the SuperValu Cup as the best overall housing estate.

Each year Castlebar Tidy Towns awards the Michael Mullahy Endeavour Award in memory of one of the founding members to a group that exemplifies the volunteer spirit. This year Sean Mullahy presented the prize to Dunconlan Close in recognition of their work over the last year.

A special recognition award was also presented to Brian Finn and Tony Heatherington recognising the great work of TÚS in supporting projects throughout the town.

A special award conferred on the most active and impactful volunteer is the Liam Durkan Memorial Award which was this year presented by Eleanor Durkan and Fiona Larkin to Kevin Rowley.

Kevin is a long-time volunteer with the Tidy Towns who is affectionately known as MacGyver for his superb carpentry and engineering skills which is put to great use right across the town.

As the evening concluded, a special presentation recognised founding members Ger Deere and Joe Butler for their decades of dedication to the Tidy Towns initiative.

Chairperson Alan Mee encapsulated the evening's sentiment, saying: “We applaud the contributions of community groups, residents' associations, sports clubs, and volunteers, whose efforts earned us our sixth National Tidy Towns Gold Medal this year. These awards celebrate our shared commitment to preserving the environment and inspiring the next generation to cherish and protect our town.”

The awards night was a fitting celebration of community pride, environmental stewardship, and three decades of dedicated effort.