The national tidy towns judges visited Tydavnet village on 16th July 2022. The results reflected a 7 point gain on the marks for 2021.
Community – Your Planning and Involvement / An Pobal – Pleanáil agus Rannpháirtíocht: (45/80 marks awarded)
Fáilte chuig Comórtas Na mBailte Slachtmhara Super Valu don bhliain 2022. Táimid buíoch daoibh as ucht na hiontrála a chur chugainn, agus guimíd gach rath ar bhúr gcuid oibre amach anseo. Adh Mór… Welcome to the 2022 Supervalu competition. And it is great to see that there is such a high level of participation in the tidy towns committee in your village – with 10 members and 40+ volunteers, this represents excellent community engagement. Well done in harnessing the support of St. Dympnas N.S. and local businesses. The school’s involvement in the green flag program should help with your plans for biodiversity. The amount of time you dedicate to projects all year round is noted and admired. You certainly deserve to be recognised for all your hard work. Your major project this year was the addition of flag poles which are ideal for advertising events like your Drama festival and hopefully an effective tool in reducing fly-posting. With over twenty years in the competition this is an achievement in its own right so well done on this. Please be assured that although I may not mention specific projects from your application, all works have been taken into account of in your marks awarded.
Streetscape & Public Places / Sráid-Dreach & Áiteanna Poiblí: (42/80 marks awarded)
Public spaces enjoy an excellent presentation. The church is prominently located in the village and is a wonderful imposing structure. The grounds including the carpark were admired in all respects, especially the landscaping. The school looks well together with its gardens and outdoor classroom. Jacks bar, the Rock Inn and community hall were admired also. Repairs to footpath at Jacks will enhance the streetscape. It is regrettable that the old garage is idle again. The pump also looked bright, and we loved the colourful seasonal landscaping which draws attention to this pleasant feature. The streetscape continues to impress with the absence of wire-scape, decorative lampposts and attractive pockets of planting adding to the overall charm.
Green Spaces and Landscaping / Spásanna Glasa agus Tírdhreachú: (42/80 marks awarded)
Work is centered around the ongoing maintenance of existing and relatively new plantings. The donation of trees & shrubs by ABP and Silverhill Foods is testament to the work that you do as a committee and can be seen as a gesture of appreciation from the donors. Roadside edges are graced with beautiful rose displays and seasonal landscaping. Crown lifting in the Wildlife Garden must have been difficult, commendations to all involved- seats need refreshing. Equally your work in maintaining quite a few hedging projects. We are glad to hear you planted honeysuckles and clematis and set aside areas to promote wildlife in the graveyard. Well maintained colourful hanging baskets, flower beds and containers are very beautiful giving your village a welcoming aspect. We note your plans to further enhance areas for biodiversity. You sourced recycled compost but didn’t mention where it came from – let us know more in next year’s application. We advise planting in the ground if possible but maybe the oil tank could form a new sculpture!
Nature and Biodiversity in your Locality / An Dúlra agus an Bhithéagsúlacht i do cheantar: (35/55 marks awarded)
You are making good progress in this category, and most importantly you have had a Biodiversity Action Plan completed. It would be great to submit this next year. Congratulations on securing funding. Well done for circulating copies of Gardening for Biodiversity. It contains effectives measures that all Tydavnet residents could take on board in order to assist our struggling pollinators such as leaving some areas unmown or longer gaps between mowing’s etc. We look forward to hearing of progress in relation to Biodiversity over the coming years. Great to hear you have two allotments and hopefully next year’s adjudicator will see both full of seasonal produce. The success of the local school in the Green Flag Programme is wonderful and your involvement will reap rewards. Keep up the good work.
Sustainability – Doing more with less / Inmharthanacht – Mórán ar an mbeagán: (17/55 marks awarded)
You continue some good measures to encourage the more efficient use of resources in the community. The schools ‘No Energy Day’ as part of climate week is one example as is their contribution to litter and waste reduction, energy saving and growing vegetables. You are also conserving water for planters and containers during the summer months and minimize paper use wherever possible. In the wider community what other initiatives are happening? Any businesses involved in ‘Green Hospitality’? We positively note your interest to install solar energy in the community centre and perhaps your committee could support an interested resident in becoming a Climate Ambassador (https://climateambassador.ie/) or establish a Youth Climate Action Team to help drive sustainability in the village. To learn more about the 17 Sustainability Development Goals visit https://www.limerick. ie/sites/default/files/media/documents/2021-03/sustainable-development-goals-helpful-hints.pdf.
Tidiness and Litter Control / Slachtmhaireacht agus Rialú Bruscair: (66/90 marks awarded)
Thank you for your details provided on your approach to litter control. You are to be applauded for your participation in National spring and autumn clean-ups, stretching over 4km! Well done. Monaghan County Council deserves a mention for their ongoing support. Your photographs illustrate very well the involvement of the school children and teachers. We commend Damien and Sean for their ongoing efforts to keeping the village litter free. On the day of our visit there was no litter to be seen. Main streets and bye roads were free of weeds. We hope Saturday morning patrols are successful in gaining new recruits among younger members. The committee has obviously harnessed the good will of the local community who are rowing in behind your efforts in this category. Overall standard is very high, and no doubt translates into an improvement in the quality of life for the community. Great job.
Residential Streets & Housing Areas / Sráideanna Cónaithe & Ceantair Tithíochta: (29/55 marks awarded)
Working with residential groups will encourage residents to become involved in their area. People love to be rewarded for their work, ‘Best kept Communal Area’ or ‘Best kept front garden’. Both estates fit seamlessly into the landscape and create a favourable impression. Floral displays were a feature of many dwellings throughout the village, both in containers and gardens. This reflects well on your committee and the community. We look forward to the new housing development.
Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes / Bóithre Isteach, Sráideanna & Lánaí: (36/55 marks awarded)
Road and footpath surfaces throughout the village are reasonably good in most places and road signage well maintained together with street furniture. The neat appearance of approach roads is of high standard, and we like your concept of approach road as habitats. Again, credit to Monaghan County Council, C.E worker and to all the volunteers.
Concluding Remarks: We are extremely pleased to visit and see the various projects you undertook this year. Best wishes for the future.