Great Turnout for Monaghan Tidy Towns Annual Awards Night 2022 Monaghan Tidy Towns Annual Awards returned in force last week in the Westenra Hotel with presentations to a wide range of businesses and individuals from across the town, all of whom have been making an important contribution to the TidyTowns effort. Monaghan Tidy Towns’ Chairperson, Emer Brennan said, “Everyone has really made an important effort to help the town look its best again this year. Monaghan Town scores very highly under the “Built Environment” and “Streetscape” categories in the National Tidy Towns adjudication every year and visiting adjudicators frequently point to the high standard of presentation of businesses and shops in the town. We are very grateful to everyone who has done their bit to keep the town looking well. These awards have been one of the foundation stones for our continued improvement in our Tidy Towns scores for over ten years now.” “We are especially grateful for the sponsorship by Monaghan County Council and Environment Officer Sharon Finnegan who has been so supportive of the Tidy Towns effort in the town, our council horticulturalist Michael Carroll who has brought great innovation to landscaping and of course council ground-staff for their hard work. We really appreciate the support of St Joseph’s CE Scheme and all our volunteers and residents groups.”
“This year our independent judges were provided by Dundalk Tidy Towns who came to visit us in Monaghan and hosted us in return for a fieldtrip to Dundalk. One of the great benefits of Tidy Towns is the networking that exists between groups both within the county and across the country,” she said.
The awards night kicked off with an introduction from Sharon Finnegan, followed by Cathaoirleach of Monaghan MD, Raymond Aughey before Emer Bremnan gave an overview of the town’s significant progress in the National Tidy Towns Competition over the last ten years. Councillors Seamus Treanor and Paudge Connolly were also in attendance.
The award winners were as follows:
Best Shop Front was Gillanders of Market St. The judges were very impressed with the tasteful selection of colour for the façade and beautiful heritage sign writing with careful shop window arrangement and a lovely creamery can with flowers at the door. Best Shop for Floral Display was Rushes, Dublin Street, always clean, tidy and fresh with window boxes to the front and indeed along the side alley. Best Pub went to Tir na nOg which brightens up Park Street, freshly painted with appropriate colours with bright red geraniums resplendent above. Best Business Front was In Health Chiropractic on the Mall Road, considered by the judges to be a perfect example of a former dwelling converted into a business space, again with well selected colour and excellent landscaping to the front. Best Service Stations was, once again, Sam’s Bridge/Maxol at Coolshannagh where attention to litter is always first class and an excellent example to all. Dirty Fabulous took the award for best window display with gorgeous colours in vintage clothes and hats arranged in what the judges called a delightful and quirky style. The new Hospitality category includes hotels, restaurants and B&Bs and was won by the Dinkins Café, freshly painted in heritage greens with new signage and window boxes, “ticking all the boxes with style” according to the judges. In the Green Estate category, Mullaghmatt Cortolvin won out for their organisation and biodiversity and sustainability actions. The area brought home a second award for the Community Hearts project and their work with the National Learning Centre and Tidy Towns. Other “Community Heroes Awards went to Monaghan Men’s Shed for their fantastic support, not just to Tidy Towns but to many other community groups in the town, to Yvonne Mallon for her stewardship of the Junior Tidy Towns in Cluain Lorcan with individual awards going to for Litter Vigilantes Noel Mc Carrom and Joe Connolly Finally the Best Garden Awards were first narrowed down to “Monaghan’s Top Ten Gardens “ which were developed by Monica Carty, Killyconnigan, Dympna Toal, Cortolvin Road, Anna Mc Gorman, Clones Road, Dominic Meehan, Killygoan, Bernie Lappin, Plantation, Alice Mc Adam, Canal View, Thomas Costin, Belgium Park, Jenn Gonnelly, Hill Street, Frances Hughes Belgium Park and Mandy Mee, Killygoan. The winner for Large Garden was Monica Carty with an impressive pollinator friendly display in Killyconnigan while Bernie Lappin took the award for the small garden which epitomised the idea of partial wilding with a much admired wildflower area within a traditional town garden. The Tidy Towns Committee appreciate all those who attended on a night when the weather was bitterly cold and icy.