Ireland's tidiest town for 2018 has been named.
For the first time ever, Listowel in County Kerry has been crowned Ireland's tidiest town.
The home of legendary playwright John B. Keane, Listowel also took the prize of Ireland's best small town for this year.
Minister Ring has just announced the winner of SuperValu TidyTowns Tidiest Town 2018 is Listowel, Co. Kerry! Congratulations to the first-time winners! #TidyTowns @ListowelTT
— TidyTowns Ireland (@TidyTownsIre) September 24, 2018
The competition received a record 833 entries across four separate categories.
The ceremony at the Helix in Dublin City University marked the 60th anniversary of the competition.
Westport in County Mayo retained the title of best large town for the second year running, making it the eighth time the town has won in this category.
Glaslough in County Monaghan was named the tidiest village.
Just 3km south of the border with Northern Ireland, it won the competition in 1978.
The fourth and final category of tidiest large urban centre went to Ballincollig, Co. Cork.
Speaking after the announcement, Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Listowel, who are very deserving winners.
“The work of all those involved in the Tidy Towns effort results in the attractive and welcoming towns and villages we see all over the country.
“The voluntary work that people put in to their communities brings great pride, a great sense of achievement and great camaraderie to those communities. That is why this competition has flourished for 60 years.”
Listowel TidyTowns chair Julie Gleeson attributed the win to “hard work” and said that the town's most famous son John B Keane would have been proud of the award as he was a big supporter of the TidyTowns.
See More: Ireland, Kerry, Listowel, Tidiest Town
