Carlingford wows judges
CARLINGFORD took centre stage as adjudicators from Bank of Ireland Enterprising Towns Awards visited the beautiful coastal town.
The judging team were made up of Eileen Collery (Bank of Ireland), John Fitzgerald (former Dublin City Manager) and Tom Hayes (former Director of Enterprise Ireland). They were looking for examples of how local towns are made stronger by community and business working together. The visit was hosted by Carlingford Community Forum, Louth County Council and Local Enterprise Office Louth.
The judging process started with presentations in Carlingford Heritage Centre. The Carlingford Community Forum explained how the local community all work together. From arts, heritage and tourism to Tidy Towns, local business and many others, the judges were very impressed by the level of collaboration right across the town.
After the formal presentations, the judges had a chance to ask questions and chat to community representatives. This gave them a really good sense of how well everyone works together.
During their walking tour of Carlingford, the three judges had the chance to meet local business owners in their premises and at the Station House. It was a beautiful day and Carlingford absolutely looked its best.
Perhaps the highlight of the visit was meeting with local school children and hearing about Carlingford Citizenship Day. This initiative really impressed the adjudicators.
The biggest guffaw of the day came when one of the adjudicators asked one of the primary school pupils what he loved about Carlingford. He paused, hesitated, thought about it and finally declared ‘Everything’. The adjudicators definitely agreed!
The adjudication team have 80 towns to assess for the competition. The announcement of winners is expected in November. The winning town will secure a fund of €23,000 to invest in a local enterprise initiative and scoop the Enterprising Town 2017 title.
Last year’s winner was Boyle, Co. Roscommon.