DELIVERS THE UNEXPECTED
If a week is a long time in politics then three months is certainly a long time for Tidy Towns volunteers to try to deliver a work programme in these challenging times while adhering to social distancing requirements. When we spoke with members of Dromiskin Tidy Towns in mid April the focus was very much on basic maintenance and putting plans in place for future projects that could be delivered over a period of time as restrictions eased.
The phrase ‘expect the unexpected ‘ is never more appropriate than when applied to what has been achieved in Dromiskin in the last couple of months with a number of projects, that weren’t even at the planning stage in April, significantly advanced to add to the amenities, visual impact and quality of life in the village.
Liam Reilly, long serving Secretary of Dromiskin Tidy Towns and local councillor, explains ‘we could never have foreseen that a sponsor, who wishes to remain anonymous, would provide the funding for the purchase of a bronze sculpture to add to the existing Sculpture Trail in the village.’ The highly realistic and richly decorative sculpture features three children on a slide with an appropriate location found on a triangular green space at the entrance to the school which will allow it to be fully appreciated. Liam went on to explain that ‘it is the intention of the committee to dedicate the piece to the Sixth Class of 2020 whose primary school journey ended abruptly in March and we feel that this will be a fitting tribute to the young people who have played an important role as partners in the Tidy Towns programme in the community’.
Liam was joined by the Chairman of the Tidy Towns Committee, Pat Mulligan, in lavishing praise on the Hand Family for their work on the restoration of Ginnety’s Pond, a hidden gem in the community long forgotten by many and never known by some. The Pond is an important wetland whose ecological importance was highlighted in a Biodiversity Plan commissioned by Louth County Council under an Action for Biodiversity initiative a number of years ago. The site currently remains in private ownership and the family have, in the last couple of months, carried out significant works which include the removal of plastic waste that filled two skips, cleaning of the area around the Pond of other accumulated debris, defining the boundary of the pond with rocks, creating an island feature in the water, slabbed steps to the waters edge have been put in place and a semi circular viewing area has also been created. Volunteers from Tidy Towns assisted with the construction of a pathway around the entirety of the Pond as well as sowing grass seeds to create green space along either side of the new pathway. Further improvements are planned with an overall objective of creating an amenity by the community for the community.
Longest serving member of the Tidy Towns committee, Seamus Mc Ardle, is renowned throughout the county for his extraordinary craftsmanship and certainly hasn’t been idle in recent weeks. Visitors are welcomed to Dromiskin by bespoke, hand carved wooden welcome signs crafted by Seamus as far back as 1993. During the recent lockdown Seamus temporarily removed the signs and removed layers of paint,that had been applied over the years as part of the maintenance programme, revealing the natural wood which was newly varnished and the etchings redefined. Not content with this improvement Seamus also added a new curved extension to the top of the sign that incorporates an etching of the Viking Boat, a key feature in the village also designed and constructed by Seamus.
The committee are also very grateful to Ardee Credit
Union for continued sponsorship of the
House and Garden Competition with sponsorship for the 2020 initiative confirmed in the last week. Tidy Towns volunteers are very aware of the great work done by so many green fingered residents during the restrictions with Chairman Pat Mulligan commenting ‘its great to be able to acknowledge the great work that is so evident in gardens throughout the community and we’ll be announcing details of the socially distanced judging for this year’s competition very soon with a different type of prizegiving ceremony in due course’. The great relationship between the Credit Union and the Tidy Towns volunteers is very
evident in the presentation of the Credit Union Garden which looks simply spectacular with wonderful colour emanating from a variety of mature perennials in this Pesticide Free Zone. Indeed pesticides are a thing of the past in Dromiskin with all landscaped areas maintained without the use of weedkiller and a noted emphasis on pollinator friendly planting throughout the village.
Resilience! Creativity! Commitment! All traits that define the volunteers on Dromiskin Tidy Towns who continue to dare to dream that their continued hard work might result in the award of a Bronze Medal in the 2021 National Tidy Towns Competition.