The good fight continues despite halt to Tidy Towns

“TIDY Towns doesn’t stop for anything” – that is the message of the chairperson of Killarney Looking Good, Yvonne Quill, following the Tidy Towns competition cancellation.

With 19 consecutive gold medals and an ‘overall winner’ award in the Tidy Towns competition, Killarney knows more than most about just how important the annual competition is – but they also know that the show must go on regardless.

“It is disappointing of course, but we are still planning what we will do. We will just work in a different way.,” she says. And though it is only days since the competition has been cancelled, the team is coming up with ideas to ensure Killarney reigns supreme again.

“We are thinking of things that we can do when we can’t do Tidy Towns. We are still planning, we don’t want to let Killarney down,” Yvonne said.

Among proposals are art projects for the town, which will help brighten the streetscape, as well as compiling an archive of Tidy Towns photos from down through the years. Yvonne said the decision to cancel this year was disappointing, but she understood that it had to be done. She remains hopeful that work can still continue depending on restrictions later this year.

In the interim, while the restrictions remain in place prevent large-scale work behind the scenes, Killarney Municipal District staff and their counterparts around the county are keeping the show on the road.

Keeping the show on the road is also the message from a stalwart of Tralee Tidy Towns. Though cocooning given her age, she would like nothing more than to be back on the streets and is adamant that COVID-19 shouldn’t halt the good work that has been undertaken.

“We can’t go back to our old way. Just because there is no competition we can still keep going. If everybody keeps their own place clean then it will help,” Mary O’Brien said.

With eight gold medals, Tralee has improved significantly every year in the annual competition and last year its score increased another eight points. In the little village of Sneem, one of the county’s first ever winners of the annual competition, they too are keen to continue their maintain their image.

“A lot of work has been done already,” said Eileen Burns. “We have to take it one day at a time but, hopefully, we can get back out.”

Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin Yvonne Quill and Archdeacon Michael Murphy with former Cllr Sean Counihan Mayor of Killarney celebrating the 2011 Overall Tidy Towns Award for Killarney.