Many thanks for your entry in this year’s Tidy Towns Competition. Thank you for participating In Ireland’s biggest
community project. Well done on submitting a very neat and well thought-out entry. Thank you for the picture-book
and for the summary of projects and plans. Your entry in this category shows us what you about as a group – what
you’ve been doing and how well you work with other groups. The adjudicator is pleased to say that you showed this
very clearly and thoroughly.
40
The first line of your entry in this category sums it up well: there is more to Claregalway than meets the eye. Indeed,
there is much more than the passing motorist might imagine. There is a tremendous range and scope in your built
heritage and environment and it’s great to see that you appreciate this as well as you do. However, the adjudicator
would like to see more detail on projects that you have undertaken in this area, in order to increase your already
quite high score here.
The Claregalway Hotel has done great work this year on flowers. Really lovely. The Arches Hotel has also made
great efforts on planting and indeed on overall presentation too. The Castle looks great and the Friary is a stunning
old building. The car-parking area here is excellently maintained. The Educate Together national school has a
splendid garden. This is wildlife-friendly with borage, strawberries, Agapanthus, Oxalis… Lovely! The Roman
Catholic Church has to be one of the best kept and decorated in all of County Galway. The planting at the
pump-house is very effective. Well done.
The curtilage of the petrol station really could be better kept. There was good planting atop the stone wall in front of
the Supervalu but the signage here is poor quality and needs to be consolidated. Meanwhile, unused Centra
signage leaned out over the wall, doing nothing except making the area look cluttered-up.
40
A good entry here and you should be justifiably proud of your efforts in this category. Excellent work has been
undertaken and completed in a number of areas. You have more ‘in the tank’ still, it seems. There was nice
tree-planting on the way into the village from Galway on a small well kept green area. The wooden box planters
look very good. The Welcome Arch looks great still. In fact, the planting here is better than ever. The green areas
are really well kept and the floral displays are in wonderful colours and smell great too! The recent tree-planting
here is excellent and the older rowan and plane is maturing well. An area behind the Claregalway Hotel appears to
have been forgotten about and is crying out for planting and care.
30
58
18
26
34
Tidy Towns Competition 2017
Adjudication Report
Centre:
County:
Category:
Ref:
Mark:
Date(s):
282
Maximum
Mark
Community Involvement & Planning
Built Environment and Streetscape
Landscaping and Open Spaces
Wildlife, Habitats and Natural Amenities
Sustainable Waste and Resource Management
Tidiness and Litter Control
Residential Streets & Housing Areas
Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes
60
50
50
50
50
90
50
50
34
40
39
30
17
60
25
34
279
Mark
Awarded 2016
TOTAL MARK 450 282
Community Involvement & Planning / Rannpháirtíocht an Phobail & Pleanáil:
Built Environment and Streetscape / An Timpeallacht Thógtha agus Sráid-dreacha:
Landscaping and Open Spaces / Tírdhreachú agus Spásanna Oscailte:
Mark
Awarded 2017
12/07/2017
Thank you for the species information as supplied by your consultants. Again, you are scoring well in this category
and last year improved your points very well. This year, more evidence would be needed to climb higher. A copy of
the habitat map from the survey you refer to for example. OPW flood relief works were underway at time of visit.
Thank you for the details supplied here. Well done on the Tidy Days – a great way to get the community behind your
efforts. It is acknowledged that you have been busy here. However, there were several areas where work is needed
still. Commercial signage is a real problem. No matter how well swept or weed-free an area is, these signs will give
a cluttered feel. There is no way that they should be tolerated to this extent. Litter too was an issue on the day.
The adjudicator couldn’t understand how the various retailers here could allow litter (some quite aged) to lie where it
did, so close to their premises.
It is not thought that you have fully risen to the challenges of this somewhat technical category. You are advised to
contact Galway City and County Council’s Environmental Awareness Officer who is very expert in these matters.
She will be able to advise you upon the various steps that you will need to take in order to go about learning more.
The Tidy Towns Unit sent out a guidance document on this category two years ago. It is available from
www.tidytowns.ie if you didn’t yet see it. This has literally dozens of project ideas which won’t leave you short of
things to do to manage waste and save resources.
A very brief entry here tells us that you are working closely with the various residents groups. Well done, this is the
key to this category – co-operation with those ‘on the ground’. However, we’d really like to hear how this work takes
shape. Are the residents involved with any events? During Tree Week, are there any tree-planting events? During
Spring Clean do the residents have their own activities? Please let us know. It doesn’t have to be too lengthy an
account but some detail will be necessary.
Some great efforts by householders on the way into Claregalway from Galway were noted. The SMA house is
immaculately kept.
Thank you for the information supplied here. You have a committee member assigned to each approach road and
area. Very good, an interesting approach. Again, we’d like some more information on projects carried out. At the
same time, we do acknowledge that ongoing maintenance is a significant part of any good Tidy Towns group’s
work.
There was a well-ordered approach from the Galway side. Very little litter was seen. Two nice planted areas were
noted. Your stone walls, some quite new, look very well. An old bus lane sign is dirty and could be removed at this
stage or reused elsewhere. There is very nice welcome signage. The Nine-arched bridge looked even better than
ever. The shrub-bed areas here continue to be well kept. Well done.
Wildlife, Habitats and Natural Amenities / Fiadhúlra, Gnáthóga agus Taitneamhachtaí Nádúrtha:
Sustainable Waste and Resource Management / Bainistiú Acmhainní agus Dramhaíola Inbhuanaithe:
Tidiness and Litter Control / Slachtmhaireacht agus Rialú Bruscair:
Residential Streets & Housing Areas / Sráideanna Cónaithe & Ceantair Tithíochta:
Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes / Bóithre Isteach, Sráideanna & Lánaí:
Concluding Remarks:
An enjoyable and enlightening visit to Claregalway was enjoyed. Great strides have been made here and in your
relatively short time in the competition you have forged ahead. A few areas – easily addressed – call for your
attention. Thank you for all your hard work.
