County Galway Ref 1988
Mark 324
Date(s) 29/06/2023
Category C
Fáilte chuig Comórtas Na mBailte Slachtmhara Super Valu don bhliain 2023. Táimid buíoch daoibh as ucht na
hiontrála a chur chugainn, agus guimíd gach rath ar bhúr gcuid oibre amach anseo.
Community – Your Planning and Involvement / An Pobal – Pleanáil agus Rannpháirtíocht:
Fáilte chuig Comórtas Na mBailte Slachtmhara Super Valu don bhliain 2023. Táimid buíoch daoibh as ucht na hiontrála a chur chugainn, agus guimíd gach rath ar bhúr gcuid oibre amach anseo.
Thank you for your application and map. Claregalway has a small committee but has a large number of volunteers willing to give a hand with all projects undertaken to enhance the village and surroundings. Twelve years taking part in the competition has seen an improvement in community spirit, with all groups working together for the betterment of the village. During that time many projects have been completed that have greatly enhanced the area. There is good communication to the wider community through social media, claregalway.info newsletter, parish newsletter and WhatsApp. Regular meetings are held. SuperValu is very supportive to the community providing a meeting room and facilities for the Tidy Towns, with refreshments also provided. Support and advice from Galway County Council,
all agencies and businesses to the Tidy Towns could not be better. The schools all take part in the Green School Initiative and help out with planting and other projects. The scouts are also very supportive. New residents to the village are welcome to come along and get involved. The Ukrainian community living in the village have helped with a number of tasks in the community.
Claregalway is rich in heritage and the preservation and maintenance of all heritage sites is important to the community. As you approach the village the historical Castle stands supreme. The Castle is used for events during the year providing access for the community to visit this heritage site. The Nine a
Arches Bridge is an iconic structure for the village and is highlighted even more with colourful floral displays. The Franciscan Abbey and cemetery is maintained by the community which provides a good place to take a stroll and enjoy the surroundings. The Forge and Museum, displays more of the village heritage machinery, used by the community in past times. The well maintained thatch house brings great charm and character to the streetscape. The Church and grounds are well presented. The Spires glistening in the sun and information board, brings great ambience to this corner. The National School looked bright and fresh as did Colaiste Bhaile Chlair and Educate together schools. The Community Centre which is an important facility for the community is well maintained and well used by the community members. The handball alley provides more recreational pursuits for the community to enjoy. The
businesses along the streetscape have well painted facades and are bright and colourful with floral displays. The outdoor dining facilities which has become popular are bright and welcoming.
The stone walls of the village together with the mature trees are complemented by areas of good ground planting.
This together with the pollinator friendly plants carefully sown in planters at different locations were admired. The schools bring their areas to life with good planting of trees and wildflowers, adding to the good biodiversity of the village. The Arches Bridge was admired. The Church grounds has some superb trees included in the landscaping.
The timber frame around the base of trees is not needed as these superb trees provide their own standalone beauty.
Tidy Towns Competition 2023Adjudication Report
Centre:
County:
Category:
Ref:
Mark:
Date(s):
324
Community – Your Planning and Involvement 80
Streetscape & Public Places 80
Green Spaces and Landscaping 80
Nature and Biodiversity in your Locality 55
Sustainability – Doing more with less 55
Tidiness and Litter Control 90
Residential Streets & Housing Areas 55
Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes 55
39
44
47
34
18
60
28
39
309
Mark
Awarded 2022
TOTAL MARK 550 324
Community – Your Planning and Involvement / An Pobal – Pleanáil agus Rannpháirtíocht:
Streetscape & Public Places / Sráid-Dreach & Áiteanna Poiblí:
Green Spaces and Landscaping / Spásanna Glasa agus
schools bring their areas to life with good planting of trees and wildflowers, adding to the good biodiversity of the village. The arches bridge was admired. The Church grounds has some superb trees included in the landscaping.
The timber frame around the base of trees is not needed as these superb trees provide their own standalone beauty.
The village is rich in biodiversity and natural habitats. It is how we manage and protect local species and habitats that is important. You are working in conjunction with the All Ireland Pollinator Plan on all planting that is being added to the village. More areas of wildflower meadows and pollinator friendly plants are being used in landscaping. Workshops on pollinators and bee art competitions are run with the school. Bumble bees and butterflies are monitored for the national biodiversity data centre. The river Clare sculptures project, which was launched in February 2023 is to help connect residents, in particular children and teenagers with their local river.
Sculptures of fauna of the river are displayed on the bridge from September to May. They are replaced during
summer months by floral displays. Funding for this project was obtained by the Tidy Towns. Bird and bat boxes made by the men’s shed have been erected. Groups are encouraged to host events that appreciate and celebrate the wildlife that is in our midst. You are doing that with workshops and walks. Future projects include more planting, information boards on wildlife and events where the community can appreciate nature and also the work that you are doing to highlight it.
There is a good plan in place controlling and combatting litter. It is good to note that your first major clean-up of the year shows a reduction in the amount of litter collected. These clean-up days are repeated every six to eight weeks.
Regular litter picks continue especially during the summer months with more volunteers helping out. Pet owners are also encouraged to clean up after their pets when they go walking. Manual removing of weeds from kerbs is done reducing the use of chemicals for weed growth. Great work was done on approach roads, cleaning up litter black spots. The residents are commended for their work and it is hoped that people will refrain from further dumping again in these now enhanced stretches of roads. Some graffiti was noted on the greeting arch.
In this category groups are asked to show how they are making their area more sustainable by their activities. In Claregalway there has been an increase in the number of people walking and cycling, which has resulted in more cycle lanes being marked on footpaths and also the need for more pedestrian crossings. There are also more bicycle racks installed at the schools. This helps reduce on transport and is also better health wise for the community. Polytunnels at the Day Care and Colaiste Baile an Chlair, where sowing of vegetables and flower seeds can reduce on transport and packaging. Organic vegetables are bought from a local producer which is commended. Harvesting of rainwater which can be done by many in the community is another great way of saving.
The use of LED lighting and the installation of solar panels is becoming more popular particularly with a grant available to help with costs. Do ensure that all projects in this category are documented otherwise they go unnoticed.
The houses along the approach roads and throughout the village are well maintained. Gardens are neat and landscaping of ground planting, window boxes and hanging baskets, bring colour and brightness to the streetscape.
The housing estates have good entrance signs and well maintained green areas. The estates work closely with the Tidy Towns committee. Estates are planting more pollinator friendly plants in their landscaping which is applauded.
They are encouraged to leave no mow areas if possible. The use of chemical weed control is discouraged. Well done to the residents for the work they have completed in maintaining their homes and surroundings to such a high standard.
The entrance signs to the village ae impressive and are in keeping with the heritage and natural surroundings of the village. Work has been done on a number of entrance roads to the village through funding received. Black spot areas for litter have been addressed and it is hoped that these areas will have no more dumping of litter. Verges are good with designated areas for wildlife, with wildflower planting adding to existing good biodiversity. The use of the Irish language in signage is also admired. Stone walls are an important part of the village structure and need ongoing repairs.
Nature and Biodiversity in your Locality / An Dúlra agus an Bhithéagsúlacht i do cheantar:
Sustainability – Doing more with less / Inmharthanacht – Mórán ar an mbeagán:
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:
Claregalway was a pleasure to visit and adjudicate. Great work is being done to maintain the heritage of the area in any new developments undertaken. Keep up the good work and you are wished well in the future.
