Aughrim Awards and Photo Gallery

Awards

Over the years, due to a large effort by Aughrim Tidy Towns and local residents, Aughrim has won the following awards:

1966 National Tidy Towns Competition Category C (best new entrant)

2002 National Tidy Town Category C Silver Medal Award

2003 National Tidy Town Category C Silver Medal Award

2004 National Tidy Town Category C Gold Medal Award

2005 DoEHLG Waterside Award (for Sean Linehan Walk)

2005 National Tidy Town Category C Gold Medal Award

2006 National Tidy Town Category C Gold Medal Award

2006 National Tidy Town Midlands East Regional Award

2006 Best Kept Small Town North/South Winner

2006 Entente Florale European Gold Award

2006 Dr. Lucija Cikes Special Award (Entente Florale)

2006 National Tidy Town Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town Award

2007 National Tidy Town Category C Gold Medal Award

2007 National Tidy Town Midlands East Regional Award

2007 National Tidy Town Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town Award

2007 National Tidy Town Overall National Winner

2008 National Tidy Town Category C Gold Medal Award

2008 Communities In Bloom International Challenge (Small Category) "5 Blooms"

2009 National Tidy Town Category C Gold Medal Award

2009 National Tidy Town Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town Award

Aughrim Photo Gallery

Click here to view an Aughrim photo gallery

Click here to view another Aughrim photo gallery
This second set of photographs of Aughrim also portray the sights of the town very well. We're not sure who to credit for this second set of photographs.

Tidy Towns Awards

Ireland’s national Tidy Towns initiative was launched by Bord Fáilte, the Irish Tourist Board (now Fáilte Ireland), in 1958 as part of the 'Tostal', a nationwide festival celebrating all things Irish. A step-up from the original National Spring Clean Campaign which ran between 1953 and 1957, TidyTowns rapidly developed its own identity and has gone on to become Ireland's most well known and popular local environmental initiative.

In 1995, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government assumed responsibility for the Tidy Towns and now organizes the initiative with the support of a national competition sponsor and a number of other agencies.

All Ireland “Best Kept” Towns Awards

“All Ireland” Best Kept Towns Awards was initiated in 1995 when the Northern Ireland Amenity Council and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government agreed that an All-Ireland competition would help raise the profile of both Tidy Towns and Northern Ireland's "Best Kept Awards" and the standards of towns and villages across the island of Ireland. The competition also affords an opportunity to build new links and friendships between communities North and South.

Entente Florale Competition

The European Association for Flowers and Landscape (AEFP) is an international non-profit association, and its overall aims are social and cultural development to enhance Horticulture, Tourism and Environment. The association organizes an international competition known as 'Entente Florale Europe', in order to promote a greener and more pleasant environment in European towns and villages and to facilitate international contacts among the participants, based on reference towns and villages network. Through this annual competition, public authorities, private bodies and individuals are encouraged to cooperate in beautifying their towns and villages thereby improving the quality of life for both inhabitants and visitors, by the planting of flowers and shrubs, by the development and maintenance of green spaces and parks and by generally fostering development which is ecologically and environmentally sensitive. Aughrim was Ireland’s entrant in this international competition in 2006.

Communities in Bloom Competition

Communities in Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement and the challenge of a national program.

Established with the guidance of Britain in Bloom, Tidy Towns of Ireland and Villes et Villages Fleuris de France, Communities in Bloom was held for the first time in 1995. The program now includes more than 500 municipalities across Canada and an international challenge involving municipalities from the United States, Japan and several European countries allows participants to compete internationally.

The Communities in Bloom program consists of communities receiving information and being evaluated either provincially or nationally by a volunteer jury of trained professionals on the accomplishments of their entire community (municipal, private, corporate and institutional sectors, citizens) on eight key criteria: Tidiness, Environmental Awareness, Community Involvement, Natural and Cultural Heritage Conservation, Urban Forestry, Landscaped Areas, Floral Displays and Turf & Ground Cover Areas. Aughrim reperesented Ireland in this international competition in 2008.