Ballinahown wins eighth county Tidy Towns title

For the eighth year running Ballinahown is the Westmeath standard bearer in the National Tidy Towns Competition. Still basking in the glory of double gold medallist Mark Rohan's triumph in London, the picturesque village has yet another reason to celebrate this week, winning yet another county title with 301 marks. The result is six points better than 2011, and just 11 off this year's overall national winner, Abbeyshrule in South Longford earning Ballinahown a bronze medal award. There were also good performances this year from Glasson, who received a highly commended award for a final tally of 273 marks, an increase of six and Athlone, who jumped a fantastic 12 marks on the 2011 standing, Over in South Roscommon, the best performing area in 2012 was Lecarrow with a total of 255 points, a massive jump of 12 marks on their performance of twelve months ago. Nearby Curraghboy also had a good day at the office with a nine point gain to 246, while the rapidly growing area of Monksland received 205 marks. To see how your area fared and reaction to the National Tidy Town's competition results, check out this Wednesday's Westmeath Independent.