Ballinahown’s vibrant streetscape praised by Tidy Towns judge

Ballinahown has been praised for its "vibrant streetscape" and congratulated on its long running involvement in the Tidy Towns competiton.

The village achieved 356 marks out of a possible 555 in the competition this year.

In this year's Tidy Towns report, the adjudicator said they were looking forward to seeing the village hall repainted next year. “An excellent job was done on resurfacing the Slí an hAbhainn walkway, the adjudicator hopes that the community is going to be successful is getting funding to put down a permanent surface.”

The local village was also commended for its use of the creative amphitheatre. The adjudicator appreciated the use of natural material that helps to integrate it into the landscape. They also particularly enjoyed the area around the 1916 commemoration. “The use of wooden signs were beautiful, the fruit trees well cared for. It is a relaxing space to spend a contemplative moment.”

The adjudicator was somewhat critical of the landscaping of the village and suggested that some plants be labelled as this would help educate residents and visitors about the plants.

In the official report, it is mentioned that they noticed a lot of dead heads by the hall and a number of sycamore seedlings in some of the beds.

Meanwhile, the village was applauded for the nature and biodiversity in the area. “Ballinahown has certainly embraced wildlife planting in the village and there is an abundance of wildlife habitats in the area. The biodiversity pond is an excellent project that will develop into a valuable resource for biodiversity for the years to come. The adjudicator is looking forward to seeing the Biodiversity Action Plan in next year’s application.”

Ballinahown was also said to have embraced sustainability and the long-term initiatives such as the library was described as valuable to the whole community. “The pond and the wildlife park are very sustainable, as Ballinahown Tidy Towns has put in an effort to reuse material.” The refill water station was also noted by the adjudicator.

However, the adjudicator did notice that access to the compost bins had become a little overgrown. The committee has certainly found new ways to reduce their environmental impact and the efforts made to promote local transports are valued by the whole community. The use of perennial planting to protect soil moisture is having a positive environmental impact.

The adjudicator stated that “the residents are to be lauded as their properties are maintained to a high standard” and suggested the village develop a ‘best kept residential property ’ competition to reward residents for their efforts. They also suggested repainting the text in the sign for Woodland Avenue to increase the sign's visibility.