Ballinahown's Tidy Towns win "a proud and historic day for Westmeath"
Ballinahown's monumental win today (Friday) in the national SuperValu TidyTowns competition has been described as "an extraordinary honour for Ballinahown, Westmeath, and the wider Midlands region".
Earlier this year Croke Park was the setting for the Westmeath senior footballers' second-ever Leinster championship win, and the same venue was the scene of more Lake County celebrations today when Ballinahown was announced as the overall Tidy Towns champion for 2026.
Congratulating the local tidy towns committee, Athlone TD and Minister of State Kevin 'Boxer' Moran said it was "an absolutely fantastic day for Ballinahown and a hugely proud moment for everyone in county Westmeath".
"I know Ballinahown very well, and I know the tremendous pride that the local community takes in their village," said 'Boxer'.
"This award is the result of years of dedication, hard work and community spirit by volunteers who give so generously of their time to make Ballinahown such a beautiful and welcoming place."
Minister of State Moran went on to say the achievement demonstrated what could be accomplished when a community worked together with a shared sense of purpose.
"What makes this achievement so special is that it belongs to the people. It belongs to every volunteer who picked up litter, planted flowers, maintained public spaces and worked tirelessly, often behind the scenes, to improve their village year after year.
"Ballinahown may be small in population, but today it has shown that it is enormous in community spirit, determination and pride.
"To emerge as the overall national winner from 936 entries is an outstanding accomplishment, and one that deserves to be celebrated right across Westmeath," 'Boxer' said.
"Ballinahown has put our county firmly in the national spotlight for all the right reasons, and I hope the entire community enjoys every moment of this richly deserved success.
"Today Ballinahown is not just the pride of Westmeath — it is the pride of Ireland. Congratulations to everyone involved."
These sentiments were echoed by 'Boxer's' fellow Westmeath TD and Minister of State Robert Troy.
"Huge congratulations to everyone involved in Ballinahown Tidy Towns on this fantastic achievement of being crowned both Ireland’s Tidiest Town and Ireland’s Tidiest Village," said Minister of State Troy.
"This is a testament to the incredible dedication and commitment of the volunteers who, week in, week out, give their time to ensure their village and local community look their very best.
"Ballinahown is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when a community works together, and everyone involved should be immensely proud of this recognition.
"It is a wonderful achievement for Ballinahown and for Westmeath as a whole. It is great to see Ireland's Tidiest Town right here in our county," he added.