Ballinahown in Co Westmeath, home to around 160 people, has been named overall winner of the 2026 Tidy Towns competition, The Irish Times reports. The village has entered consistently for about four decades, and also took the tidiest village award, as it did in 2024.
The result was announced at Croke Park on Friday in front of more than 600 volunteers. A record 936 towns and villages took part this year, the most since the competition began in 1958.
Other winners included Buncrana, Abbeyleix and Tralee in their categories, Carraig Airt for the Gaeltacht award and Dromiskin for the young persons award. Minister Dara Calleary said the results showed community spirit and volunteering at their best. For one of the smallest places in the running, it is a fine reward for decades of patient effort.
Source: The Irish Times