Meet the people keeping the tidiest small town in Ireland clean... in County Cork!

THE beautiful tourist town of Clonakilty is a harmonious symphony of colour in these summer months - largely thanks to the efforts of the local Tidy Towns group.

Whether it’s the flower displays, the colourful residential houses, or the immaculately kept public buildings, it is easy to see why Clonakilty achieved the accolade of winner in the small-town section of the Tidy Towns competition in 2022.

Success, however, hasn’t gone to the volunteers’ heads, and even though they’d be delighted to win again in September, the sense of community and pride of place is what motivates this amazing group of people.

Chairman Diarmuid Cregan showed me around.

The tidy towns group was established in 1978, by Noreen Minihan and Gretta O’Donovan, and has grown from strength to strength since then.

The group now boasts about 80 , consisting of locals, movers to the area from other parts of Ireland, Ukrainians from the community of 100 or so living in the area, a few from the direct provision centre, and on occasion even a tourist or two that just wants to lend a hand!

The group meet twice per week, their Tuesday meeting is to conduct a litter and weed pick and they normally focus on one area of the town. On Saturday mornings they go out with their shovels and gloves and give the town a good tidy up.

As with all towns, the litter tends to consist of cigarette butts, e-cigarettes and, surprisingly, empty wine bottles, although the amount of litter they collect is reducing.

Diarmuid says: “The cleaner a town is, the less likely someone is to drop their litter.”

He has an excellent point as the Clonakilty streets were spotless, despite there not being many bins.

It’s a theme that runs through all the tidy towns groups I’ve met so far. The more bins you have, they say, the more litter is packed into them for the birds to pick at.

As for the group’s social life, it is a hive of activity. One of the Ukrainian ladies, Oxana, cooked a traditional Ukrainian treat for them one evening which went down a storm.

They also have an annual mystery tour, even doing an overnighter in the UK for one. Last year’s tour saw them spend a wonderful day on Whiddy Island.

They have an annual barbecue, sponsored by the Park Hotel, and of course, they have their Christmas party.

One member tells me that he would not know many people locally if it wasn’t for being a member of Tidy Towns. Lifelong friendships are formed.

Under the superb gardening eye of Grace O’Riordan, the flower beds are filled with pollinator plants and perennials, and they always have an eye on sustainability and an ethos of caring for bees and birds. Any of the branches that grow out too far near electrical wires are trimmed back and they are used to make mulch for flower beds. This group are always thinking outside the box when it comes to sustainability and reusing.

Tea and coffee are offered to the volunteers by local businesses, including the Emmet Hotel, Shanleys, Aris, An Súgán, Gala, Scully’s and many more, when the tidy towns are in their area.

The Chamber of Commerce does clean-ups too, and the group say they have wonderful political from TD Christopher O’Sullivan, while independent TD Paul Hayes nominated them for the Pride of Place award which will be judged in August.

The group’s list of sponsors is a testament to the community spirit and the business that a clean and tidy town brings to the area.

Everywhere you look, the attention to detail by each individual business and resident is hugely impressive, and so inviting for the visitor.

They sponsor 10 people from the community employment scheme, which offers valuable experience for future employment. One member tells me that it is a wonderful feeling to be giving back to the community, he says it’s good to contribute to your town.

There is one area that they are most proud of: Bennett’s Mill Field.

As you head out of the town on the Skibbereen road, on the right is this most beautiful of gardens. It was previously unusable because of frequent flooding, but now, with the barriers in, the garden has been turned into a tranquil haven, and all within two years. The land is owned by Wesley Bennett. The tidy towns group secured a lease of 50 years at the very reasonable price of €100 per annum.

The credit for the lay-out belongs to Mike Deasy, who project managed the area. Now, it is a garden with apple trees, blueberries, strawberries and blackberries. The willow is growing to create a sun canopy on the walkway, while the sunflowers nod in the light breeze.

The central pergola, with colourful seating, is the perfect spot for reading or chatting, or just to enjoy the beauty of nature.

The owner of Castlefreke offered the services of his master stonemasons to create the entrance walls, and seats were sponsored by and dedicated to much-loved of the community.

There are even goldfish in the pond!

The signs reading ‘Don’t mow, let it grow’ remind us that nature is for all creatures, and that the security of the natural world is ours to look after too.

The Pride of Place awards for biodiversity are to be judged on August 22, and we wish the group every success with this and with all of their ventures and endeavours going forward.