Tidy Towns was first launched in 1958 by Bord Fáilte in an effort to improve the appearance of towns and villages throughout the country for the main tourist season.

In 1995, the Department of the Environment and Local Government took over responsibility. Tidy Towns is all about caring for our environment. It has been 10 years since the competition was taken over by the Department, following 37 years successful years with Bord Fáilte and to mark this special anniversary, the total prize money has increased by almost 20% to over €180,000 – the largest prize fund ever.

The Tidy Towns is concerned with the physical appearance of the towns and villages, it also takes into account a wide range of other factors which make up the Irish town and village environment. Tidy Towns seeks to encourage local communities and make each town and village a cleaner and better place for the environment and it doesn't stand still. Due to the success of the Tidy Towns ‘Race Against Waste’ Project in 2004, it has been decided to continue with the pilot phase for a further year. This will give committees who did not compete last year the opportunity to get involved before it’s introduced into the competition proper. This will run in parallel with the main competition, and a separate prize fund of €5,000 has been set up for this initiative. This year, for the first time, a prize will be given to the city and county winners in Dublin City, Dun Laoghaire /Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.

Winning an award in the National Tidy Towns not only means a substantial prize fund for a local area, but brings with it prestige and pride for the local community and local businesses, and in particular for the hard working volunteering committees. Information seminars highlighting the benefits of taking part in Tidy Towns will be held in various locations throughout the country over the coming weeks; details will be available in the local media.

Today (24th March) sees the official launch of Tidy Towns 2005, organised by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and sponsored by SuperValu, which will see communities all over the country entering their towns and villages in an attempt to scoop the prestigious title of Ireland's Tidiest Town.
In 2004 the overall award went to Lismore, Co Waterford, and the town will obviously be keen to hold onto their title again this year!

Due to the success of the Tidy Towns ‘Race Against Waste’ Project in 2004, it has been decided to continue with the pilot phase for a further year. This will give committees who did not compete last year the opportunity to get involved before it’s introduced into the competition proper. This will run in parallel with the main competition, and a separate prize fund of €5,000 has been set up for this initiative.

This year, for the first time, a prize will be given to the city and county winners in Dublin City, Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.
Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr Batt O’Keeffe T.D., said today “Tidy Towns still retains the vibrancy and ‘get-up-and-go’ attitude, which has transformed the physical appearance of so many of Ireland’s towns and cities. Nation-wide entries consistently top the 700 mark every year, testament to the competition’s enduring appeal”
Winning an award in the National Tidy Towns not only means a substantial prize fund for a local area, but brings with it prestige and pride for the local community and local businesses, and in particular for the hard working volunteering committees.

Information seminars highlighting the benefits of taking part in Tidy Towns will be held in various locations throughout the country over the coming weeks; details will be available in the local media.
SuperValu, which has 180 stores around the country, has been sponsoring The National Tidy Towns competition since 1992!
SuperValu has committed €1M in sponsorship fees and marketing spend for the current two year sponsorship agreement to support the organisation and promotion of the competition. Ray Kelly, Marketing Director, Musgrave SuperValu Centra, added “While the beauty of our towns and villages is preserved and enhanced through Tidy Towns, the most remarkable aspect is the goodwill and good nature of Tidy Towns’ volunteers who do so much to support vibrant local communities. Given that community involvement and environmental awareness are cornerstones of SuperValu’s operation (Musgrave Group implemented their own corporate Environmental Charter in 2001), SuperValu owners throughout the country, are very proud once again to be associated with the Tidy Towns, resulting in the renewal of our sponsorship agreement for a further two years./cont………

This year’s Tidy Towns competition also sees the introduction of a new award for presentation of recycling centres, sponsored by Repak.

The deadline for competition entries is Wednesday 11th May, 2007. For further details visit   http://www.tidytowns.ie