A triumphant homecoming

“Nobody will ever know whose contribution made the little difference that brought Westport over the finish line one point ahead of the opposition this year”


Speaker's Corner
Neill O'Neill

“TO be the best of 712 communities in the country is no mean feat,” said Eithne Larkin, the effervescent Chairperson of Westport Tidy Towns Committee at their triumphant homecoming last Tuesday. The same is also true of the monumental effort of so many people that it took to confer national tidy towns glory on the town once again.
In recent years Westport has basked in the limelight of several national honours, giving the town a desirable international reputation and the type of positive publicity that money could never buy.
The efforts of all the volunteers and organisations who have contributed to this cannot be applauded enough, for they have not only ensured that Westport now stands out clearly on the map, they have also transformed the town into a place that all people can be proud to call home. It is a pleasure to live in Westport, and doing so is made all the more pleasant by the efforts of organisations like the tidy towns and all their tireless volunteers.
Westport won the 2008 Tidy Towns title by a single point, over the village of Birdhill in County Tipperary – who have been major contenders in recent years, and will continue to be in the years ahead. The hardship of losing the top prize by one point however, is well known to the Westport committee, who were beaten by the same margin in 2005 – losing to Ennis that year in the overall category and in the tidiest large town category on a scoreline of 278 marks to 279 marks. Spurred on by this, the following year the effort of all involved in Westport Tidy Towns saw the tally increase by 17 marks to 295 – whereas Ennis gained only nine marks – and Westport had their second overall title. This year, the Westport group again intensified their effort, claiming awards in seven categories – including the overall national prize on a record high score of 303 marks.
Town Manager, Peter Hynes, said last week that nobody will ever know whose contribution made the little difference that brought Westport over the finish line one point ahead of the opposition this year. Those who do not use and promote the ethos of tidy towns through their actions can rest assured that their contribution would have seen points deducted were it not for the tireless efforts of the tidy towns volunteers. Being proactive need not mean volunteering time for clean-ups, but showing simple respect for others and not littering is a good start.
The face of the tidy towns competition has changed over the five decades since its inception, with the standards required to be among the elite entrants shifting upwards all the time. In the recent history of the national contest nobody has been more prolific than Westport, which is something everyone should be proud of.
“It’s a brilliant achievement by Westport and the committee deserve great credit for fostering a sense of pride of place in the local community,” Deputy Enda Kenny told this reporter at the homecoming last week. “People in all sectors in Westport now have an understanding of what it is to be winners in something like this. It is prestigious and something to be exceptionally proud of.”
The Fine Gael leader said he saw it himself during the summer – ‘people out on the Castlebar Road picking papers’ –  and added: “But it is more than that, it is the instilling in people that this is their community and town, and that the standards here are the highest of all.”
He was right.
Smaller towns and bigger towns can benefit from the success of Westport. It need not be something to be riled by – as if Westport were that irritating student at the top of the lecture hall who always has the answers to questions and scores well in exams. Rather, it can be something to learn from for the benefit of your own community, and the secrets of Westport’s success are available to anyone willing to engage with the town’s friendly tidy towns committee.
Winning the Communities in Bloom, Pride of Place, Entente Florale medals and three ‘Tidiest Town in Ireland’ titles in quick succession is great for Westport, but it can be just as beneficial to anyone else wishing to learn from the sterling example of all who have bestowed these honours on the town.