Enniskillen awarded Best Kept Town overall in Ireland!

28th June 2022

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Ireland's Best Kept Awards

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is delighted that Enniskillen has been awarded Ireland’s Best Kept Town and the Best Overall, all-Ireland titles in Ireland’s Best Kept competition.

Enniskillen is the only town on the island of Ireland to lift the title twice, having won the Best Overall accolade in 2014 and the Large Town Category three times previously in 2013, 2014 and 2017.

The results of this year’s annual competition were announced on 21 June 2022 at an awards ceremony held in the Drawing Office of the Titanic Hotel in Belfast.

Now celebrating its 25th anniversary (excluding 2020 and 2021 when no competition took place), Ireland’s Best Kept Towns is an all-island competition that see the best towns in the Northern Ireland’s Best Kept competition compete against their cohorts in the Republic of Ireland’s TidyTowns competition.

Speaking about the achievement, the Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council said: “I am delighted that Enniskillen has been awarded the Best Kept Large Town and Best Kept Overall titles in Ireland’s Best Kept competition.

It was a great privilege for me as Chair of the Council to pick up these awards on everyone’s behalf and to be joined by colleagues from our Environment and Place Directorate at the Drawing Offices of the Titanic Hotel in Belfast.

These awards are testament to the hard work and sense of civic pride which is held by the Council Staff and our residents alike.  They reveal a real determination to ensure that our outstanding and culturally rich environment is cherished and sustainably managed.

The Council is a member of Leave No Trace Ireland and these awards demonstrate our commitment to promoting and implementing the Seven Leave No Trace Principles throughout the District.

I commend all those who played their part to help keep Enniskillen beautiful.”

The judges’ citation documented the strong presence of civic pride apparent across the town of Enniskillen and specifically mentioned ‘The Wide Awake Way’ and the area around Racecourse Lough locations. “where much thought and effort has gone in to supporting biodiversity with wildflower meadows also helping to promote insect life such as bees, butterflies and others.”

They also noted that “Enniskillen is the most attractive town and has managed to combine its location on the River Erne with an ability to maintain and enhance its many historical features.”

Congratulating Enniskillen on their awards, Doreen Muskett, President of the Northern Ireland Amenity Council said: “We are thrilled to see Enniskillen win the prestigious Ireland’s Best Kept Overall award for the second time in the competition’s history, and the Gest Kept Town award, both so well deserved.

Throughout the pandemic, the Council staff, volunteers and gardening enthusiasts kept the towns and villages looking their best.  These awards create links between community involvement, our natural environment and our wellbeing, helping us to recognise the value of our biodiversity and coming together to play our part in marking our own parts of the country places we are proud to call home.”