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Tidy Towns Gold: ‘The Secret Has Been The Team Effort’

Marking Tralee's retention of their Tidy Towns Gold Medal at Denny Street on Tuesday afternoon were Mayor of Tralee, Jim Finucane with Tralee Tidy Towns Kit Ryan, Anne Connolly, Tommy McDonnell, Richard Moloney, Pat Galvin, Terry Nammock, Josephine Griffin, Mary O'Brien, Danny Moynihan, Brendan Murphy and John Griffin, Tourism Officer with Kerry County Council. Photo by Dermot Crean
Marking Tralee’s retention of their Tidy Towns Gold Medal at Denny Street on Tuesday afternoon were Mayor of Tralee, Jim Finucane with Tralee Tidy Towns Kit Ryan, Anne Connolly, Tommy McDonnell, Richard Moloney, Pat Galvin, Terry Nammock, Josephine Griffin, Mary O’Brien, Danny Moynihan, Brendan Murphy and John Griffin, Tourism Officer with Kerry County Council. Photo by Dermot Crean

EVERYBODY involved with Tralee Tidy Towns is still celebrating yesterday’s great result which saw the town increase its mark by five to 303 and retain its Gold Medal status.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Mayor of Tralee and those involved in the effort gathered for a photo to mark the achievement and TraleeToday.ie spoke to some of the people involved about the success.

“It’s a great achievement altogether,” said Mary O’Brien of Tralee Tidy Towns group. “We’d like to thank the businesses and all the people who helped us. They’re getting to understand that we have to keep the town tidy if we’re going to get anything. Everybody was so good. We’re waiting for the result from the Entente Florale judges now, so please God that’ll be good too,” said Mary, who has been with the group for the past 28 years.

“It’s great to have that consistency,”  said Mayor of Tralee, Jim Finucane. “It’s important for the presentation of the town, it’s important that it’s seen as attractive and we’re maintaining that standard. We can reach even further heights, with the same type of co-operation we’ve had up to now,” said the Mayor.

“It’s a wonderful achievement to think that in ten years Tralee has doubled its mark in the Tidy Towns,” said Kerry County Council Tourism Officer and Tralee native, John Griffin.

“It’s gone from the bottom quarter to the top quarter in that period of time. I think the secret of it has been the team effort. Towards A Better Tralee brought all the groups together – the Council, the voluntary sector, Tralee Chamber Alliance, FAS, Tidy Tralee and the residents associations,” said John.

“There are four Kerry towns with Gold Medals now and no other county has that,” he said.

A fantastic achievement by all involved and who knows, in two weeks time when the Entente Florale judges give their verdict on the town, we could be celebrating again.