WATCH: Clonmellon impresses Pride of Place judges

The influx of people from Dublin during the Celtic Tiger years have revitalised the close knit community of Clonmellon, Pride of Place judges heard during their visit to the village yesterday.

The village on the Meath border, which is looking resplendent thanks to the work of John Wilson from Clonmellon Tidy Towns and his team, is one of Westmeath's three representatives in this year's competition, along with Grange in the housing estate category and Mullingar Tidy Towns.

Its residents pulled out all the stops when Pride of Place judges Declan Nelson ( the former county manager of Monaghan County Council) and Peter Hynes (former county manager of Mayo County Council) visited yesterday afternoon.

The judges first port of call was St John's Church where the strikingly attired duo of Andrew Smith and Dermot Henry gave them a brief, but highly informative and entertaining history of the village and a run down of the different community organisations and spaces that help make Clonmellon such a pleasant place to live.

The two judges were then brought around in a vintage Asquith van to prominent local sites, including the Old Market Square, the playground, the Community Garden, Leonard's Shop and Killua Cemetery.

Speaking in St John's Church after the presentation, Mr Nelson said that whether or not they win the prestigious Pride of Place title, they should already feel a sense of achievement because being selected as Westmeath's representative in the 300-1,000 population category was a recognition of all the work that has been done in the village in recent years.

For a community with a population of 672, “there is an awful lot going on”, he said. He also noted that “you get a palpable feeling that it is a nice place to live”.

His fellow judge Mr Hynes said that many villages of Clonmellon's size have struggled in recent decades to remain vibrant and asked how it managed to do so.

Ethna Fitzsimons told him that the influx of people from Dublin during the Celtic Tiger years has revitalised the community.

Prior to the population boom following the construction of new estates in the village, the local school had about 70 pupils, but today the figure has risen to 200.

The new arrivals have helped breathe new life into the close knit community, Ms Fitzsimons said.