Medals also for Tyrrellspass, Kinnegad and Mullingar at SuperValu Tidy Towns awards

Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary, TD, announced Ballinahown as Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2026.

More than 600 Tidy Towns volunteers were present at the SuperValu Tidy Towns awards ceremony at Croke Park in Dublin on Friday.

This year 936 towns were competing for the awards, demonstrating the huge national interest in the SuperValu Tidy Towns competition, which has been running since 1958.

It is the highest number of entries ever received in the history of the competition and shows its reach within communities across the country.

Minister Calleary announced Ballinahown as Ireland’s Tidiest Town as well as Ireland’s Tidiest Village.

He also presented the Gaeltacht Award to Carraig Airt, Donegal.

Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Jerry Buttimer, TD, presented the Young Persons in Tidy Towns award to Dromiskin, Louth.

Minister Calleary said: “I offer my heartiest congratulations to Balliahown and its Tidy Towns volunteers for becoming Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2026.

“This is a wonderful achievement and a special moment of immense pride for Ballinahown, and the wider county of Westmeath.

“Having consistently entered the competition over the last 40 years and winning the title of Ireland’s Tidiest Village in 2024, Ballinahown have finally achieved their goal of winning the competition outright.

“This achievement continues to showcase all that is good about resilience, innovation, sustainability, community spirit and volunteerism. This is even more impressive given the fantastic results the village has achieved over the last three years with a population of just 160 people. This dedication is at the core of what the competition is all about.”

The minister congratulated all the winners and said standard of competition was exceptionally high this year in all categories.

“In particular, I recognise the vital role of Tidy Towns volunteers across the country who are working so hard all year round to ensure our communities are vibrant, sustainable places to live, work and visit. The passion and dedication of these volunteers is the embodiment of everything that is good in our communities.

“Investment in our communities through this wonderful competition reaps long-term rewards for all, as showcased by the winning groups here today. The impact of the Supervalu Tidy Towns competition is clear to see, particularly in fostering inclusion, sustainability and community engagement.”

Main category winners

Ballinahown, awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Village.

Abbeyleix, County Laois awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town.

Buncrana, County Donegal awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Large Town.

Tralee, County Kerry awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Large Urban Centre.

SuperValu has been the competition’s main sponsor since 1991, and Margaret Barron, chief marketing officer at Musgrave, announced the results with Minister Calleary.

The minister also thanked SuperValu, competition sponsors: “SuperValu have sponsored the competition for 35 years and continue to champion sustainability through their supportive network of retailers countrywide. The team has worked closely with my department to make sure that this competition continues to thrive. Many Tidy Towns groups have entered the competition consecutively for over 60 years – demonstrating a great example of dedication to their communities.”

Ms Barron commented after the awards: “I want to extend my congratulations to Ballinahown. This achievement reflects the dedication, passion and commitment of the committee and volunteers. The award is a recognition of their tremendous efforts, and also a shining example of what can be achieved when communities come together with a shared sense of pride and a commitment to making a lasting, positive difference to their local area.

“At SuperValu, we continue to be inspired by the pride and dedication of more than 31,000 volunteers across 936 committees, who together have given over one million hours to their communities this year alone. Our research shows that over 70% of groups have been active for more than 10 years, demonstrating a remarkable legacy of commitment and civic engagement.

“Perhaps most striking is the intergenerational reach of the Tidy Towns initiative. This year, one third of volunteers were under 45, and 11% are under 14, demonstrating that everyone has a stake in the place where they live and can play a role in making their community a better place to work, live and play.

“I also want to acknowledge the department’s continued dedication and commitment to the programme, and the important role that our strong partnership has played in its success.

“Finally, I’d like to highlight the unwavering commitment of volunteers and our independent retailers, who consistently go above and beyond for their local areas to create real lasting change, transforming our streets and protecting biodiversity. To all those who have contributed this year, thank you for your outstanding efforts, you are the driving force behind this initiative.”

The SuperValu Tidy Towns competition is organised by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht and sponsored by SuperValu who have sponsored the competition since 1991.

Bill Collentine, chairperson of Mullingar Tidy Towns, said: "The good news from Croke Park is that Mullingar have won a silver award in the 2026 SuperValu Tidy Towns competition. We would like to say a sincere thank you to everybody who has been involved in making this happen. It’s a huge team effort and every person who helped us along the way should be extremely proud of this achievement for our town.”