Streetscape & Public Places / Sráid-Dreach & Áiteanna Poiblí:
Good to note that you have actually assigned relevant SDGs to specific tasks in this category.
The ongoing restoration of the Dominican Priory is one of your priority projects and was visited by the adjudicator on an extensive walkabout.
One notes your comment the Community Hall Project and the difficulties that you encountered so lets hope that you
will be successful with the reapplication for funding. The excellent school and its grounds containing fine information panels was viewed and the work to accommodate the Biodiversity Action Plan noted.
The following are some observations made by the adjudicator in line with the guidelines of the category, As already stated the Dominican Priory was visited and information panel gives an interesting historical back drop.
The Grotto in the village was very nicely presented with suitable floral combinations at the base and the smaller grotto at Pairce Na Cille estate was a nice feature. There was some ongoing activity at the well appointed Community Hall and the parking area is quite extensive.
For a community to have such a fine facility is a big bonus as it can accommodate a multitude of activities.
The village information board which contains map of the village was clean and visible and looked as if had been
recently re vitalized.
Commercial premises and private houses were well maintained and brightly painted
Footpaths were in food condition overall and road surfaces were of equally good standard
There is one obvious building that was more than a little untidy but this is known to the committee and the issue is
being addressed.
Well done on your successful application to the Burren Beo Trust to participate in ‘Heritage Keepers’ programme
which is familiar to the adjudicator.
Its not every community that would have the foresight to seek this opportunity out
An additional mark is merited.
Community – Your Planning and Involvement / An Pobal – Pleanáil agus Rannpháirtíocht:
Fáilte chuig Comórtas Na mBailte Slachtmhara Super Valu don bhliain 2022. Táimid buíoch daoibh as ucht na
hiontrála a chur chugainn, agus guimíd gach rath ar bhúr gcuid oibre amach anseo. Adh Mór…
Thank you for the completed entry form,exceptional map of the village which made it easy for the adjudicator find
places of interest and a concise 3 year plan which outlines clearly your objectives for the future
The Sustainable Development Goals are at the heart of the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
These goals address the global challenges we face re environmental issues.Tidy Towns has adopted these goals
and has integrated these into the competition.
Judging from you entry form you have embraced the SDG programme fully.
As there is a fair volume of information to be condesnsed the adjudicator will not be in a postion to comment fully on
all the content in a 3 page report covering 8 sections.
Feel assured that the adjusdication was done in a fair and objective manner in line with the guidelines and that
comments will be related to what is relevant within each category.
Just having a glance at the intructory statement in the 3 year plan you are the first committee that this adjudicator
has come across that acknowledges that everyone in a community is not enthused by the ethos of TT and to be
honest there are under no obligation to be so.
As you rightly state ongoing communication and encouragement are the keys to getting people interested.
You have fairly large committee structure including volunteers and mo doubt that there is an executive that guides
the group in terms work schedules and timescales.
You have an eclectic mix of people involved covering a multitude of skills.
Having the support of the wider community is obviously the key to your ongoing achievements in the competition
The adjudicator is not clear whether the Tidy Towns Committee is a separate entity or part of Lorrha Development
Association?
Methods of communication are mix of old and new and are very effective n getting your message out to the public.
The Facebook page is bang up to date.
The support of the local authority and other agencies such as TUS is very important when seeking advice,getting
involved in schemes and of course leveraging funding.
An interesting agency that you have included is An Burren Beo Trust and no doubt one will find out why.
Strong involvement with the local school has resulted in co operation in a number of projects under catory headings.
The good will of the local community towards you is very reassuring.
Your prirority project was visited and the lead in description was interesting.
The you tiube link was opened and one liked introductory the funky music background!
Well done to all who created this video
Well done on your 37 years involvement in the competition.
Green Spaces and Landscaping / Spásanna Glasa agus Tírdhreachú:
The various roles of landscaping in towns and villages can be summarized as follows: Provide year-round seasonal
interest of form, colour and texture through the planting of hedges, shrubs and trees
Enhance the built environment by softening the hard edges of buildings and highlight buildings that need colour or
greenery to improve their presentation and screen unsightly views.
The adjudicator took these factors into account during the walkabout and what was observed showed that village
and surrounds had some very attractive planting arrangements in place.
Many of these were at focal points of the village such as to the entrance of Pairc Na Cille Estate,at the Graveyard
and the memorial stone near the power units.
The flower bed at the graveyard near the Priory
Well done on providing Pollinator Friendly Zones and Managed for Wildlife zones at the Village Park
A brief comment on your successful application to the Burren Beo Trust to participate in ‘Heritage Keepers’
programme was made in the previous section
Having 9 participants in the programme is excellent and the place plan to create an Oasis of Calm and Peace by
improving the biodiversity of the area in the grounds of the RC Church is welcome and hopefully your application
for funding will be successful.
Trees are central to any town or village and play a huge part enhancing the overall built environment
,The Diarmuid McAree, Crann (trees for Ireland) guided tree-walk in Lorrha village last year proved to be the
catalyst for an exceptional tree project that has grown (excuse the pun) beyond what the committee had envisaged.
An excellent input in this category has led to an increase in marks.
Nature and Biodiversity in your Locality / An Dúlra agus an Bhithéagsúlacht i do cheantar:
Some very significant projects have been undertaken in this category and your input notes outline these in great
detail.
There is no need for the adjudicator to repeat all these back to you suffice to say that you as a committee have
embraced this category with a professional approach.
Having the services of persons with such a background in ecology, landscaping and a specialist in trees is
invaluable and this ensured that you received the proper guidance in the preparation and implementation of nature
and biodiversity strategy for the village
It also helps that you are in an area that has such a diverse range of natural habitats at both the Priory and St
Ruadhanas Abbey as well as having an unspoiled rural hinterland.
There are many varied ongoing works and future proposals outlined in your submission but the one thing that
immediately comes to mind is a commitment to the involvement of school children in all your biodiversity activities.
An additional 3 marks have been added for a strong performance in this category.
Sustainability – Doing more with less / Inmharthanacht – Mórán ar an mbeagán:
This category has been evolving in keeping with current EU and government policy as well as ‘best practice’
guidelines. It encapsulates how we try to minimize our use of all resources within the community so that we reduce
our environmental impact.
Doing more with less is more than a slogan as impresses upon people in communities that if we don’t subscribe to
this objective we are creating a problem for future generations.
The committee needs to interact with the County Environmental Officer to see if there are talks and mini seminars
planned for the coming autumn in the whole area of Sustainability for the general public.
If not maybe the LDA Environmental Officer, based on the training received via the “Mentoring For Social
Enterprises Programme”, might impart information on the matter to the general public of Lorrha at an open house
talk in your fine facility that is the local community hall.
I accept that your involvement in the Programme may enhance your chances of receiving grant aid in the future but
Streetscape & Public Places / Sráid-Dreach & Áiteanna Poiblí:
Green Spaces and Landscaping / Spásanna Glasa agus Tírdhreachú:
Nature and Biodiversity in your Locality / An Dúlra agus an Bhithéagsúlacht i do cheantar:
Sustainability – Doing more with less / Inmharthanacht – Mórán ar an mbeagán:
There has been plenty of activity in the village in this category and this was evident during the walkabout.
It was very hard to find fault with the village in the context of litter control or general tidiness.
The committee has harnessed the goodwill of the local community who have supported your efforts.
It goes without saying that you have a distinct advantage over many other places in that you have a community
committed to keeping the village litter free and that Lorrha is a relatively small place.
Well done on collecting large amounts of litter on the approach roads to the village in March and April this year and
getting the County Council to remove it to the nearest recycling centre
Drafting up a spreadsheet with areas assigned to individuals or groups is a very good idea.
planned for the coming autumn in the whole area of Sustainability for the general public.
If not maybe the LDA Environmental Officer, based on the training received via the “Mentoring For Social
Enterprises Programme”, might impart information on the matter to the general public of Lorrha at an open house
talk in your fine facility that is the local community hall.
I accept that your involvement in the Programme may enhance your chances of receiving grant aid in the future but
you did not exactly state for what?
Don’t want to harp on too much but if you are going to be a recipient of public monies it’s important to let the gná
dáoine of the parish know as they might not be up to speed on Social Enterprises and the like.
Well done on the proposed use of recycled materials to make seats and planters.
There are many other opportunities within this category that can be explored and you have the structure and
resources to develop these many other communities don’t have.
To get more out of this sector in terms of creating even greater awareness of a more sustainable environment
consider looking at the following websites for idea generation
www. localprevention.ie ,www.green homes.ie and www.sustainableprocessing.ie
The websites www.dccae.gov.ie and www.epa.ie will give further insight into the circular economy.
The idea of what is called a linear economy of “take, make and waste” is now being seen as not sustainable and
alternatives need to be found.
The Bring Bank Recycling facility in the village was well managed and free.
Tidiness and Litter Control / Slachtmhaireacht agus Rialú Bruscair:
There has been plenty of activity in the village in this category and this was evident during the walkabout.
It was very hard to find fault with the village in the context of litter control or general tidiness.
The committee has harnessed the goodwill of the local community who have supported your efforts.
It goes without saying that you have a distinct advantage over many other places in that you have a community
committed to keeping the village litter free and that Lorrha is a relatively small place.
Well done on collecting large amounts of litter on the approach roads to the village in March and April this year and
getting the County Council to remove it to the nearest recycling centre
Drafting up a spreadsheet with areas assigned to individuals or groups is a very good idea.
Residential Streets & Housing Areas / Sráideanna Cónaithe & Ceantair Tithíochta:
Both main estates in the village Pairc Na Cille and Friars Close were presented to a very high standard and there
were very some exceptionally well maintained gardens in both.
Also many properties looked as if they were recently painted and looked really well on the day.
Paircd Na Cille had very nice information boards placed in a focal point that allowed people to view them.
The contribution to Pollination and Wildlife diversity was noted at the Village Park/
Well done on helping resident living on the main street to select and plant appropriate plants for the raised beds
attached to the front of the house it is noted you are continuing to do this whenever the need arises.
The renovated house mentioned in the entry that had been renovated and occupied was viewed during the
walkabout.
It is good to see a little life happening in villages during the last year and the best for the future to the occupants of
this house.
Outside of the residences in the two estates some very nice gardens were viewed at some private residences.
Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes / Bóithre Isteach, Sráideanna & Lánaí:
The approach roads were presented to a very good standard and one liked the unique name signs on the way in
from all entrances.
Both roads in from R 489 had nice appealing features and one,can’t recollect which, had just been resurfaced.
One of the entrances had a tree-lined vista as one entered with wide grass verges that were maintained to a very
good standard.
One notes your plans to create and develop a wildflower meadow, which will be on the stretch of the Carrigahorig
Rd on entering the village.
This will further enhance what is already a very welcoming entrance.
The interlink road down to St Ruadhans Abbey was also maintained to a good standard.
Excuse my ignorance but what does CBAP stand for?
Concluding Remarks:
It was a pleasure to revisit Lorrha as it has been some time since the last visit.
Lots of good work has been undertaken by the committee over the last number of years.
You are wished well in the years ahead.
