Rathcabbin Tidy Towns Report 2022
Streetscape & Public Places / Sráid-Dreach & Áiteanna Poiblí:
The comment on the Community Hall was noted and the adjudicator observed he building during an extensive
walkabout.
Hopefully your plans will come to fruition and that required funding will be acquired through a combination of grant
aid and other fundraising activities.
The standard of road surfaces and footpaths was acceptable but some of the road stop signs were a little faded.
Overwires are not problematic as they don’t criss cross too much to cause any obscured skyline view.
The National School was in excellent condition and was impressed with the highlighting of the pedestrian crossing
and the traffic calming measures.
The Health Centre is a rather large premises for a smallish village and it was not in the best condition presentation
wise.
The boundary wall was cracked in places.
Painting of the premises and the wall would make such an aesthetic difference.
The RC Church was acceptable but some of the shrubbery on the adjacent grounds were a little cluttered and need
to be thinned out at the suitable time of year.
A large house on the main street was undergoing a major refurbishment.
The local shop and tavern were well presented.
There are plenty stone and boundary walls in the village and at the outskirts and these were well maintained.
Signage,even thou you have concerns that some of it needs replacing,was acceptable as most signs were clean
and visible.
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 the completed entry form and the accompanying map.
Welcome back to the competition after an absence of 8 years and hopefully you will have many years competing
ahead of you.
The category titles have changed slightly and the overall mark total has increased in some categories but overall it
is the same 8 categories that are being adjudicated
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 in relation to key environmental issues.
Tidy Towns has adopted these goals and has integrated them nto the competition fully, requesting groups to
demonstrate how SDGs are impacting on their activities under the respective categories.
The adjudicator notes that you are only formed recently after an eight year lapse and this has been taken into
consideration .
The committee of 4 and volunteers of 2 is a small group but no doubt as you progress in the competition these
numbers will increase.
It is good to note that the community is beginning to see the fruits of your efforts to develop the Tidy Towns activities
in the village.
This can only help the overall development and progression of Rathcabbin as a village.
Well done on taking steps to develop a 3 year work and this will give foucus as well as timescales to complete
projects.
There is plenty of resource help out there and you have already engaged with Tipperary County Council,North
Tipperary Development Council might be another source.
It is heartening to see neighbourliness at its best in the form of advice from your nearest village Lorrha.
Do you share the same hurling team?
Methods of communication have been noted and it is good to see word of mouth shares the same importance as
Facebook.
You are wished well with getting the message to the wider community.
Good to note that you are about to re ignite good relationships with the local school which by the way is a well
building with an unusual sculpture on its grounds.
The wall you referred to as your proposed project for the future was noted during an extensive walkabout.
Good to see that you are optimistic about the future of the village and hopefully you will be supported in your efforts
by the local population.
Green Spaces and Landscaping / Spásanna Glasa agus Tírdhreachú:
Some nice planters were viewed in the village and on the outskirts at the stone walls indents and the footpaths near
the Church.
The latter are not causing any great inconvenience to the pedestrians as you don’t have large volumes of people at
any given time.
Pollinator Bee Friendly strips were noted also at verges at different ends of the village.
The village pump, which incidentally could do with a coat of white paint, had a nice combination of petunias and
ostepernums and some alyssum.
The choked shrubbery at the Church has already been referred to in the previous section.
When you are doing your plan make sure that special attention is given to your planting requirements.
If you have access to a landscaper. preferably one that has urban or village landscaping experience, it would be
worth consulting with that person before embarking on any planting project
Nature and Biodiversity in your Locality / An Dúlra agus an Bhithéagsúlacht i do cheantar:
The key to this category is knowing what habitats exist in your area and where they are.
Habitat Survey is a very important step that should be taken as soon as possible.
An ecologist will be able to advise you on how this should be carried out.
Your neighbours in Lorrha have experience in this sector and would be of help to you.
The area has plenty of wildlife habitats but the first sentence as it says the key.
It is also important to know the areas of special conservation that exist in the locality and it would be important to
consult the county wildlife ranger or the heritage officer to get a steer on this.
It is not recommended to embark on a biodiversity project without first being aware of the Law and Biodiversity so
pre-consultation with professionals is the way to go.
Also, make sure that you involve the local school children in any nature project that you will undertake.
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.
It is a broad category so you may be surprised at how many of your existing community initiatives are relevant.
That is an introductory statement from the relevant section of the Tidy Towns Handbook and as it states there are
plenty of activities that one can do as a community to contribute.
Doing more with less was a slogan a few years back but now it is a necessity.
Investing in two recycled plastic planters is one of many mini projects that you can do in the years ahead.
The advice given in the 2014 report is not out of date.
The relevant section of the Tidy Towns Handbook has been updated and now contains pertinent information on all
matters related to sustainability.
It also has a myriad of links to websites for householders and communities as well as businesses.
The County Environmental Officer is also a contact to see if any related workshops are being organized over the
winter period.
As well as being informative these types of workshops are good for networking with other Tidy Towns Groups within
the County.
Tidiness and Litter Control / Slachtmhaireacht agus Rialú Bruscair:
Litter control on the day was good as there was very little to be seen in the village on the day in question.
It is noted that the local school children help you out with litter picks.
Maybe for next years entry form yuou might give more detail of how you spread the message to the community at
large whther its through Facebook or Whats App or even a poster competition that could be orgainsed through the
school.
Dog fouling doesn’t seem to be problematic but again do spread the message via the various communication media.
The committee should also get in touch with Tipperary County Council to see if they are in a position to supply one
or two Mutt Mitt Bins for those who are regular dog walkers.
Like many similar sized villages Rathcabbin has a few canine inhabiatnts,usually Jack Russells,who like to go for a
trot on their own and don’t seem to be too fussed about leads.
General tidiness was acceptable but there was a fairn bit of farm related activity residue as this was high season
silage and haymaking time.
Residential Streets & Housing Areas / Sráideanna Cónaithe & Ceantair Tithíochta:
Excellent initiative on the part of the Tidy Towns Committee to a)hand deliver letters to encourage homeowners to
maintain their properties and gardens and b) encourage and providing information to housing estate residents to
help them to set up a Residents Association.
This type of proactivity can only have long-term benefits for the committee and the village in general.
The Derry Close residents deserve credit for how they have presented their homesteads, front gardens, and side
areas.
There were some fine individual properties in the village as well some with fine gardens one in particular near the
National School.
The standard was very good and do keep up the good work.
Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes / Bóithre Isteach, Sráideanna & Lánaí:
Entrances into the village create a good first impression with nice stone walls and trimmed hedges.
Road surfaces were acceptable and seemed to have been improved upon since 2014 judging by the then
adjudicator’s comments.
The planting you have put in place has enhanced all the approach roads which are spurs off the R438 and R489
The verges are maintained following good practices for the preservation and promotion of various species of wildlife.
You’re re wilding contributions have been mentioned elsewhere.
Signage and name signs were clean and visible.
Concluding Remarks:
It was a pleasure to revisit the village of Rathcabbin after an absence of many years.
You are welcome back into the Competition and you are wished well for the years ahead.
