Rathcabbin Tidy Towns Report 2024
Streetscape & Public Places / Sráid-Dreach & Áiteanna Poiblí:
Your special project this year is the mural to highlight St. Ciaran’s association with the area and St Ciaran’s Well
nearby on the approach road. This mural which has been rendered with great artistic flair and is such a colourful
addition to your streetscape. Wonderful that you are drawing attention to a well which is near your village and so
much part of your local heritage. This year you will also facilitate visits and information sessions at the well site. A
great project. Well done.
There were four lovely window boxes decorating the school windows. The school itself is very well painted and
presented and there was a couple of feet margin of grass left unmown with lots of wild flowers and grasses.
The community centre was looking well after its facelift.
The beautiful cast iron pump looked bright and cheery in its sunshine yellow and nice to see this colour reflected in
the planters.
There were lovely iron railings at Kellys bar although this area was a little weedy.
Community – Your Planning and Involvement / An Pobal – Pleanáil agus Rannpháirtíocht:
Fáilte chuig Comórtas Na mBailte Slachtmhara SuperValu don bhliain 2024. Táimid buíoch daoibh as ucht na
hiontrála a chur chugainn, agus guimíd gach rath ar bhúr gcuid oibre amach anseo. Adh Mór….
First of all thank you for you for your entry, clear map and for the lovely photos your shared. It is very helpful to get
such detail with the photos. One comment on your applications is that it could be a little bit more concise.
You meet as a group regularly and the fruits of your hard work can be clearly seen throughout the whole village.
You communicate with the community via Facebook page which has regular updates. You work closely with other
community groups such as the Hall committee and have strong links with the school.
You strategic planning process sounds just right as it is what suits you as a team at this stage in your tidy towns
journey. This is no need to overreach. It is better take things in manageable achievable steps.We can see you are
working hard and we hope you achieve all your goals.
Green Spaces and Landscaping / Spásanna Glasa agus Tírdhreachú:
The two box planters beside the pump were beautifully planted bed with pollinator friendly long flowering perennials
that will look good and will also provide pollen for the whole summer. The lavender bed looks very well. It is mulched
and weeded with some nice annuals and perennials in flower with the muscari going to seed. Hopefully these will
spread for you in coming years.
The church beds and borders are a treat to walk through with beautiful beds and borders that line the whole
circumference. The front perennial border was buzzing with pollinators, and it is great to read that you have
extended the season of interest as well as supporting early pollinators by adding pollinator friendly bulbs such as
crocuses, grape hyacinths and alliums. Well done.
Nice shrubs in the church grounds such as hypericums and rose bushes in flower. The rowans though at the front
do seem to be struggling a bit in these beds. They prefer to be sown directly in the ground.
Your recently planted crocosmia (Lucifer perhaps) that looks like it about to come into flower at the time of the visit.
Nature and Biodiversity in your Locality / An Dúlra agus an Bhithéagsúlacht i do cheantar:
The community native wildflower meadow beside the Derry Close is looking really well. You can see the cowslips
and your yellow rattle going to seed, with knapweed and orchids just coming into flower. Well done on getting such
a well-established patch of yellow rattle which you tell us you grew from seed. Your wildflower display will only get
better year on year now. Your fruit trees seem to be settling in well and even have a few apples on them. You are
doing some great work planting more fruit trees with two further orchards at the school grounds and at our
community hall. A very impressive effort.
All the plants from annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees in beds and containers are beautifully planted and
managed with a very diverse range of plants. This diversity of plants covering both the ground, middle and upper
storeys of the landscape really supports a diverse range of invertebrates, provides shelter and food for birds and
small mammals so buladh bos to you for all your efforts.
Although great for producing honey, we must point out that adding honeybee hives to the landscape is not currently
considered a biodiversity action. Having too many honeybees in the landscape can exacerbate problems for our
struggling wild bees as they must compete for scarce resources See all Ireland Pollinator plan website for more
details regarding this.
The church grounds were very tightly mowed as was Derry Close and the other estates visited. As per the All
Ireland Pollinator Plan reducing mowing helps to restore species-rich grasslands. Even to reduce mowing to once
per month you will help restore this vital habitat. Perhaps an education post on Facebook to let residents know the
benefits of reducing mowing frequency would help.
One of the large trees inside the wall on the right side past the bottle bank broken has some wire wrapped round it
which is digging into the trunk and could damage the tree.
Sustainability – Doing more with less / Inmharthanacht – Mórán ar an mbeagán:
Lots of very good sustainability projects this year as well as continuing practices from last year. Good to hear that
you have had two workshops
Energy Saving at Home. The first workshop was on how to reduce energy use and the other on to how to keep
homes warmer and more comfortable
throughout winter while spending less. Information was also given on how to access grants for various home
upgrades.
You have also continued to grow many of our flowers from seed and great to hear you have moved over to peat free
compost. No pesticides and using a vinegar/salt solution as weed killer. Such good list of actionable, sustainable
practices.
Tidiness and Litter Control / Slachtmhaireacht agus Rialú Bruscair:
Great to hear that you involved the school children in the spring clean week. I’m sure the ice-cream helped but it
means they will be enthusiastic again next year. Good timing also to follow up with as Anti-Littler poster competition
for the schools. That will help to keep the anti-litter message fresh.
Approach roads were mostly litter free and, in the village. All the kerbs were very well weeded and there was clear
evidence of regular littler patrols s there was no litter though there was some dog fouling in the area.
Rubbish bins were empty at the time of the visit. It was generally litter free throughout the village although there was
old broken boards thrown behind the clothes pod at the bottle bank and discarded household rubbish behind the
glass bottle bins.
Residential Streets & Housing Areas / Sráideanna Cónaithe & Ceantair Tithíochta:
Rathcabbin is a mix of single story and two-story residences with some lovely cut stone Lovely cut stone cottages
with one in particular on the approach road form Portumna with a decorative window surrounds in a contrast stone.
Some lovely well-maintained residences with lovely neatly presented gardens throughout the village. The Derry
Close estate gardens looked very neat and tidy on the day of the visit.
Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes / Bóithre Isteach, Sráideanna & Lánaí:
The approach from Portumna road very neat with a clipped laurel hedge and a nicely presented Rathcabbin sign
underplanted with lots of flowers. Coming from the GAA pitch road there is also a very pleasant approach road, with
many trees. It is lined on the left with a lovely long old cut stone wall which is in good condition except for one
broken section towards the end.
The Slow school ahead road marking on the Portumna approach road are faded and hard for the motorist to see.
The children crossing road markings is covered in part by a drain hole. The one by the church is over tarmacked
and faded in some parts. The Children crossing sign with lights is twisted away from oncoming traffic and requires
straightening.
Great to hear that you got new kerbing and road resurfaced, the wooden fences look good and well done on
painting all the farm gates. Lots of hard work there but all these maintenance tasks really do make your village look
really well.
Nature and Biodiversity in your Locality / An Dúlra agus an Bhithéagsúlacht i do cheantar:
Sustainability – Doing more with less / Inmharthanacht – Mórán ar an mbeagán:
Tidiness and Litter Control / Slachtmhaireacht agus Rialú Bruscair:
Residential Streets & Housing Areas / Sráideanna Cónaithe & Ceantair Tithíochta:
Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes / Bóithre Isteach, Sráideanna & Lánaí:
and faded in some parts. The Children crossing sign with lights is twisted away from oncoming traffic and requires
straightening.
Great to hear that you got new kerbing and road resurfaced, the wooden fences look good and well done on
painting all the farm gates. Lots of hard work there but all these maintenance tasks really do make your village look
really well.
Concluding Remarks:
Thank you for you for your entry into this competition. A sincere thank you for your clear map and for the lovely
photos your shared. It is very helpful to get such detail Perhaps your application text could be a little bit more
concise. Delighted to get the opportunity to visit your villlage and to see the great work that you are doing. Well
done.
