Minister Calleary announces Ballinahown, Co. Westmeath as Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2026
Ballinahown in Co. Westmeath named Ireland’s Tidiest Town and Overall winner of Ireland’s Tidiest Village; Carraig Airt, Co. Donegal wins the Gaeltacht Award
Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, today (Friday, 23rd October) announced Ballinahown, Co. Westmeath as Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2026.
Over 600 TidyTowns volunteers were present at the SuperValu TidyTowns awards ceremony at Croke Park in Dublin. The annual event was also livestreamed to large online audience.
This year 936 towns were competing for the prestigious awards, demonstrating the continuing huge national interest in the SuperValu TidyTowns competition which has been running since 1958. This is the highest number of entries ever received in the competition’s history and shows the competition’s reach within communities across the country.
Minister Calleary announced Ballinahown Co. Westmeath as Ireland’s Tidiest Town as well as Ireland’s Tidiest Village.
Minister Calleary also presented the Gaeltacht Award today to Carraig Airt, Co. Donegal.
Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Jerry Buttimer TD, presented the Young Persons in TidyTowns award to Dromiskin, Co. Louth.
Announcing Ballinahown as the overall winner, Minister Calleary said:
“I offer my heartiest congratulations to Balliahown and its TidyTowns volunteers for becoming Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2026.
“This is a wonderful achievement and a special moment of immense pride for Ballinahown and indeed 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 today 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 3 years with a population of just 160 people. This dedication is at the core of what the competition is all about.”
The Minister continued:
“I want to congratulate all the winners today. The standard of competition was exceptionally high this year in all categories, with a record 936 entries received overall from 1,000 active groups nationwide.
“In particular, I recognise the vital role of TidyTowns 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 TidyTowns competition is clear to see, particularly in fostering inclusion, sustainability and community engagement.”
The main category winners announced today are:
- Ballinahown, Co. Westmeath awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Village.
- Abbeyleix, Co. Laois awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town.
- Buncrana, Co. Donegal awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Large Town.
- Tralee, Co. Kerry awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Large Urban Centre.
SuperValu has been the competition’s main sponsor since 1991, and today, Margaret Barron, Chief Marketing Officer at Musgrave, announced the results with Minister Calleary.
The Minister also thanked SuperValu, the competition’s sponsor, adding:
“SuperValu has sponsored the competition for 35 years and continues to champion sustainability through their supportive network of retailers countrywide. The team has worked very 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.”
Margaret Barron, Chief Marketing Officer at Musgrave commented after the awards:
“I want to extend my sincere congratulations to Ballinahown on being named Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2026. This remarkable achievement reflects the dedication, passion and commitment of the committee and volunteers. The award is not only a recognition of their tremendous efforts, but 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 phenomenal 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 TidyTowns initiative. This year, one third of volunteers were under 45, with 11% being 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.”
Margaret Barron, Chief Marketing Officer at Musgrave continued:
“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 TidyTowns 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.