Fantastic Result for Kilkenny City Tidy towns 2023

Congratulations to all our volunteers, community groups, businesses and Kilkenny county council on  the receipt of a fantastic result for Kilkenny city in the 2023 national tidy towns competition .

Kilkenny is the  2023 recipient of the County award, a gold medal and the South East regional award.

To see the detailed  adjudicators  report  2023 with  link on separate page to  tidy towns site press link Kilkenny City report 2023

Kilkenny received 274 point a rise of 12 points on our 2022 results. Congratulations to Ballincollig  who pipped Kilkenny by one point to win the national tidiest large urban centre 2023 and to Abbeyleix  the 2023 overall winner 2023,

A great cheer from  some of our 20k pollinator  planting challenge  &  environs saturday clean up   work groups!

IBAL success for Kilkenny – Cleaner than European Norms 2023

A great result for Kilkenny city achieved  in the Summer 2023 IBAL survey released 26th June 2023. Kilkenny was ranked  3rd in Ireland. congratulation to Maynooth   for a 1st in this round.

This result reflects all the hard work undertaken by all our volunteers, community groups &  organisations and  Kilkenny CoCo.

Our city report is set out under.

Kilkenny:  3rd out of 40 towns / cities surveyed.  Cleaner than European Norms

A very strong performance from Kilkenny, as we have come to expect from this tourist destination of historical note.  All of the approach roads got the top litter grade, setting the tone for the majority of the remaining sites surveyed.  Market Cross Shopping Centre was absolutely spotless, not even a cigarette butt to be seen.  The grounds of Kilkenny Castle Parklands were wonderful – a complete absence of litter throughout.  The approach to Kilkenny Castle, via The Parade was an exceptionally freshly presented and maintained environment with all aspects in excellent order. 

 

 

 Thurles Approach Road:  Grade A. (Area surveyed from ‘Welcome to Kilkenny’ signage just after Texaco filling station) A very good first impression of Kilkenny.  Minimal litter items observed.  Road surface closer to the town was new and fresh looking.

 

N10 Approach Road:  Grade A.  (up to old Dublin Road Roundabout form Harbour Road Roundabout) A freshly presented and maintained main route from the motorway.  Apart from some plastic bags, it was very good with regard to litter.

 

Kilkenny Ring Road:  Grade A.  (including Area by IMC Cinema) Freshly presented road surface / markings / signage.  All appeared in very good order; nice grass area on the right, opposite the cinema – there were no visible litter issues.

 

Mother of Fair Love School:  Grade A.  From the outside of the school, all aspects appeared in good order.  Nice area of tulips / daffodils within the school grounds and colourful planter box at the school gate.  To the side of the building there was more planting of other seeds.  It was very much deserving of the top litter grade.

 

Bring Centre at St. Canice’s:  Grade B.  Very clear and extensive signage relating to the use of this tiny facility.  Just a few bottle / can units and one clothing unit; Packaging had been very deliberately discarded in the corner location. There was also broken glass also at the base of the bins.  With a little extra care this could easily be a Grade A site.

 

Market Cross Shopping Centre:  Grade A.  The cleanest shopping centre this surveyor has ever seen!  There wasn’t even a cigarette butt to be seen.  Some of the bins provided the opportunity to separate waste into recycling.  Lovely, large planter boxes throughout, along with attractive planting underfoot at ground level.  Lovely wooden seating, some with built in planter boxes.  Complete absence of litter throughout.  Clearly a careful eye is kept on closed down premises, (of which there were plenty), as there was no litter associated with any of them.

 

High Street:  Grade A.  An exceptionally clean main shopping street with many lovely features throughout e.g., paving, seating, silver bollards, street maps, planting etc.  It was so very much deserving of the top litter grade.  There were many closed down premises, with no litter associated with them.

 

Kilkenny Castle Parkland:  Grade A.  If Grade A+ was awarded, this site would certainly be deserving of same.  A fantastic amenity which was being enjoyed by many on a sunny day towards the end of Easter holidays.  It is an extensive site, replete with outdoor café / picnic tables / playground / pond and several KM signed walking / running pathways.  It was spotless throughout, extraordinarily clean for such a vast site – a credit to the users and those responsible for the maintenance of same.  Some ‘Bees at Work’ signage in one corner site.

 

River Walk:  Grade B+.  There was no litter along the Horseleap side of the river. Some minor food and cigarette / vaping related items along the side of the river by the library. Lifebelts, paving, colourful planting etc were all in good order.   Picnic table area was clear of litter.

 

The Parade:  Grade A.  This wide expanse of road is exceptionally well served by litter bins.

Picnic tables with built in chess / drafts board; bicycle parking / Bolt Ebike scheme / Public Toilets etc. – all aspects were in excellent condition.  Excellent visitor information signage – interactive as well as various maps etc.  The whole area was very good with regard to litter.

 

 

KKB Earth Day 2023 Celebration

All are welcome to come along and support Keep Kilkenny Beautiful’s celebration of Earth Day! McDonnagh Junction, Kilkenny 

There will be a range of  interesting presentations, the launch of the Kilkenny Climate Hero’s Challenge, entertainment for kids, colouring, Mr Picker Pal (ask the young people, they know who he is) and free giveaways of books, bulbs and keep cups.

Young ecologists who impress might be lucky enough to get a converted magnifying glass for hunting mini beasts! All welcome to come and celebrate.

 

👏👏

Speakers schedule for Earth Day
12:00    TD Malcom Noonan:-  launch of Kilkenny Climate Hero Challenge
12:10    Nicky Brennan:- Kilkenny Age Friendly Tips from the older generation
12:20    Cllr David FitzGerald Mayor of Kilkenny City:-                                                      The Path to being first Carbon Neutral City
12:30    Break
12:40    Patrick Jackson – Picker Pals
12:50    Paddy Phelan South East Energy Agency Grants & Supports Economy
13:00    John Carley South East Energy Agency Circular
13:10  Liam O’Brien Bagenalstown SEC Journey to Energy Master Plan
13:20    Seamus Nugent Kilkenny Sport Partnership Environment & Mental Health
13:30    Fergus Horgan KLP Food Waste to Compost
13:40    Break
13:50    Pat Boyd Keep Kilkenny Beautiful Special Project Officer –  Bio Bliz
14:00   Catriona Corr Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan
14:10    Marina DeCosta Sustainable Energy Communities SEC
14:20    Break
14:30    Maria Dollard Chairperson Keep Kilkenny Beautiful – Tidy Towns and SEC’s – complementary synergy towards SDG’s
14:40   Break
14:50    Mijke Jansen Barrow Valley Hub SEC Solar Panel EV Charger KLP LEADER Project
15:00    Breda Maher KCC Climate Action F

KKB & St Patrick’s Parade 2023

What a wonderful day for Kilkenny. What  a great parade!

Fantastic day. Despite the weather there was so much good spirits and camaraderie. So many kids along the route saying to their parents they had Picker Pals in their school.

A thank you to Picker Pals working  to raise awareness of Keep Kilkenny Beautiful  .

Thank you so much the to fantastic volunteers and their children that made the effort to come out in the bad weather and showed how tough we are and how determined to Keep Kilkenny Beautiful

👏👏👏👏👏

you are all amazing

👏👏👏👏👏

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IBAL – Kilkenny City Joint 2nd in 2022

A fantastic result for Kilkenny City in  2022.  This is    a reflection  on the tremendous work undertaken by  our volunteers, our community, our businesses  and  Kilkenny CoCo.  Congratulations also to Naas who took the  No. 1 position in 2022.

An Taisce Report – IBAL Anti-Litter League, Survey 2, 2022
Kilkenny: Joint 2nd out of 40 towns / cities surveyed. Cleaner than European Norms.
Kilkenny is no stranger to high placement in IBAL litter league and this time around it has scored particularly well with nine out of the ten sites surveyed getting the top litter grade. Examples included the approach roads, Kilkenny Train Station (Exterior and Interior), the Main Street / Parliament Street and Market Cross Shopping Centre – there was lovely paving at the latter. The only blemish was the Recycle Bank at St. Canice’s, which was moderately littered.
N10 Approach Road: Grade A. Road surface / markings / signage were in very good order and the overall impression was of a very well presented and maintained route with no litter issues of note.
Kilkenny Train Station – Exterior: Grade A. The overall impression here as a very positive one with paving to the front of the station creating a very fresh impression. There was minimal litter, just some loose food related items and cigarette butts in the shrubs of the bushes in the garden patch and at the base of the litter bins.
Kilkenny Train Station – Interior: Grade A. A sparkling interior with spotless floor tiles, seating, litter bins and visitor information notices in very good order.
River Bank: Grade A. A lovely riverside environment which was very well presented and maintained. The pedestrian bridge was spotless. There was a virtual absence of litter along the grassy banks and associated pathways.
Derelict building by Evans Lane: Grade A. Clearly a careful eye is kept on the tall building as there was no litter directly associated with it.
Recycle Bank, St. Canice’s: Grade B. The recycle units and signage associated with the use of same were freshly presented and in good order. It wasn’t just loose litter, but items had been very deliberately discarded by the units.
Market Cross Shopping Centre: Grade A. The paving of this outdoor shopping environment was particularly attractive and creates a great impression. It was a very freshly presented and clean environment.
Main Street / Parliament Street: Grade A. This was characterised by lovely paving, planter boxes, wooden seating, stainless steel bicycle parking and some attractively presented shop-fronts. There was a virtual absence of litter throughout.
696 Freshford Approach Road: Grade A. All aspects of the area surveyed were in good order – there was no visible litter throughout.
R712 Approach Road: Grade A. (by Leggetsrath Bus. Park) A wide stretch of road with lovely tree planting along both sides. It was excellent with regard to litter, creating a very positive first impression of Kilkenny – this very high standard was sustained for all the remaining sites surveyed

New Years Resolution – KKB

How about making a New Years resolution  to Keep Kilkenny Beautiful and get involved with our Community  in Kilkenny

Why not meet and join with our volunteers  this Saturday 7th Jan at 10 am at  the Kilkenny retail Park Loughboy carpark in front of Woodies. Coordinates ( 52.635366, -7.244313 ).  Take part on  our first clean up for the new year.  Tea/Coffee and chat follows at 12.00 noon.

We look forward to seeing you, we also have a lot of other activities taking place,  please also keep up to date  by reviewing  our  facebook page or email us at mail@keepkilkennybeautiful.com  . Why not join our KKB news whats app page.

Keep Kilkenny Beautiful Awards 2022

A very successful Annual Awards took place at the  Rivercourt  Hotel on John street on  the 18th October 2022.  A large attendance celebrated the best of Kilkenny.   Pat Boyd our Chairperson  welcomed  all. Our  keynote  speaker was Malcolm Noonan TD Minister of State – Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage. Our theme was “Biodiversity at the heart of Climate Change”

Some of the large attendance.

The 2022 results were as follows:-

 

The Entrepreneur award : Kilkenny Cycle Tours

Hidden Gems award winners:-

Antoinette Quigley, Rioch St

Ms  Gulnahar Qureshi, St Kieran’s Crescent

Delia Lowery, Nore Therapies,  William St

James Lawlor,  Glendine Heights

Lynch Family, Kennyswell  Rd

 

Kilkenny Hero:-     Pat O’Donnell

Fitzpatrick Shield for  Community Effort:- St Johns Priory,  John st.

Private garden pollinator award:- Judy & Jimmy Rhatigan, Riverside Drive

Community pollinator award:- Melville Heights,  Bennettsbridge Road

Best Commercial Flower Display     

Winner:- Langton’s, John Street     Highly commended:- Biodecus, James  Green

Most improved commercial premises

Winner:- Paris Texas, Mary’s Lane

Highly commended:- Lenehan’s  Barrack St/Castlecomer Rd

 

 Best Shop front

Winner:- Haven, John O’Connell’s Pharmacy. Rose Inn Street

Highly commended:- Iris,  Parliament street

 

Best signage

Winner:- Brennan’s Bottling Hall, Walkin Street

Highly commended:-Tynan’s Bridge House bar, Bateman Quay

 

Best hospitality:-

Winner:- Newpark Hotel, Castlecomer road

Highly commended:-Fanad house,  Bennettsbridge Road

Private Garden awards      

 Highly Commended :- 

Heather & Pat Wood, Pearse St.

Liam McCormack, Greenfield Court

Mary & Noel Deevey,  Riverside Drive

Pat &  Michael Shortall, Riverside Drive

F Barry,  Walkin street

Maurice Brennan, Glendine Heights

Una Thornton, Larchfield

John Lacey. Riverview

Ena Duffy,  Fr Delahaunty Tce.

Joan O’Sullivan, Riverview

Dave Ryan, New Building Lane

Karen  Bradley Monaghan, Fr Murphy Square

Catherine Duff,   Glendine Heights

Joyce Nolan. Old Callan Rd.

Joe Maher, Edenvale Close

Noel Frawley,  Cashel Avenue

Canice & Maura Hickey,  Newpark Lower

John Butler,  Glendine Heights

Mary Prendergast,  Walkin street

 

Overall  Winner:-  Private Garden awards:- Tony Hayes, Glendine Heights

Runner Up :- Private Garden awards:- Brigid Breen, Dean Kavanagh Place

Residential Estates –  Highly Commended:- 

Millennium Court

Hebron Park

Dukesmeadows

Lakeside

Clarnwood

Sycamores /Aylesbury

De la Salle place,

Rosehill

Cashel Downs

 

Best larger & smaller  estates:-

 Winner:- Old Newpark   Winner:-  Glendine Heights.

Runner up:- Robertshill   Runner up:-  St  Kieran’s Crescent

 

Litter Pick Champion’s Award:-  Kilkenny Lions Club

 

Most Sustainable Business Award:- The Cutting Veg, Ormonde street

Outdoor Education Award:- The Acorn Project – Maire Ni Braoinan

Sustainable Travel Activism Award:- Sean O’hArgain

Award for  Excellence in Environmental Service

Kilkenny Co Co  Streetscape maintenance crew

Kilkenny Street of the Year  Award

Ormonde St

During  2022 Ormonde Street  extensive  upgrade  undertaken by Kilkenny Co Co   has excelled.  The business premises on the street have also played their part   in presenting  an attractive  newly  upgraded city centre  Street.”

Let’s Team Up to Clean Up, Together for Kilkenny

Let’s Team Up to Clean Up, Together for Kilkenny.

The first event will take place in Kilkenny City on the 9th of October 2022

KKB Chairman Pat Boyd launches the Team Up initiative with Mayor David Fitzgerald

KKB supports this Kilkenny Co Co initiative here in our City.   We encourage  all who are able to  register   and Team Up to Clean Up    with Keep Kilkenny Beautiful.

KKB  arrange regular clean ups and other environmental projects, all are welcome to take part.  to contact us  mail@keepkilkennybeautiful.com or  catch us on facebook, alternatively  call or text us, see our website contact page. Click here for our contact page 

you can also register your own residents group  or association at cleanup.kilkenny.ie

We look forward to hearing from you!

KKB Chairman Pat Boyd launches the Team Up initiative with Mayor David Fitzgerald