Cobh is to represent Ireland at one of Europe’s most prestigious community and environmental competitions.
The Cork harbour town has been selected to compete in the Large Town category of the 2027 Entente Florale Europe competition, which celebrates excellence in community-led environmental initiatives, sustainable development, and quality of life.
Established in 1975, Entente Florale Europe is a European competition involving towns and villages from Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Hungary and Ireland. Often compared to the TidyTowns competition, Entente Florale places a strong emphasis on partnership between local authorities and communities in delivering lasting improvements to their towns and villages.
Cobh’s nomination, by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, reflects the town’s impressive track record in the TidyTowns competition. The town earned its first Gold Medal in 2015 and has retained Gold status every year since. In 2021, it was named Ireland’s Tidiest Large Town and, most recently, secured the South Cork County Award in 2025, finishing just four points behind the national overall winner.
The 2027 Entente Florale Europe competition will see Cobh showcase not only its environmental achievements, but also the strong collaboration between local organisations, volunteers, businesses and Cork County Council that has helped drive the town’s development in recent years.
PREPARATION FOR ADJUDICATION
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Bernard Moynihan welcomed the announcement.
“This nomination is a tremendous honour for Cobh and for County Cork. It recognises years of dedication from Cobh TidyTowns, local volunteers, community groups, businesses and residents who take great pride in their town and work together to make it an attractive, welcoming and sustainable place to live and visit. We look forward to supporting Cobh as it prepares to represent Ireland on the European stage.”
Preparations for the competition will begin in the coming months, with Cork County Council, Cobh TidyTowns and community stakeholders working together to build on the town’s strong foundations ahead of the 2027 adjudication.
Also welcoming the news, Municipal District Chair for Cobh, Cllr. Cathal Rasmussen, said the nomination was a fitting recognition of the town’s continued commitment to civic pride and community development, with an opportunity to ‘showcase the very best of Cobh on the European stage.’
Judging will take place during the summer of 2027 when an international jury will visit Cobh to assess a range of criteria, including environmental management, community involvement, sustainability initiatives and the overall quality of life within the town. The results will be announced at an international awards ceremony later that year.
