Coolagown collected an historic 10th Gold medal at the SuperValu Tidy Towns competition awards ceremony, held on Monday in The Helix, Dublin.
This is a significant achievement in an increasingly competitive competition, which saw a record-breaking number of entries (870) in 2017.
Coolagown achieved 328 points, an increase of five points on its 2016 tally – just behind the overall winner Birdhill on 332 points.
In their comprehensive report, the judges paid tribute to the work carried out in the village in the past year. The judges particularly noted the appearance of Kilbarry Wood and the welcoming sign which they described as a ‘nice touch’.
They were also impressed by the Nature Trail for Soul and Spirit: “The lovely poems which inspire showed much creativity and imagination.”
The judges described the horse sculpture as ‘an amazing piece of art that any community in Ireland would be proud of; the fact that it was made by school children (obviously ably supported by some fine craftspeople) is a true work of awe inspiring art’.
A spokesperson for Coolagown Development Group thanked various groups and people for their ongoing help and support: Pauline Moriarty and Fermoy Municipal Authority, Assumpta Mangan and her CE (FAS) team, Cork County Council, Coillte, their many sponsors, local community and all who support their fundraising efforts.
Congratulations to all in Coolagown on a job well done.
