Community – Your Planning and Involvement / An Pobal – Pleanáil agus Rannpháirtíocht
Céad fáilte roimh Moyvane, An Mhaigh Bhán chuig Comórtas na mBailte Slachtmhara Supervalu don Bhliain 2018, agus chuig Ceiliúradh 60 Bliain an Chomórtais. Many thanks for your entry in this year’s Tidy Towns Competition.Thank you for participating In Ireland’s biggest community project on this, its 60th year of making Ireland a better place. Thank you for your entry form and the very accurate map provided. The level of detail included was very helpful on adjudication day and in writing this present report. For a village of your size, Moyvane Development and Tidy Towns Association is well-supported. You have goodly numbers on your committee and others who assist too.
You do appear to be well-organised having ample meetings, a schools liaison officer and contact with numerous bodies. You enjoy the support of local businesses which is always a very encouraging sign. Your Development Association was founded in 1985, in very different times. Since then, some very significant changes have been made for the better. This adjudicator’s first visit to Moyvane was less than a decade ago but even over this time, positive changes are very apparent. Well done to all for your ongoing work.
Streetscape & Public Places / Sráid-Dreach & Áiteanna Poiblí
New projects listed here are new seats on the Wood Walk and Nature Trail – as part of the very worthwhile Age-Friendly Initiative, and a commemorative seat placed at the grotto. The Roman Catholic Church is really well kept and the planters at the door and gate were admired. The garage opposite the church was so neat and tidy. There are lots of lovely original features on pubs and houses (e.g. Kearney’s and the beautiful premises next door). The gable of the All-Star Bar is in need of painting now if you can, and the adjacent wall too. Nolan’s Pub has a good paint job and the pavement here immaculately clean. The Marian Hall looked well, very well kept with a good colour and motif. The curtilage here could be a little better, it is felt. Imagine a little garden here instead of gravel and planters. The Post Office was well-painted. Special praise is reserved for Kenelly’s hardware business – really super standard of presentation here, well done. Could they use the little bit of the premises that faces the road as a display space? The old plaque at the national school is very nice. The Marian Hall looks so good. There is a sign here (HSE) that is faded beyond use now. Holly’s Gala looked very neat indeed. The generic photographs on the side could be replaced with something more locally relevant. The car-parking lines could also be better defined. Otherwise, a lovely premises. The Coop was immaculately clean and neat. Fair play.
Green Spaces and Landscaping / Spásanna Glasa agus Tírdhreachú
Over a thousand trees in a year? A fantastic achievement, well done. You continue to maintain hedging as well as containers and flower beds. Good work with containers was noted, well done. The playground looks really well. The outdoor gym equipment was tried out. Super stuff!
Nature and Biodiversity in your Locality / An Dúlra agus an Bhithéagsúlacht i do cheantar
While repetition is generally not encouraged, the significance of this number of trees planted is such that the overlap between this category and the above is absolutely allowed! Tree-planting is one of the best long-term actions that any group can undertake. You are advised to keep this up if you can. Other new initiatives were the creation of bug and bird boxes along the woodland trail.
This adjudicator crossed over the Moyvane River on the way into the village and was treated to the sight of a Little Egret one of the most beautiful of our (now) breeding birds. Hedgerows had been cut within the bird nesting season (March to August, inclusive) and this is unfortunate. Please do not permit landowners to do this unchallenged. The passing of the Heritage Bill notwithstanding. Consider putting hedgehog ramps inside your cattle-grids please.
Sustainability – Doing more with less / Inmharthanacht – Mórán ar an mbeagán
You have no new projects listed in this category for this year. However, you have off initiatives that are absolutely appropriate to this area of the competition. This includes the co-operation with the local Gala supermarket to reduce the number of disposable coffee cups (in line with the international zeitgeist on this scourge). A switch to ‘real’ mugs is an easy one to make once you think about it. Have you joined the Conscious Cup Campaign? Get in touch with the Kerry County Council Environmental Awareness Officer on this one. Other initiatives listed include the use of digital newsletter over hard-copy, the segregation of waste following litter-picks and used clothes collections for charity.
Tidiness and Litter Control / Slachtmhaireacht agus Rialú Bruscair
No new projects are listed in this category for this year. However, it is acknowledged that ongoing maintenance – from litter-picks to road-sweeping takes up a huge amount of your time in this category. Is the ‘adopt a patch’ initiative formalised? Is there some system in place for this or is it informal? Well done on your participation in the County-wide Clean-up as well as your own local clean-up events. The clothes bank opposite the church is graffitied and rusting and looks very poor. This should be removed. Watch out for abandoned cable-ties on poles and thereabouts. Old sellotape can be a nuisance too. Old Munster flags shouldn’t be tolerated. In the field opposite Nolan’s a load of rubbish has been dumped. A little bit of litter and dog litter was seen but not too much. A tiny bit of weed control is needed here and there (e.g. in front of the school).
Residential Streets & Housing Areas / Sráideanna Cónaithe & Ceantair Tithíochta
You have no new projects listed in this category for this year. Again, ongoing maintenance will be a large part of the work in this category. Over the last year, your work has included painting the railing on approach and replanting of containers and flower beds. Signage was seen to be generally in good condition. Several houses have been repainted since this adjudicator’s last visit to Moyvane. A little unoccupied tigín opposite the church is in need of painting again please. Some of the unoccupied houses are now in need of attention. Ashgrove was well-presented. The Shine premises had lovely window-boxes.
Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes / Bóithre Isteach, Sráideanna & Lánaí
A new addition this year has been the road surface treatments following / alongside the Gas Networks Ireland works. A future project identified is the tarmacadam surfaced walk for universal accessibility. There are new treelines on the approach that the adjudicator hadn’t seen before, well done! Also new is the trail signage which looks so good, including the colour-coded loops. The GAA mural has been well kept.
Roads and roadside areas were well-swept despite the ongoing works and the extra traffic that this brings. The black and white street name signs are lovely. A footpath is needed between the Main Street and the school. Cars parked on the pavement are taking pedestrian space.
Concluding Remarks
It was lovely to be back in Moyvane after several years. The visit was made better by the evidence of solid improvement across so many categories. You have a firm grasp of what is involved and the determination to see projects through. Thanks for all your hard work.
