Two Laois parks among 100 winners of Green Flag status

Two Laois parks are among over 136 green spaces across Europe who have just won a 2022 Green Flag Award.

The Irish 2022 Green Flag Awards were announced on Monday, October 19 by An Taisce Environmental Education, acknowledging Ireland’s best public parks and gardens. 

Out of 136 awarded in Europe today, 104 were in Ireland.

The Green Flag Award is an international benchmarking standard for parks and green spaces. The scheme operates across Australia, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

In Laois, The Peoples Park Portarlington and Páirc an Phobail in Portlaoise won the prestigious award, both managed by Laois County Council.

Pictured at The Peoples Park Portarlington for the Green Flag raising ceremony: Samantha Kirwan (Duty Manager), Ann Marie Maher (Sports and Leisure Officer, Laois County Council), Cllr Aidan Mullins, Martina Smyth (CE Supervisor) and Leona Delaney (Sport & Leisure Section). Photo: Michael Scully

Ann Marie Maher, Laois County Council’s Sport & Leisure Officer has praised the local volunteers for helping achieve the flags.

"Receiving two green flags is a testament to the efforts of all volunteer groups assisted by Laois County Council staff, who work tirelessly to reach such high standards required by the awards scheme.

“The two Laois County Council parks were independently judged in July and August, and were announced recently as having achieved the Green Flag Award and our green flags were proudly raised in each park,” she said.

Once again more Green Flag Awards have been secured by Irish Parks and Gardens than by any country, other than the UK where the scheme originated in 1996.

Of the 104 Green Flag sites in Ireland, 85 are formal public Green Flag Park sites, 19 are volunteer run Green Community Sites, 12 are heritage sites and three are also pollinator sites.

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It is the second year of the new Green Heritage Site Accreditation in Ireland, awarded to public green spaces of historical and cultural significance with five more sites included this year. In Ireland it is supported by the National Parks & Wildlife Service and the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage.

Minister of State with responsibility for Heritage Malcolm Noonan, commended the Green Heritage Accreditation.

“I am delighted that the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department supports and co-funds the Green Heritage Site
Accreditation Programme. This scheme is a welcome and important complement to the existing Green Flag Award.

Emlyn Cullen is Programme Manager at the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce, who run the Award in Ireland.

“The continued success of the Green Flag Award in Ireland is a great measure of how much the country values parks and green spaces - and how well managed many of them are. Well done to everyone who works in the sector here for their ongoing commitment. You make a huge positive impact on your local communities and the natural environment”

“By providing our community green spaces with access to Green Flag Award best practice we empower community
groups to improve their local community and environment.

The sites who had applied were assessed by experts against eight strict criteria, including horticultural standards, cleanliness, sustainability, and community involvement.

The Pollinator Award is jointly run by An Taisce Environmental Education and the National Biodiversity Data Centre, assessing pollinator-friendly management of parks and community spaces against the recommendations of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan.