'Dedication and hard work' over six decades pays off for Tidy Towns Champions Abbeyleix

The Tidy Towns judges commended Abbeyleix for the dedication and hard work done over the many decades in improving Abbeyleix and making it the leader in Co Laois and now Ireland.

Read Judges report on Ireland's Tidiest Town below:

Abbeyleix - Mainistir Laoise 

Fáilte chuig Comórtas Na mBailte Slachtmhara Super Valu don bhliain 2023. Táimid buíoch daoibh as ucht na
hiontrála a chur chugainn, agus guimíd gach rath ar bhúr gcuid oibre amach anseo. Adh Mór....Well done on being a participant in the competition for 64 years.

We commend you for the dedication and hard work done over the many decades in improving Abbeyleix and making it the leader in Co. Laois.

We commend your efforts in reducing the size of the application form this year and suggest that one way of further improvement is to reduce the amount of text as much as possible. All we need is the name and brief description of the project and where it is located.

Well done on the fabulous map which greatly helped our visit. Your team of 20 members and 15 volunteers do a great job and we note you are an umbrella group which includes many other groups including social groups. Congratulations on achieving Irelands Best Kept Small Town on the island in 2022. Showing the icons of the various supporting agencies is a clever way of demonstrating the extent of collaboration taking place in Abbeyleix.

Thank you for including pictures throughout the application form – each one does speak 1,000 words.

Well done on the coffee mornings for the Ukrainian residents and for introducing them to the bog.

You mentioned the 5 fountains in Abbeyleix and the work you are doing to have them restored. We saw them as we went around the town. The two in the Main Street are significant. The shopfront design guidelines were a great initiative – we were pleased to see so many shop fronts in good condition – you have a rich heritage on your streetscape.

The Fire Station is a fine building in a good location. We liked the lines of lime trees in the rear and side of the adjacent car park site. The front boundary is a timber fence which looks like it could be improved by painting.

However, there is nice planting (including lavender) in front and behind the fence which is a good introduction to Abbeyleix. This is matched with the well-maintained laurel hedge on the opposite side of the road. Heritage House, the former Abbeyleix North National School is a fine stone building, and it is great to see it having an important  junction with the exhibition and the coffee shop downstairs.

The playground is well used, and there are many trees and shrubs surrounding the feature. Across the road from Heritage House, we admired the 1916 commemorative feature with stones in the centre bearing the names of the six signatories of the Proclamation.

The national school on the Stradbally Road, Aras Naomh Brid, is a modern building with plenty of space in front of  the building for cars and buses to set down and drop off children. There is also space to the side and rear of the building for sports. We noticed that a low hedge was planted behind the low wall on the front boundary, although some plants need to be replaced. There were plant displays in the green spaces in front of the school and since there is sufficient space, we suggest that a line of lime trees would set off the scheme.

The Catholic church is on the top of a hill with a vehicular road from the Main Street. We advise planting some climbing plants against the concrete wall on the vehicular entrance to help soften its hard appearance.

Pedestrian access from Ballinakill Road is a pathway lined with laurel hedges on both sides. The stone-built church looked
very well there is sufficient space, we suggest that a line of lime trees would set off the scheme

The Catholic church is on the top of a hill with a vehicular road from the Main Street. We advise planting some climbing plants against the concrete wall on the vehicular entrance to help soften its hard appearance. Pedestrian access from Ballinakill Road is a pathway lined with laurel hedges on both sides. The stone-built church looked very well, and the grounds are well landscaped.

Mature trees enhance the small cemetery in front, but one of these trees is dead and should be removed. On the northern side of the church, we noted two young trees planted in recent years – a hawthorn and a copper beech. Both trees are well established, so we advise that the supporting stakes and ties be removed before they cause damage to the tree stems. The view from here is to the sensory garden which is no longer being maintained. We walked to the graveyard behind the church and admired the section dedicated to former priests who served the community. The church of Ireland is also a fine building; it is enhanced by the avenue of trees from the entrance off the Ballacolla Road. We note the changed mowing regime in the field beside the church which resulted in more wildflowers.

The Market House which dates from 1836 was successfully converted in 2009 to the town library and it looks great. It is the focal point of the town centre and is enhanced with the surrounding hard landscape and hornbeam trees. The trees are now well-established, and we wonder why the tree guards have not been removed.

The Entente Florale Europe bronze plaque awarded in 2017 is prominently displayed in this area – congratulations on that achievement. Several plant containers with seasonal bedding plants, including Begonias guided the approach to the library. A line of these containers placed on the eastern side of the library did not have any plants growing in them and we wonder if our visit was ahead of the planting team?

We assume they were the new plant containers granted to you by Laois Co. Co. in June 2023. The small, curved street west of the library includes terraces of 2-storey houses, all of which were well-painted.

One of the nicest features in Abbeyleix is the street trees from Heritage House down to the end of the Main Street. They have grown well over the years and will continue to make an important contribution to the streetscape. Please remember that the supporting stakes and ties are no longer needed and should be removed. Ensure that the trees are allowed to grow and not to be topped as that will destroy their shape. If they are getting too wide, they can be pruned to keep their attractive columnar shape. We visited the little open space with the ‘Gailine’ information panel.

It is nicely done but seems quite dark. Perhaps it is time to open the space by thinning the trees or removing some. We peeped into the Community Garden and could see that much work was done all the way up to the church grounds boundary wall. You have listed the activities that take place there and we can testify that the garden is open all the time. The planting of pear trees and modification of the pathways are noted.

Thank you for the  information on the multi-use recreational facility, Fr Breen Park. While it seems to be located away from the town it is actually very close to the town, which makes it very accessible. Good luck on the Green Flag application. The
Abbeyleix Bog project is now well known and is a tribute to your efforts to save the bog many years ago.

However, you are continuing to improve access and are now planning to re-wet additional areas to extend its size – well done.
We failed to find the Balladine Neighbourwood project – even though we were in the estate and tried the Eircode. However, we note it is in the early stages, so perhaps it will be easier to find in 2024.

A small garden to the front and side of Heritage House appears not to be used much in recent times. We noted from the video clip by Dr Fiona McGowan that the mowing regime was changed, and the result was the emergence of oxeye daisies, bird’s foot trefoil etc. The little bridge is attractive, and the cascade was not operating, perhaps because of our very dry summer. We noted a new hedge of hawthorn was planted behind the low stone wall boundary with the road. There is also one of the five fountain features to the side of Heritage House. The little gardens in front defined by low boxwood hedges were unplanted. The several video clips on biodiversity by Dr McGowan are very well done.

The 500-acre Abbeyleix Bog and the activities associated with its conservation and promotion is a major part of your annual work under this criterion. You also have a biodiversity action plan and are working on that with the schools.

The planting of 4,640 native trees in the past year (14,650 total) in conjunction with the Trees on The Land Programme is a major initiative. It was a great idea to provide us with a link for the 8 sites in and around Abbeyleix. 

The orchard establishment project entailed the planting of 85 fruit trees in the past winter involving volunteers from age 3 to 83. We also enjoyed the link to where the trees were planted - most seemed to be in private gardens. Well done on the Oak Grove Project in collaboration with the Abbeyleix estate. You removed the coniferous evergreen trees and arranged to remove the roots. You are correct, this will transform the approach to the town and be a link with the street trees in Main Street. The spring bulb project is noted – Abbeyleix is surely worth a visit in springtime.

The water monitoring project on the River Nore was begun in 2022 with students from both schools taking samples from 4 points and having it analysed for phosphates, nitrates, and turbidity. Other projects noted included the hay meadows, traditional hay making, native seed project, nest box project, the biodiversity awareness project.

Activities listed here include the Applefest when you pressed 2,000 kgs of apples and produced 1,000 litres of apple juice – a celebration of the circular economy. The edible landscape project involving 85 fruit trees is already noted. 

Plant swaps of about 200 are noted. The community garden and its contribution to organic growing, water harvesting, GIY, etc. is already mentioned. Other items include the sustainable energy programme of retrofitting Scoil Mhuire. In regard to travel, the safe routes to schools, development of cycle lanes, attractive travel initiatives are all pertinent. A workshop for the Caro Climate programme, was held on 9th May. Nine devices were given a new lease of life through a circular economy project.

There are other projects that could gain more marks for you. Therefore, we suggest you consult the handbook on the following link for more ideas on projects under this criterion. https://www.tidytowns.ie/competition/handbook/ Green Spaces and Landscaping / Spásanna Glasa agus Tírdhreachú: Nature and Biodiversity in your Locality / An Dúlra agus an Bhithéagsúlacht i do cheantar: Sustainability – Doing more with less / Inmharthanacht - Mórán ar an mbeagán: 

You have regular clean-ups, daily early morning litter picks by your ‘street angels’. You ran the invisible hour for volunteers to choose a time that suits them for litter collection. Other tasks are signage cleaning, and they were fine. The cross community, clean-up is a collaboration with Durrow. “Clean Up Laois” was another campaign. The CE scheme workers worked with the An Taisce National Spring Clean. You are also working on the ‘Keep cup awareness’ to help reduce waste.

Unfortunately, some litter that was trapped in the grass beside the welcome signs on the N77 became more visible when the grass was cut. Otherwise, we found Abbeyleix clean and tidy.

Scoil Mhuire. In regard to travel, the safe routes to schools, development of cycle lanes, attractive travel initiatives are all pertinent. A workshop for the Caro Climate programme, was held on 9th May. Nine devices were given a new lease of life through a circular economy project.

There are other projects that could gain more marks for you. Therefore, we suggest you consult the handbook on the following link for more ideas on projects under this criterion. https://www.tidytowns.ie/competition/handbook/ 

Items mentioned here include the streetscape enhancement scheme and protection of our built environment. Abbey Crescent residential estate looks very well. It has a linear open space beside the road which is planted with a lovely line of lime trees, all of which are well-maintained. There is also a central open space within the estate which has a nice selection of established and mature trees, including lime, birch, willow, and sumach. The grass is not cut too low here which means we were able to enjoy daisies and some buttercups. Several gardens are enhanced with hedges and shrubs.

The Fairways estate is a large residential scheme with a unique avenue of columnar evergreen trees at the entrance. There are many open spaces within the estate, and some are between the main road and the footpaths. 

A range of tree species of different sizes are growing on these open spaces. Unfortunately, many of these trees did not receive formative pruning in the early stages of their growth, which is evident from the several stems on individual trees. We advise that pruning to reduce the multi-stemmed trees to just one stem should be done in the coming winter. There is also the possibility of encouraging the growth of wildflowers by changing the mowing regime for portion of the grassed areas.

We were very impressed with the planting of trees and other plants in the small Vesey Close estate. The lines of birch trees here form a delightful winding avenue throughout the estate and the clipped shrubs growing in-between the trees is something we have not seen in any other town. Knocknamoe Lane is a small estate of detached red brick houses close to the town centre – the planting looked well, but a dead tree should be removed.

At Gort na Noir, an estate of semi-detached houses the front gardens are small and the open spaces which have some trees, are large. The entrance to Ballindine Heights, an estate of semi-detached houses looked great with mature trees. A
planting bed at the entrance needed attention.

Our visit started on the N77 from Portlaoise where we admired the welcome signs and noted that the grass was cut to make them more visible. Further on we noticed a lady adding flowers to the box beneath the brown heritage town sign. Beside the Fire Station is the ‘Failte’ stone with Abbeyleix written below it. This stone is almost inconspicuous because it is dark and low to the ground. It needs to be refreshed, made clearer and perhaps raised. Between the stone and the Fire Station is a large timber blank panel. Perhaps it was used in the past to display a poster. 

This approach is greatly enhanced by traditional stone walls, which are in good condition, and some are enhanced with lavender planted on the top of the wall. Well done on this. We visited the Covid Garden of Reflection and Remembrance beside the Garda Station. The project has been implemented to a high standard.

It was a wonderful opportunity to reacquaint with Abbeyleix once more after a long hiatus. What you, as a community, have achieved over the last number of years is remarkable & your communal enthusiasm for further projects to ensure Abbeyleix becomes a green & sustainable town is inspiring.

The vista of the tree-lined Main Street, from either end, is simply stunning & the artistic design of many of the shop fronts & residences contributes significantly to the streetscape. The well presented heritage buildings & memorials add interest & bookend the town. We look forward to seeing the recommendations of the conservation report & restoration plan for the 3 main memorial fountains. The area surrounding the Town Library is an excellent meeting place & therefore a focal point. There are a considerable number of containers here & it was surprising to see so many annuals on show – begonias, bidens, petunias & geraniums. There is no doubting the display & colour annuals provide however it would be wonderful to see a greater proportion of perennials. We note the types of annuals in situ are pollinator friendly varieties.

The cobblelock here occupies a significant area & its upkeep is onerous. There was significant weed encroachment alongside the steps & close to the seating area & stone bollards nearby. As this is the heart of the town, all eyes focus here first. As was referenced by the first adjudicator, there is no longer a need for the tree guards now the trees are established & thriving. Are there plans for the vacant former De Vesci Arms Hotel & the old Courthouse/Solicitors offices?

The creation of the Shopfront Design Guidelines was a critical piece of work. The juxtaposition of heritage signage & temporary signage is jarring. An architectural vision for the town ensuring signage, colours & materials are amenable to the historic value of the buildings is the key. The villages of Julianstown, Co Meath & Enniskerry, Co Wicklow adopted a coordinated signage strategy that is paying dividends. 

Abbeyleix is fortunate to have within its environs many green areas. The Community Garden is an incredible ful & versatile amenity. It was a delight to purchase items from the local bakery, sit in the garden & take in all Tidiness and Litter Control /

Second Round Adjudication:

Concluding Remarks:
Well done on continuing to improve Abbeyleix and its surroundings. Congratulations on being so active, so innovative and for including social events. We hope you find our comments useful and consider some of our suggestions for implementation in years to come. Best wishes for 2023 and more years to come. The creation of the Shopfront Design Guidelines was a critical piece of work. The juxtaposition of heritage signage & temporary signage is jarring. An architectural vision for the town ensuring signage, colours & materials are amenable to the historic value of the buildings is the key.

The villages of Julianstown, Co Meath & Enniskerry, Co Wicklow adopted a coordinated signage strategy that is paying dividends.

Abbeyleix is fortunate to have within its environs many green areas. The Community Garden is an incredible colourful & versatile amenity. It was a delight to purchase items from the local bakery, sit in the garden & take in all the facilities on offer – espalier apple trees close to harvesting, newly planted pear trees, vegetable plots, perennial flowerbeds, garden library, BBQ, pizza oven, etc. One noted though during the visit that the signage was misplaced & presented a wee problem in locating the entrance. Fr Breen Park has a lot more to offer in spite of its already impressive facilities. We look forward to seeing your in progress 5 Year Smart Plan & hope your application for Green Flag status will be successful. On adjudication day, its facilities were in demand – tennis, outdoor gym, running, walking, crèche, clubhouse & playground. The Balladine Neighbourwood proved elusive for this adjudicator despite the use of the provided eircode.

However, your social media platform proved useful in providing visuals. It is heartening to see you monitor the trees closely & replace where required in addition to manual trampling of undergrowth. When is it envisaged the Sensory Gardens at Dove House will be reopened?

The countless benefits generated by sensory gardens for all users especially those with sensory processing & learning difficulties cannot be underestimated & thus is seems a lost opportunity these gardens are closed.

As a community led project, Abbeyleix Bog Project, richly deserves its selection as a knowledge site for best practice in peatland restoration & management. There was no difficulty in locating the Bog Walk thanks to the visible signage & a most enjoyable time was spent on one of the walks. The phenomenal work that has been completed to date has delivered both a gem for the community & hope for other communities either engaged in or thinking of protecting local bogs. It was a delight to see several large silver-washed fritillary butterflies on buddleia flowers near the entrance car park. 8 native trees planted in the past 3 years for every member of the community – 14,650 trees in total. It demonstrates what can be achieved by working collaboratively with householders, public bodies, smallholders, farmers, educational establishments & sporting organizations as seen on the documents provided.

There was a time when every garden had fruit trees & it is fantastic to see Abbeyleix reverse that decline with 134 fruit trees planted. After a long Irish winter, the sight of spring bulbs brings hope. For the insect population, Abbeyleix is providing an early breakfast with nectar rich muscari, crocuses & anemones that provide just as much visual delight for the humans as the pollen deficit daffodils & tulips.

The number of trees in the locality suffering from ash dieback is most noticeable & it would be advisable to consider how you will deal with their inevitable demise, as there currently is no remedy. We cannot underestimate the impact of active participation or demonstrations on the creation of citizen scientists. 

Thus, the involvement of local students in regular water sampling in the River Nore Catchment; a native seed collection & seed germination trial and a traditional hay meadow management & harvest provide opportunities to engage, educate & publicise your natural heritage. With the local expertise on hand, it is beholden on you to mine  this resource & well done on creating a most engaging biodiversity awareness campaign on social media.

Sustainability is an area where you have a deep understanding of the requirements needed to bring the whole community with you – engaging food events; provision of free fruit trees; small gardening spaces for novice gardeners with assistance on hand; plant swap; rainwater harvesting in situ and composting in situ.

Interestingly, the plum tree at the Heritage House garden had no takers for its bounty only the wasps! It was heartening to see the allotments on offer at St Michaels and All Angels for those who have a desire to progress to a growing larger space
although perhaps a more inviting sign on the gate might entice rather than scare prospective gardeners. Energy use & its associated cost have been to the forefront of every household’s budget concerns this year. It is excellent that the students at Scoil Mhuire get to experience the impact of a deep retrofit. We will be interested to see the full energy savings achieved. Unfortunately, the video referenced was marked private & thus unavailable to view.

Your focus on active travel as a whole rather than segmented will provide you with a variety of programmes to pursue over time as the information is disseminated. The link referenced was inaccessible. The Caro Climate Programme & Computer Equipment Circular Economy pilot projects have great potential & we will be interested to hear how you develop these further. Well done on engaging with local food establishments on reducing waste & we were delighted to see a price reduction offered to customers providing their own coffee cup at a very popular venue. 

It was evident on adjudication day that a litter free & clean town is of critical importance to the community as the town centre was spotless. This standard of cleanliness is only achieved with a dedicated volunteer base & they, in conjunction with the CE employees, are to be congratulated for excellent work. The collaboration with other adjoining Tidy Towns groups on local roads is fantastic to see.

The standard & style of signage is excellent both directional & informative ones. The use of rubbish bins & utility boxes as canvases for art elevates these humble & often unsightly items of street furniture. Unfortunately, outside St Michaels and All Angels entrance & across the road there was litter strewn about. We would recommend an annual audit of street furniture e.g. on the Ballacolla approach there were faded speed signs, obscured signage & a redundant pole. The audit allows you to determine what requires local council intervention & what you can address within the community.

Having spent time walking through many of the residential areas in Abbeyleix it was obvious the pride locals take in their abodes, gardens & communal spaces. Many of these communal spaces had mini orchards, short meadows, small long meadows, vibrant hedgerow boundaries, groves of trees & perennial planting. The consistency of estate name signage created a lovely synergy through the various estates.

The Oak Grove project on the Durrow approach road was a visual delight as the crimson clover was in full bloom & the area was buzzing with insect visitors. The 13 semi-mature oaks will in time create a wonderful canopy. 

Unfortunately, one has died & there is certainly another one showing signs of stress. Hopefully, you had planned for a percentage loss & have replacements at hand. The work involved in this project was significant & the end result is stunning. Once the restoration work is completed on Abbeyleix AFC buildings, the backdrop will enhance this  foreground. There is much of interest on this approach road – the railway station image under the bridge; artistic signage for the Bog Walk, hotel landscaped boundary & the linear view of mature trees as far as the eye can see.

The Portlaoise approach road with its stonewalls & well maintained footpaths is an inviting entrance. We noted the large blank timber panel & wondered was this in situ for the upcoming Durrow Scarecrow Festival? A native or edible hedge at the Fire Station may be an option as a replacement in time for the timber fencing & immediate attention is required to curtail the horsetail invading the flowering lavender beds here. The approach from Ballinakill has added interest with the Garden of Reflection & Remembrance landscaping, seating & utility box art displays. It is a most impactful space & an ideal location sited as it is almost across from the nursing home. The Ballacolla road presents an architectural trail of beautiful buildings & vast woodlands. Any of the entrances to Abbeyleix presents large blank timber panel & wondered was this in situ for the upcoming Durrow Scarecrow Festival?

A native or edible hedge at the Fire Station may be an option as a replacement in time for the timber fencing & immediate attention is required to curtail the horsetail invading the flowering lavender beds here. The approach from Ballinakill has added interest with the Garden of Reflection & Remembrance landscaping, seating & utility box art displays. It is a most impactful space & an ideal location sited as it is almost across from the nursing home. The Ballacolla road presents an architectural trail of beautiful buildings & vast woodlands. Any of the entrances to Abbeyleix presents the visitor with wonderful wide & narrow panoramas & points of interest.

Your submission was packed with information & photographic evidence of projects presented in an easy to read format. While we note you have reduced its size, there is room for more conciseness without any loss of relevant information. The map provided was excellent.

We enjoyed our walk around Abbeyleix & congratulate the community on the work completed & accolades received in the past year. Your future plans are ambitious & we have no doubt achievable, based on your performance to date. Well done Abbeyleix.