Remarks by President McAleese at the unveiling of the Westport 2006 Tidy Town Plaque
Remarks by President McAleese at the unveiling of the Westport 2006 Tidy Town Plaque Saturday, 21st April, 2007
Tá an-áthas orm bheith anseo libh agus muid ag céiliúradh an ócáid mhór, ócáid an-speisialta seo. Comhghairdeas libh go léir.
Well done Westport, Ireland's Tidiest Town for the second time! When I was here on a wonderful sunny day five years ago to celebrate your first victory in the Tidy Towns competition, I said then the rest of Ireland had better look out and so, here we are again and with a litany of prizes in between, twice winner of Ireland's Best Kept Towns in 2003 and 2005, and Gold Medal winner in the prestigious Entente Florale Competition in 2004 – but of course, this is the big one yet again as Westport, in competition with all the rest, is once again judged the Tidiest Town in Ireland.
Westport is now part of an elite group of only eleven towns to have won this top honour more than once.
The foresight of people like James Wyatt and Richard Cassels who put so much work and thought into the design of this town in the Georgian period continues to pay handsome dividends in the 21st Century and the magnificent God given setting with spectacular mountains and unequalled seascapes – these were all part of the heritage inherited by successive generations, but none of these things on their own brought you the Tidy Towns prize today or five years ago. How you did it is no mystery – it took sheer hard work – and so today, we give a huge thank-you to all those whose hard work created this day of pride for Westport. They are the people whose hard work and tenacity translated into things like the carefully co-ordinated building design, shop fronts and signage that make for a very attractive signature. The Tidy Towns Adjudicators put it well, “Everywhere one looks in Westport there is an obvious impression of care and attention to detail, evidence of great community spirit and imaginative development. It is no wonder it attracts so many visitors”.
These standards would not be possible without the active support of the entire community of Westport – residents, schools, local businesses and public agencies all taking responsibility for Westport’s look and atmosphere, all playing their own unique role in creating its success. There is an ancient Chinese saying: “If everyone swept the street outside their house, the world would be clean”. Westport is proof of that theory and more.
It is also proof of the power of the good leadership that came from the Westport Tidy Towns Committee, for to get the very best out of community effort there has to be vision, planning and coordination. The work is done by a bunch of volunteers who do it for love of Westport and they deserve a lot of credit and congratulations – as do Mayo County Council and, in particular, Westport Town Council whose practical support was so important. All over Ireland, groups like yours worked night and day to bring this commemorative plaque to their town. They achieved standards of excellence which are wonderful to behold but, even among the very best of them, Westport was outstanding.
Enjoy the commemorative plaque, this statement of Westport’s achievement and may it inspire another generation to keep on doing the work that keeps Westport flourishing as the best of them all.
Comhghairdeas libh arís agus go raibh maith agaibh.