Monaghan and Cavan feature in top 20 cleanest towns

IBAL survey published

Veronica Corr

Monaghan has been ranked fourth tidiest town in the country, and achieved 'cleaner than European norms' status.

The impressive results were amongst those published this week in the IBAL Anti-Litter League survey.

Meanwhile Cavan Town has been ranked 19th in the new year's survey, in the report compiled by An Taisce.

Monaghan Town managed the top five placement, with the Diamond Centre experiencing an improvement on previous surveys. The town's iconic Peace Campus incorporating the County Museum, Library, youth, community and café spaces was deemed a beautiful addition, achieving a B+.

The town centre's shopping environment received a positive review overall.

Cavan Town

Cavan Town made it into the top 20 of the 40 towns surveyed, and was deemed to be "clean to European norms", with seven out of 10 sites surveyed getting a top grade.

Hampton Court was admired for its exceptionally fresh presentation. While the Deposit Return Scheme at Tesco hailed as "spotless" and the Town Hall/Arts Centre featuring outdoor seating in an attractive setting, also received top scores.

Unfortunately, Con Smith Park in Cavan received a Grade C and was found to be "the most heavily littered site by far" surveyed in the town. However the majority of the park was found to be in great order with some lovely features including a sculpture.

The R198 from the bus depot out to McCarron's received a B grade, with floral displays and an eye-catching sculpture noted, however, the presence of cigarette butts and food-related litter was observed.

The Cathedral of Saints Patrick and Felim topped the poll, lauded for its "beautifully maintained grounds with an abundance of colourful planter boxes".

Main Street, Cavan Town received a B grade for being in good order and creating an overall positive impression but fell short of top marks because of the presence of cigarette butts, coffee cups, plastic bottles, fast-food wrappers and sweet papers.