Two Mayo towns make the long-list for ‘Ireland’s Greenest Places’
Both are now contenders for the overall title in Ireland’s Greenest Place 2026
Louisburgh and Clogher have both made it onto the long-list of Ireland’s Greenest Town or Village, part of the ‘Ireland’s Greenest Places’ competition being run by The Irish Times in association with Electric Ireland.
They will be up against each other, as well as 3 other towns and villages around Ireland; Namely Cloughjordan Community Development Association in Tipperary, Kinsale in Cork and Ardmore in Waterford.
The two Mayo areas were among almost 90 nominations received from members of the public all over the country.
Kathryn Slater’s nomination for Louisburgh focuses on the work done by the community-led group CALL Climate Action, which she says is driving a green movement across the Kilgeever parish.
“Each month they organise different expert-led workshops where locals can learn about how they can take action, such as bumblebee monitoring, river sampling and native seed saving,” She wrote
“They have created a model for community members to get together to buy land and plant native trees. They have bog restoration projects with local landowners and their own Biodiversity Action Plan for an area near Killeen,” Kathryn added. “They also have a nature education programme with the two local national schools led by their biodiversity lead. And a monthly film and discussion night focused around thinking about the future of our planet and what we can do locally.
“They are working with local artists to engage people with themes of biodiversity and water quality and have a number of art installations in town to educate people. They have set up a junior angling club where kids will engage with the river and also learn to monitor for water quality. They also set up local WhatsApp groups for both car-pooling and free exchange of unwanted goods. The list goes on!”
In his pitch, Finian Bourke says Clogher is a place where sustainability, biodiversity and community participation are at the heart of community life.
“The construction of the nesting wall has provided a safe breeding habitat for one of Ireland’s declining bird species and provided educational opportunities for local schoolchildren and visitors to learn about the importance of biodiversity…..The restoration of Clogher Bog is another key community initiative. With funding from the Aviva Insurance Community Fund, and in partnership with the Lough Carra EU LIFE Project, work is underway to raise the bog's water table by blocking historic drainage channels.
“Restoring the bog will reduce carbon loss from peat soils, improve habitats for wildlife and protect the water quality of Lough Carra. As the bog lies within the lake's catchment, its restoration plays an important role in safeguarding one of Ireland's finest limestone lakes while contributing to national climate action goals.
“By combining habitat restoration, climate action, education and community spirit, Clogher is demonstrating that even a small rural village can make a significant contribution to Ireland's environmental future while inspiring others to do the same.”
One of the judges on the panel this year is well-known biologist, environmental consultant, author and radio presenter Éanna Ní Lamhna, who said the initiative wants to shine a light on the great work being done by community groups all over the island.
“Community led climate action project work because they are driven by locals. They understand what works best for their unique habitats, and they don’t wait for others to do it for them. They get stuck in and as a result everyone is a winner. The environment, the local area itself and the community because people are now pulling together.”
“Through this competition we want to celebrate the achievements of these places and projects as well as the people behind them who inspire others to live more sustainable lives and to tread more lightly on this earth. Sharing their stories, their experiences and their knowledge is what Ireland’s Greenest Places is all about. And of course, having some fun!”
The shortlist for Ireland’s Greenest Places 2026 will be announced in two weeks’ time with the category winners and overall winner announced in early October.