This is coming a little late but still worth a mention…back in July 2007 Killarney won a cross-border (i.e. Republic and Northern Ireland) environmental competition to take the title of Ireland’s Best Kept Large Town 2007.
Entrants were subject to strict adjudication criteria that included cleanliness, the outward appearance of buildings, the presentation of roads and public facilities and the natural environment.
Official press release from the Irish Department of the Environment
