CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL scooped three awards at the Chambers Ireland Excellence Awards.
Held at the Crowne Plaza in Santry, the awards were split into sixteen different categories focused on sustainable communities, climate change, age friendly initiatives, communications, health and wellbeing, tourism, diversity, economic development, arts, heritage and enhancement of urban areas.
At the nineteenth annual awards ceremony, Clare was named local authority of the year in what was the overall award. The ceremony was held in association with the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage and showcases and celebrates the best of Local Government in Ireland.
Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Ian Talbot explained, “Clare County Council is the well-deserved winner of the overall Local Authority of the Year Award, who have shown engagement across the different facets of the Clare Community, and with the development and sustainability of its localities and environment, to achieve this accolade. For their commitment to serving their community and also raising their area’s profile nationally as a stand-out destination, Clare County Council deserve to be commended and have earned their Award title of Local Authority of the Year”.
Two awards were secured by Clare Arts Office. It claimed the ‘Sustaining the Arts Award’ for House! An open-air aerial spectacular and also won Festival of the Year for Ennis Mela. Siobhán Mulcahy, Clare Arts Officer said she was “bursting with pride that our little festival that celebrates talent and creativity in all our local communities scooped this award”.
Chief Executive of Clare County Council, Pat Dowling, Director of Rural Development, Leonard Cleary, Director of Social Development Anne Haugh, Head of Finance Noeleen Fitzgerald, Mayor of Clare, Cllr Tony O’Brien (FF), Mayor of the Ennis Municipal District, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF), Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF), Cathaoirleach of the West Clare Municipal District, Cllr Shane Talty (FF) and Cathaoirleach of the Shannon Municipal District, Cllr Michael Begley (IND) represented the Council at the four star hotel.
There were fifteen awards presented on the night plus the overall award for Local Authority of the Year. Individual awards were sponsored by: European Recycling Platform (ERP), The Office of the Planning Regulator, Healthy Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, Truehawk Media, Irish Public Bodies and EirGrid. Specially commissioned crystal awards designed by Waterford Crystal were presented to the winners on the night.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Supporting Sustainable Communities Award:
Limerick City & County Council – New Build Incremental Purchase System
Climate Change Award:
Mayo County Council – Mayo Decarbonising Communities Network
Communications Award:
Kildare County Council – Understanding Kildare’s County Development Plan
Health & Wellbeing Award:
Waterford City & County Council – Ireland’s First Outdoor Learn to Cycle Track opens in Dungarvan
Supporting Tourism Award:
Mayo County Council – Clew Bay Bike Trail
Diversity & Inclusion Award:
Dublin City Council – Academy of the Near Future
Promoting Economic Development Award:
Limerick City & County Council – Engine Hubs Network
Local Authority Innovation Award:
South Dublin County Council – Think Big Space in partnership with AWS
Sustainable Environment Award:
Cork City Council – Cork City Council Air Quality Strategy
Sustaining the Arts Award:
Clare County Council – HOUSE! An open-air aerial spectacular
Festival of the Year Award:
Clare County Council – Ennis Mela
Initiative through the Municipal Districts Award:
Carlow County Council – Ru:Rban – Urbact
Enhancing the Urban Environment Award:
Limerick City & County Council – Castletroy Urban Greenway
Heritage and Built Environment Award:
Donegal County Council – Single large-scale heritage-led urban regeneration project in Ramelton
Age Friendly Initiative Award:
Wexford County Council – Wexford Telehealth Project
Local Authority of the Year:
Clare County Council
