Ardmore village named as Ireland’s Greenest Place

Many of the entries submitted to this year’s edition of Ireland’s Greenest Places were informed by a simple idea – a modest number of people punching well above their weight to effect change.Ireland’s Greenest PlaceArdmore, Co WaterfordThere can be no stronger example of this ethos than the competition’s overall winner for 2026, Ardmore in Co Waterford. A seaside resort and fishing village with a population of 500, it is described by biologist, author, environmental consultant and competition judge Éanna Ní Lamhna as a “very worthy winner”.“There is a high level of participation among those who live there and all parts of the community work together to care for nature and build climate resilience,” she says.Over the last four months, Ní Lamhna and her fellow judges have been whittling down a long list of submissions to Ireland’s Greenest Places. The competition, which is run by The Irish Times in association with Electric Ireland, set out to find people and communities committed to environmental and sustainable action.READ MOREIt is Electric Ireland’s second year supporting Ireland’s Greenest Places. Lisa Browne, head of marketing and customer insights at ESB (and another of the competition’s judges), says the energy provider is proud to be a part of the work, particularly in “recognising the communities, organisations and individuals making a positive difference for a more sustainable future”.Ní Lamhna visited Ardmore as part of the judging process, encountering its broad and innovative range of green initiatives. She recognised “a great uptake in the use of solar panels”, which dot the roofs of the local GAA club, the community hall, the national school and many of the homes around the area.A ‘Solar Meitheal’ over the coming weeks should inspire even more residents. The meitheal is an old Irish concept of neighbours uniting to make light work of a large task – often a harvest. This solar adaptation is about bringing a community together to inform them of the availability and affordability of panels.It takes about an hour to complete the Ardmore cliff walk, and those that do will encounter a clever system for managing invasive furze along the loop. There, and on the national school’s playing pitch, goats owned and managed by the town keep the wild, prickly shrub at bay.A lot of work has been carried out on the local GAA grounds, including the development of a large green area as a bee, moth and butterfly garden. An EV charger in its car park is used regularly, as is a sustainable coffee van.Goats owned and managed by the town keep furze at bay at the rear of the school in Ardmore, Co Waterford. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw/The Irish Times A bee, moth and butterfly garden is among the sustainability initiatives taken by residents of Ardmore, Co Waterford. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw/The Irish Times A wooden boat repurposed as a planter in Ardmore, Co Waterford. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw/The Irish Times A great many locals are involved in the Ardmore Tidy Towns group. Among its achievements is An Sruthán (the little stream), a restored body of water that runs parallel to the village’s main street. Its accompanying walkway is enjoyed by all.“Several local farmers have planted fields with wild bird cover and manage them organically as part of a wider coastal environment protection group,” Ní Lamhna says, adding that local businesses have reduced their commercial rates by taking part in an initiative designed to reduce their carbon footprint.“Ardmore shows very well that when an aware community act together, huge strides can be made in building climate resilience and increasing sustainability.”For all this and more, Ardmore is deserving of its title as Ireland’s Greenest Place.Ireland’s Greenest CommunityTreasure the Tolka, Co DublinIreland's Greenest Community: Treasure the Tolka volunteers help clear rubbish around the Tolka Valley in Blanchardstown. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni/The Irish Times “They don’t lack ambition,” Kevin O’Sullivan says of Treasure the Tolka, a group devoted to cleaning its titular river from the Tolka Valley to Dublin Bay.Founded eight years ago by Toby O’Mahony Adams, who works as a GP, the project revolves around volunteers. On any given Saturday, 20 or so make their way to a section of the Tolka to remove litter items like clothes, nappies, baby wipes and prams. Over the years, they have found safes, tonnes of plastic and the body of a horse.O’Sullivan, a former Irish Times environment editor and one of six judges for Ireland’s Greenest Places, says ridding the river of unwanted debris is just one aspect of Treasure the Tolka. “They have come to know the river intimately,” he says.[ No scrub: Aran Island goats for hire to combat nuisance plants and protect biodiversityOpens in new window ]“They are acutely aware of the constant pressures on the river system such as the pollution sources and encroachment of invasive plant species. Indications of improved status of the Tolka in recent years, undoubtedly, have been achieved with the significant help of Treasure the Tolka.“Their actions and beneficial impacts on their area add up to an approach that can – and should – be pursued by other communities across Ireland, especially where nature loss and poor water quality are all too prevalent.”All of this is achieved with “next to no funding and minimal local authority support”, O’Sullivan says. Volunteers buy their own equipment, like gloves and waders – they are a diverse group, with an understanding of environmental issues that has come from local engagement rather than any scientific background.Outreach work for Treasure the Tolka includes collaborations with local parks, schools and groups like Finglas United FC to improve local water habitats and wildlife ponds. It is a project that absolutely relies on a dedicated community, making it a perfect winner for this category.As O’Sullivan puts it, “Treasure the Tolka is an outstanding example of effective environmental action at community level – and of succeeding against the odds.”Ireland’s Greenest SuburbRosewood Estate, Co CorkIreland's Greenest Suburb: Lana and Fergal O’Neill, residents of Rosewood Estate, Ballincollig, Co Cork. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw/The Irish Times One of the hopes for the category of Ireland’s Greenest Suburb is that it can inspire residential communities around the country to find pockets of green potential in their neighbourhood.Potential is what the Rosewood Residents’ Association saw five years ago in an unused, overgrown field on their estate. In the Cork suburb of Ballincollig, Rosewood’s 230 homes make up one of the area’s oldest housing developments.“With work and dedication over the last few years, it’s now a huge addition to the biodiversity in the estate,” says Shannen Fenton, another of the competition’s judges and a sustainability consultant known as @_greengal on Instagram and other platforms.Now a thriving wildflower meadow, the field houses cornflowers, poppies, ox-eye daisy and yellow rattle, as well as rougher sections with thistle, cleaver and bramble deliberately left to grow for pollinators to feed on across seasons. Mown paths allow locals to wander through and take it all in.Tree planting has been central to the project. The group teamed up with Cork Biodiversity Hub and students of the Kinsale College of Further Education Training to build a strong mix of native and fruiting trees – apple, pear, plum and walnut among them. Willow, hawthorn, elder and sycamore trees were already on-site.Tree and pruning workshops are run within the community, teaching skills to residents and students alike. A drive to introduce solar panels to the estate has garnered interest from 40 households, underlining the area’s budding environmental ethos. It is testament to the wider cultural impact a singular green project can inform.It was a rainy Sunday afternoon when Fenton met members of the residents’ association, but she says the area the group have tended to was still getting good use. “The newly planted native trees and meadows were being enjoyed by insects, birds, butterflies and many other animals, along with people out walking,” she says.“This is a lovely example of what can be done in a small area with big impact.”Ireland’s Net Zero HeroJacinta Barrins, Co GalwayIreland's Net Zero Hero: Jacinta Barrins teaches courses in climate change, emissions and sustainability to groups of people aged over 55 across the country. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times After 20 years as a lecturer in engineering hydrology at the University of Galway, Jacinta Barrins spent time working with the United Nations (UN) Development Programme in Kenya, Zambia and Sudan.She was involved in facilitating the Paris Agreement, and ended her career working in Turkmenistan and Botswana as a UN diplomat with then-Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. At the end of all that, she may have been forgiven for taking things easy, but Barrins wasn’t ready to put her feet up.“She realised that there is a cohort of people aged 55 and over that received no formal education in school about how their actions affect carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change,” Éanna Ní Lamhna says, having visited Barrins in Galway.“So, she devised a six-week course, of two hours per week, which she delivers at her own expense to groups in many different counties.”Barrins becomes the inaugural winner of this category – having been nominated by Orlaith Breathnach, who was deeply inspired by her teachings. Since going on the course, Breathnach has cut beef out of her diet, stopped buying new clothes and taken account of the amount of carbon that is released as a result of her own actions day to day.[ Nature is our most critical infrastructure but it is being positioned as a hindranceOpens in new window ]Participants feel empowered, Ní Lamhna says, “to make significant changes in their own lifestyles and positively influence others in their immediate area”, contributing to a “positive ripple effect” across their communities. They use public transport more, seek grants for retrofitting and solar panels, and make considered requests to local politicians for green action.The course aims to impart wisdom about emissions and sustainability in the most friendly and accessible way possible. Its first session explains the link between a cup of tea and climate change. Since establishing the climate drive in 2023, Barrins has taken it to Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Mayo, Galway, Clare and more. Cork and Kerry are next on her list.By shining a light on her work in this category, Barrins hopes more people may keep an eye out for the course and sign up if and when it reaches their area.Ireland’s Greenest Town or VillageCloughjordan Community Development Association, Co TipperaryIreland's Greenest Town or Village: Members of Cloughjordan Community Development Association, Co Tipperary, one of whose standout projects is the rewetting and nurturing of Scohaboy Bog. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times Among Irish towns and villages, Cloughjordan has long held a reputation for its commitment to sustainability, and this award highlights one of the groups at the heart of its efforts.The tendrils of the Cloughjordan Community Development Association’s (CCDA) influence feed into the village’s heritage group, Tidy Towns, playground group, choir, business network, Christmas lights, street market and sustainable energy group.A standout project is Scohaboy Bog, a Special Area of Conservation, that has been developed as an amenity for the community. An EU LIFE project on the bog dates back to 2013, and alongside rewetting and nurturing it, locals have added boardwalks to make Scohaboy more accessible.About 52 landowners in the area have signed up to assist rewetting work, and Bord na Móna has some involvement in its maintenance. Beyond that, the CCDA is actively passing on its learning from Scohaboy to other communities looking to rewet their local bogs. It was one of the facets of the village that most impressed Shannen Fenton on her visit.[ European Commission to put Ireland’s poor climate action record under scrutinyOpens in new window ]“It was a pleasure to meet Gearóid [Ó Foighil] and learn about Cloughjordan and the wonderful work they are doing,” she says. “Cloughjordan Community Development Association are an extremely dedicated group of volunteers who have positively impacted their environment and community.”Ó Foighil is part of a small group at the heart of the CCDA’s work. Knockanacree Woodlands, managed in partnership with Coillte, is another of their undertakings. The CCDA have contributed to its walking trails, and increased the habitat provision in the woods for birds, mammals and invertebrates.The group pushes to minimise the number of motorised vehicles on Cloughjordan’s roads, tracking the cars that are removed each year and noting the associated carbon savings.A new plan for the village, Cloughjordan 2040, is being developed with State funding from the LEADER programme for rural development. Decarbonisation is a core theme, and home energy-saving kits are being made available to residents. Fenton describes it all as “an unusually wide spread of work for a town of its size”.“I can’t wait to see what the group achieve in the coming years,” she says. “[You could] feel their passion for the environment and giving back to the community.”