Tullamore in final 20 best places to live in Ireland

Tullamore has been named as one of the Top 20 Best Places to live in Ireland and is in the running for the overall title following the publication of the long list of contenders at the weekend.

The Offaly town was just one of the 470 locations which were nominated by more than 2,400 people from across the 32 counties for the title of ‘Best Place to Live in Ireland 2021’.

Tullamore, one of nine towns selected from all over Ireland for the Top 20 – received 7 nominations.

The Irish Times ‘Best Place to Live in Ireland’ competition, which is sponsored by Randox Health, began in June when members of the public were invited to nominate their favourite place to live for the award. The Top 5 finalists will be named in mid-September with the overall winner announced on Saturday, September 25.

Each nominated location was considered by a panel of judges on specific criteria, including community spirit, local services and amenities, diversity, transport links, vibrancy of the local economy, cost of living, safety and of course the unique X factor.

In the nomination selected by the judges as best representing everything which is great about Tullamore, Roger Guiney, pointed to its friendliness, its history, its industry, its location on the ancient Irish Esker-Riada highway, its ambitious plans for the future and the vast array of services and facilities which are located in and around the town.

“We tick all the boxes; great schools, library, parks and playgrounds; best of sports facilities and leisure centres, nationally ranked athletics facilities, golf courses and stadiums; gothic castles, monastic abbeys, ancient oaks, wetlands, blue-bell forests and greenways. Think about this; 200 recreation and sports facilities, 76 primary and 14 secondary schools, 120 childcare facilities all within 30 mins………when you come here, it’s very hard to leave.”

The panel of five judges – which includes Mayo county architect Simon Wall, Monaghan GP Dr Illona Duffy, Nationwide TV presenter Zainab Boladale and Irish Times journalist Rosita Boland – spent hours reading and debating the entries, before selecting the Top 20. The Irish Times is currently on the road visiting the 20 locations and in a couple of weeks will announce the Top 5 before revealing the overall winner.

The Chair of the Judging Panel, Conor Goodman said the entries from people all over the island showcased the quality-of-life available here.

“While the competition is a celebration of the many great places this country has to offer, it also has a serious mission. We want to highlight good examples of community cohesion and local initiatives, in the face of challenges such as the housing shortage and the public health crisis.”

“In Tullamore and the other locations named in the Top 20 – our judges saw how pride in, and passion for a place can galvanise a community to action and lead to the forging of a unique and open spirit of creativity and innovation. In each of these locations a strong culture of volunteerism is evident as is a keen interest in sustainability and a desire to create a welcoming environment which caters for people of all ages and backgrounds.”

Other places to be nominated include Killarney, Carrick-on-Shannon, Bray, Abbeyleix and Gorey. While towns predominate – there are 9 - the Top 20 also includes 4 villages, 2 Dublin suburbs and 3 cities. Four counties, Monaghan, Laois, Galway, and Dublin have two representatives on the long list.

The most heavily nominated locations were the suburb of Malahide in Co. Dublin with 320 entries and the village of Glaslough in Co. Monaghan – population 450 – with 246 entries.

The countrywide competition last took place almost 10 years ago in 2012 in the midst of the financial crisis. On that occasion Westport was selected as the overall Irish Times Best Place to Live as it met so many criteria and displayed a remarkable community spirit that was evident in its 90-plus voluntary organisations.

For information about ‘Best Places to Live 2021’ go to www.irishtimes.com/bestplace

The full list of Top 20 Best Places to live in Ireland 2021 includes 4 villages: Abbeyleix and Ballinakill (Co. Laois), Clonbur (Co. Galway) and Glaslough (Co. Monaghan) 3 cities: Derry City / Londonderry (Co. Derry), Galway City (Co. Galway) and Waterford City (Co. Waterford) 2 suburbs: Cabra (Dublin 7) and Malahide (Co.Dublin) and 11 towns: Blackrock (Co. Louth), Bray (Co. Wicklow), Carrick-on-Shannon (Co. Leitrim), Celbridge (Co.Kildare), Clonakilty (Co. Cork), Enniskillen (Co. Fermanagh) Gorey (Co. Wexford), Killarney (Co. Kerry), Monaghan (Co. Monaghan) Rostrevor (Co. Down) and Tullamore (Co.Offaly).