PHOTOS: Kilkenny community groups awarded at castle ceremony

Multiple awards were presented to groups from across the county in three categories

News PHOTOS: Kilkenny community groups awarded at castle ceremony By Reporter Published 11th May 2026, 20:00 BST Multiple awards were presented to groups from across the county in three categories Kilkenny County Council held the Community Awards Night in the Parade Tower at Kilkenny Castle last week.

Cathaoirleach, Cllr Mary Hilda Cavanagh welcomed all the groups who attended the Community Awards Ceremony that is held in recognition and to acknowledge the direction and work of the community groups carried out in towns and villages throughout the county.

The Cathaoirleach commented: “Kilkenny has always demonstrated a special community spirit that lives in every town, village and neighbourhood. Tonight is not simply and awards ceremony; it is a tribute to the people who breathe life, colour, care and pride into the places we call home.”

On the night there were awards for three different categories, including the Pride of Place nominations from Kilkenny for the national competition in 2025, Tidy Towns groups who were recognised for their achievements and finally the prize giving for the winners of the Tidy Estates Competition.

The IPB Pride of Place, is an all-island competition both North & South that rewards people and groups who come together to make positive changes within their communities and improve the daily lives of those citizens.

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Kilkenny County Council nominated three communities for these awards for this national competition. The groups representing Kilkenny for the 2025 competition were community groups from Windgap, Gowran and Piltown.

All nominees were celebrated at the Kilkenny Community Awards ceremony and received an award in recognition of their achievements and their participation in the national competition.

The Tidy Towns group also received a special acknowledgement and recognition award for their dedication, achievements and success in the national competition 2025.

Inistioge Tidy Towns were recognised for their achievement in achieving a Gold Medal and first place in the County Awards Category, reflecting the extensive efforts and wealth of experience brought forth by the committee and dedicated local volunteers.

Keep Kilkenny Beautiful finished just five marks shy of the national champion in the 2025 competition, retaining its gold medal award and securing second place in the County Awards.

KKB were honoured as one of only two national recipients of the Greenways and Active Travel Awards for their innovative and sustainable initiatives.

Tullahought Tidy Towns celebrated a major milestone by achieving their first ever Gold Medal in the Tidy Towns Competition, a remarkable accomplishment that reflects decades of commitment.

Owning Tidy Towns also received recognition for their achievements in 2025. The group were recognised with the Endeavour Award at the national competition. This award is presented to the community that shows the greatest improvement in marks overall.

Kilkenny County Council Tidy Estates Competition aims to encourage residents to take an active role in improving the physical appearance of their housing estates. The overall winners in the Large Estates category were Glenvale Ballyragget, and in second place were Bellfield Estate and Woodview Estate, Freshford received third place in the competition.

In the Medium Estates category, the winners were the Belfry Estate, Thomastown, with Mill Road, Inistioge following in second place and in third place was Assumption Place, Urlingford.

In the Small Estates category, the winners were Fr Raftice Place, Moneenroe, and in second place were Old School Crescent, Moneenroe and in third place were Shamrock Grove Estate, Kilmacow.