Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2026 has been revealed.

Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary has announced Ballinahown, Co. Westmeath as this year's winner.

Over 600 volunteers were present at the SuperValu TidyTowns awards ceremony at Croke Park in Dublin today (Friday, October 23).

This year, 936 towns were competing for the prestigious awards, the highest number of entries ever received in the competition’s history.

Minister Calleary also presented the Gaeltacht Award today to Carraig Airt, Co. Donegal.

Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Jerry Buttimer, presented the Young Persons in TidyTowns award to Dromiskin, Co. Louth.

Community spirit

Minister Calleary said: "I offer my heartiest congratulations to Ballinahown and its TidyTowns volunteers for becoming Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2026. 

“This is a wonderful achievement and a special moment of immense pride for Ballinahown and indeed the wider county of Westmeath.

“Having consistently entered the competition over the last 40 years and winning the title of Ireland’s Tidiest Village in 2024, Ballinahown have finally achieved their goal of winning the competition outright.

"This is even more impressive given the fantastic results the village has achieved over the last three years with a population of just 160 people."

The main category winners announced today are:

Ballinahown, Co. Westmeath awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Village;
Abbeyleix, Co. Laois awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town;
Buncrana, Co. Donegal awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Large Town;
Tralee, Co. Kerry awarded Ireland's Tidiest Large Urban Centre.

The SuperValu TidyTowns competition is organised by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht and sponsored by SuperValu.

'Shared sense of pride'

Musgrave chief marketing officer, Margaret Barron congratulated Ballinahown.

She said the award is "not only a recognition of their tremendous efforts, but also a shining example of what can be achieved when communities come together with a shared sense of pride and a commitment to making a lasting, positive difference to their local area".

"We continue to be inspired by the phenomenal pride and dedication of more than 31,000 volunteers across 936 committees, who together have given over one million hours to their communities this year alone," Barron added.

"Perhaps most striking is the intergenerational reach of the TidyTowns initiative.

"This year, one-third of volunteers were under 45, with 11% being under 14, demonstrating that everyone has a stake in the place where they live and can play a role in making their community a better place to work, live and play."