Murrisk, Westport and Crimlin in Mayo were honoured for their community efforts this week in the annual Co-operation Ireland All-Island Pride of Place Competition.
Murrisk Development Association, County Mayo, received one of the top awards while Westport Multi-Agency Enterprise Group and Crimlin Community Arts both received runner-up awards.
Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey presented the awards during the gala ceremony, which was hosted by Meath County Council. TV personality Marty Whelan was MC for the evening.
Murrisk won top prize in category one, which is for areas with a population of fewer than 200. “We are very impressed by a wonderful community doing incredible work in many areas and projects,” the judges said of Murrisk.
“The backdrop of magnificent scenery underscores the desirability of this village as a place to live. Through unstinting effort the village became the site of a National Famine memorial and a well-appointed Interpretive Centre is a perfect starting point and tourist attraction for visitors to Croagh Patrick. That much has been achieved in such a small village is testament to the sheer dedication, hard work and community spirit of its remarkable inhabitants.”
Westport Multi-Agency Enterprise Group won runner-up award in category six (Community Response to Unemployment ), while Crimlin won in Category seven (Community Arts Initiative ).
“Winning a Pride of Place Award is a great achievement - it recognises and celebrates those people who work tirelessly for the good of their community,” said Peter Sheridan, chief executive of Co-operation Ireland. “Although there can only be one winner in each category, the Pride of Place Competition is an opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of all groups nominated by their local authority.”
