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Ballynacally Tidy Towns 
Hello and welcome to our page where we hope to keep you informed on whats happening in Tidy Towns.. We also encourage you to like our Facebook page to help us communicate with you. Please help us by liking and sharing our Facebook page, we would appreciate it.
Please read the 2018 Adjudicators report here
Did you walk “The Midnight Mile”
Community spirit and motivation is very much alive in the beautiful west Clare village of Ballynacally. After a joint initiative by Ballynacally Tidy Towns, the local Development Association and Clondegad GAA Club the new Micheál O Hehir community walking track has been completed. It forms a 500 meter circuit around Clondegad GAA pitch – “Páirc Micheál O Hehir” originally named in honour of the well known broadcaster known as “the voice of the GAA” whose father hailed from Paradise in Ballynacally.
This track offers safe walking facilities for all ages avoiding the busy roads and providing lighting and nearby parking facilities and is also in close proximity to the National School. The project was undertaken after securing funding from Clare Co. Council which will cover the majority of the costs. Most of the remaining costs were raised on the opening night of the track on Friday 6th of April in a novelty event termed “The Midnight Mile” and it drew a large attendance. Even though the event was scheduled for midnight registration and PARKING was at the local community centre from 9 pm till midnight offering the opportunity to anyone who wished to walk at anytime during those hours. Local groups provided refreshments allowing the walkers to mingle a while and enjoy the community spirit. A large number of Musicians from the area and beyond provided entertainment on the night in the hall while Con ran an amplified playlist of music at the pitch. The Raffle on the night had some splendid prizes and raised €800+ parto fthe totAL €2850 RAISED IN TOTAL.
"It was hoped this event would gather walkers of all ages and it did and what nicer way to spend a while than walking with friends by moonlight in this splendid tranquil rural setting. This project was truly an example of teamwork - where coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress and working together is success - in a village that scores highly in the Tidy Towns Competition and where the local Clondegad GAA team reached the County Final in 2017. Come join with us and walk “The Midnight Mile”. Go n-éirí an bothar leat!" (clare champion)
For more info click on the "click here" button
Busy Bees in 2017/18
Weve been very busy recently working together for the good of the community and got a lot done this year.
We've installed traffic calming signs at the entrances of the village, had a bright new sign added to the front wall of the Community Centre, commisioned new stone signage to mark the fair green and Roscliff area and failte welcome signs at the village entrances. New slate heritage plaques fitted in relevant locations around the village. We also organised a talk on Japanese Knotweed with Dr. Gulliano which was held in the community centre recently on best practice to prevent the spread of this invasive species. (See slideshow here). We also paid €7000 to fund the installation of a running walking track around the GAA pitch in consulatation with the GAA who ran the project. A lot of the above project were completed with funding sought from the state and the Tidy Towns are thankful to Lissycasey Co. Councilor P.J. Kelly for his assistance in securing this funding.
We also attended the Tidy Towns conference in Castlebar compared by celebrity Architect Niall Bannon and of course the Tidy Towns award ceremony in the Helix where we were awarded Bronze.
Tidy Towns result 2017
Ballynacally Tidy Towns scored extra points in this year’s national competition, attaining the highest points in their category in Co. Clare and retaining their bronze medal. This is a great achievement and they wish to thank their hard working committee members, all of those who volunteered or helped in any way throughout the year, the residents of the village, DSP (fas) workers and Job Initiative Worker. Your assistance was greatly appreciated. Planning for next season will begin soon and if anybody would like to get involved please contact any member of the committee. Extra help is needed going forward to progress potential projects to enhance our beautiful village.
See the judges report here
The Japanese Knotweed
A talk was held in the community centre recently on best practice to prevent the spread of this invasive species (See slideshow here). Japanese knotweed is the most common and widespread of the knotweeds in Ireland. It has small, bright green leaves with a characteristic flat leaf base. Since its introduction it has infested a wide range of habitats, including the banks of rivers. The plant grows to 3 metres in height and forms very dense cover. Spread is rapid and the growth habit of the plant efficiently excludes native herbaceous species. It is hard to kill with professional help needed. Cutting should be avoided as this does not kill the plant but can allow it to spread, farmers with hedgecutters need to be especially vigilant as they can inadvertantly spread the plant to many areas. Spraying it with standard herbicides is also useless as it just regrowns having a 2m deep rootbase. Interestly the British think they may have found a way to kill it it a fungus and the introduction of a japaneese knotweed loving fly. More here.
Knotweed being injected by a specialist firm employed by Tidy Towns late September 2017.
Tidy Towns Season 2017
In its 59th year, the competition is administered by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and is sponsored by SuperValu.
Through its history the competition has encouraged voluntary activity and community participation across the country. It has helped to make our villages, towns and cities better and more attractive places to live, work and do business in. This year the crew are busy planning for the competition. With lots of useful advice picked up at the Westport Tidy Towns conference 2017, the dedicated members are waging war on the Japanese knotweed with help from Clare Co. Co. Also the flowers are ordered with an emphasis on perenial planting this year. Help always welcome just email us by clicking here or tel 086 6020553 if you can lend a hand.
