President Mary Robinson unveils a plaque to commemorate Malin the winner of the 1991 Tidy Towns competition.
Bord Fáilte's competition to find the tidiest town in Ireland began in 1958, and last year over six hundred and forty towns entered. The high level of interest from communities all over the country has led to the development of over one hundred categories within the competition, ranging from best new entry to regional winners.
National Tidy Towns Day is officially marked in County Donegal with the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate Malin as the winner of the 1991 Tidy Towns competition by President Mary Robinson.
This is the second time that the village of Malin, thirteen kilometers south of Malin Head, Ireland's most northerly point, has been awarded the coveted prize of the tidiest town in Ireland.
The president’s first duty was to inspect an FCA (Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil) guard of honour drawn from the 24th Infantry Battallion of the Western Command.
Speaking at the unveiling of the plaque on the village’s triangular green, President Robinson whose mother is from nearby Carndonagh has happy memories of the area deemed it a great honour to return to Inishowen. Paying tribute to the National Tidy Towns Competition, and the president described the concept as,
A simple but wonderful idea.
SuperValu supermarkets are now the new sponsors of the competition, and Chairman of Bord Fáilte Martin Dully announced that from next year events to mark National Tidy Towns Day will take place across the country.
Congratulating the people of Malin President Robinson praised the commitment and dedication of everyone involved in the Tidy Towns competition,
It’s also part of your own pride in Malin, and you pass that on to the next generation.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 3 May 1992. The reporter is Eileen Magnier.
