Passage East in Waterford is representing Ireland in the Entente Florale Europe competition.
Just six months ago, Bord Fáilte asked the Waterford village of Passage East to represent Ireland in the Entente Florale competition. Now, the judges have arrived to inspect the village.
The competition designed to beautify through the use of trees, shrubs and flowers and demonstrate skill and imagination in their use.
A great effort has gone into cleaning up the village, making it look prettier and creating a good community spirit. Passage, as it is called for short, is a fishing village of about 500 people who have worked together to present to the judges. £6,000 has been spent on the project funded by sponsorship and local effort.
The judges arrived in Passage East on the ferry service across the Barrow Estuary from Wexford to Waterford.
Mary Nash, Community Projects Officer at Bord Fáilte, explains why Passage East was chosen to represent Ireland. With a great record in the Tidy Towns Competition and showing a great appreciation for flowers and trees, Passage East was an obvious choice.
We felt that they would represent Ireland very well.
In all, twelve thousand plants have been planted throughout Passage East.
Noel Doran, Chairman of the Development Association, views the competition as the start of something new for the village. For a town with few gardens, the streets form community gardens. Noel Doran pays tribute to the civic spirit of the village and believes that the work started by the competition will continue long after it has ended.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 25 July 1984. The reporter is Michael Ryan.
