Trim not the only Meath town to be celebrating big Tidy Towns success stories

While Trim may have taken top honours winning the overall National Tidy Towns Title for 2022, tidy towns groups across the county are celebrating excellent results in this year's competition including Athboy which achieved its first silver medal.

As well as winning the title of Ireland's tidiest large town and the national title for the fourth time, Trim also took the county prize for Meath.

Moynalty, which won the national title in 2013, finished in second place with a score of 361 and both Trim and Moynalty retained their gold medals.

Athboy finished in third place in the county and also won a silver medal for the first time. Athboy won its first bronze medal just three years ago and the committee was delighted to improve its score by 16 marks to win silver this year.

Chairperson Katie McCormack, who took over as chairperson in March, said they were "absolutely thrilled" with their results which were an increase of 16 from last year.

She said they were delighted to be invited to the awards this year and there was a great buzz in the RDS and they were "hopeful of getting silver".

"We have done a lot of work in the last while since getting bronze and it is great to see that work being recognised and to be up there in the RDS and surrounded by the different tidy towns groups from around the country.

"A massive amount of work has been done by the group, especially after Covid. We had a lot of ideas and we have already implemented a lot of our projects. There are eight different sections and we try to do informed projects such as in biodiversity.

"Throughout Covid we really engaged with the community. There was already a great community spirit in Athboy, but it has really been enhanced in the last year or two and the group is really flourishing and we have new members getting involved."

Katie explained that for those who don't want to commit to becoming members of the committee, they have friends of Athboy Tidy Towns Whatsapp group where they can send out a message for help and anyone free will come along. An example was last weekend where a community bulb planting day took place. Athboy Tidy Towns got a grant from the AXA Park Fund for 4,000 spring planting bulbs. She also thanked the local business community for their ongoing support.

A total of 31 towns and villages across Meath entered the competition this year. In each county, an Endeavour is presented to the entrant with the biggest improvement in the competition since last year, and in Meath this prize went to Drumconrath this year which improved its score from 234 to 259.

A national award, also went to Dunboyne Tidy Towns which won the youth award of €500 in the Climate Action Award section.

The full list of Meath results are as follows:

Category A (population under 200)

Moynalty - 361 County (Second & Gold Medal)

Batterstown - 345

Castletown-Kilpatrick -337

Dunsany - 300

Category B (population 201-1,000)

Julianstown - 338

Killyon - 304

Summerhill - 301

Kilberry - 268

Drumconrath - 259 (Endeavour Award)

Donore - 256

Kilbride - 252

Gormanston - 229

Clonalvy - 215

Category C (population 1,001- 2,500)

Athboy - 351 County Third & Silver Medal

Slane - 342

Oldcastle - 306

Ballivor - 282

Longwood - 246

Bettystown - 245

Ardcath - 221

Category D (population 2,501 - 5,000)

Enfield - 340

Dunshaughlin - 339

Duleek - 271

Stamullen - 270

Category E (population 5,001 - 10,000)

Kells - 323

Dunboyne - 316

Ratoath - 316

Laytown - 270

Category F (population 10,001-15,000)

Trim - 366 (County First & Gold Medal)

Ashbourne - 309

Johnstown - 249