What Kenmare Tidy Town's Do

What we do

Kenmare Tidy Towns are consistently working to improve Kenmare town and environs and to reduce our impact on the environment.
We achieve results in various ways:

We plan and work hard as a Meitheal, as smaller groups and as individuals but knowing that we could never succeed by going this journey alone.
Through partnerships with local residents, businesses, clubs, schools, Kenmare Community Employment workers, Kerry County Council engineer and staff and KMEG.
Project work, for which grant funding or sponsorship is obtained
Engaging with experts.
Hosting workshops and events, such as Biodiversity talks and Solar Energy Seminar

Aims of the Tidy Towns:

The enhancement of the physical and social environment of Kenmare, with particular reference to:

Community Spirit, Pride and Inclusiveness
Biodiversity and the All Ireland Pollinator Plan
Sustainability – doing more with less
Architecture – Streetscapes, Public spaces, Heritage trail
Land - Green Spaces, Landscaping, Approach roads, Streets and Lanes
Water – River and Clean Coast initiatives

Litter Free Kenmare

We are very grateful to all diligent residents and visitors who work hard to keep Kenmare in top condition and litter free.
Unfortunately litter is still an issue, it is a hazard to wildlife, to public health and is unsightly.

The Tidy Towns committee and volunteers are dedicated to keeping Kenmare litter free. We make efforts to reduce waste at source, including conscious cup campaign and dog fouling awareness campaign.

Kenmare Tidy Towns act as litter wardens for various local events, including:

Ring of Beara Cycle,
Ring of Kerry cycle
15th OF August Fair Day
Bastille Day
Halloween Howl

Regular Tuesday evening meet-ups in the summer months. Meet at the Square at 7pm, all are welcome to join, see our Facebook page or email us for updates.
In addition to this, many locals look after dedicated areas.
We are hugely grateful for these efforts to keep Kenmare looking good.

Sustainablity

The EPA's Green Business Programme was run with Transition Years from Pobal Scoil. A Green Business survey and a Green Home was carried out, giving each business or home a sustainability rating and highlighting areas for improvement.

Kenmare Businesses have been making improvements in their environmental impact by taking part in the survey and implementing improvements.
Kenmare Tidy Towns and the Transition Years held a public seminar in January 2020 on the benefits of PhotoVoltaic (Solar Electric) panels.

In 2021, the Tidy Town's competition is embracing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), you can download information on our Further Information page.

Heritage

Kenmare heritage town is full of historical buildings and heritage features. Kenmare Tidy Towns and Kerry County Council commissioned a Heritage Trail, pinpointing 15 historic sites.

Signage was erected at each site and brochures including a map was developed. The trail takes you on a 30/45 minute tour of the town.

An Architectural Conservation Toolkit was developed for Main Street in 2015. It is a booklet describing in drawings, maps and photographs the rich architectural heritage of the planned town of Kenmare ,Co Kerry Ireland , the challenges facing its historical fabric and details and advice on how to maintain its architectural fabric and upgrade its Main Street along with links to further research. A workshop was delivered to Pobalscoil students and members of the public by Victoria McCarthy, Kerry County Council’s Architectural Conservation Officer on the toolkit.

A copy can be downloaded on our further information page.

Biodiversity

Improving biodiversity in the Kenmare area is one of the cornerstones of our organisation.
We do this through:

Awareness raising, Eco Telly will raise awareness of biodiversity in Kenmare Bay.
Education. We regularly run biodiversity walks around Kenmare
Implementation of the Pollinator Plan (see below)
Delivery of various practical projects, such as An Choill Bheag and The Swift Project.
Developing a Biodiversity Action Plan.
Reducing mowing of grass areas.
Planting native trees.
Using a mixture of native and pollinator friendly planting in our planting schemes.

All Ireland Pollinator Plan

The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, was set up to help reverse the decline in biodiversity in 2015. It is a cross-border strategy aimed at addressing pollinator decline and protecting pollination services. It has been internationally acclaimed and is being used by other countries as a template for national pollinator strategies. The current plan, 2015-2020 is coming to an end and a new, more ambitious document for 2021-2025 is on the way.

It is a key guidance document for the Tidy Towns committee.
Some of the main actions are to:

Reduce mowing
Reduce/eliminate pesticides
Plant pollinator friendly/native species

If you would like to find out about the Pollinator Plan, the actions involved or how to implement and record them, please contact us at kenmarett@gmail.com.
Individuals, community groups, businesses, golf courses and sports clubs can all get involved. Begin with one or two actions, perhaps reduce mowing on one section of lawn for a season and see what native wildflowers will come, ox-eye daisy, clover, self-heal, mayflower, birds foot trefoil, daisies are but a few just waiting for a break from the lawnmower.
For further information, including detailed How-To Guides and signage templates, visit https://pollinators.ie/

Water Quality

In 2022, some of our team took part in a Water Quality course, run by VeriConnect, funded by SKDP, LEADER program.We aim to use the learnings from this course to highlight our rivers, Finnihy, Sheen and the Roughty.
Water quality sampling, using CSSI (Citizen Science Stream Index) method of kick-sampling will take place in 2023.