About Durrow Tidy Towns

Durrow is a beautiful village in the heart of the Midlands and is the hidden gem of Ireland’s Ancient East with a beauty engraved in the hearts of all who live here and observed by those who pass through here. It is an exceptionally attractive, historic town which has retained much of its traditional character. The town has a very distinctive Georgian Square, consisting of a large green area surrounded by period buildings. The town’s unique character has been recognised by Laois County Council in its designation of Durrow as an Architectural Conservation Area. However, this designation has had an impact on the range and scope of what we can do in terms of developing Biodiversity in line with Tidy Towns guidelines. We are a Georgian Village, with a 21st century awareness and we feel that we have found other ways to encourage and promote biodiversity in Durrow by using what we have around us in our residents’ gardens, approach roads and the beautiful 23KM Leafy Loop walks, which surround the town.

Durrow has a long history of attracting and supporting volunteer work in our community through festivals, clubs and organisations. We have always strongly felt that the strength of our community is the people who take pride in where they live and work. Our Tidy Towns volunteers have been working since the early 1960’s to enhance Durrow for residents, businesses and visitors alike. Durrow Tidy Towns is a sub division of Durrow Development Forum and we have received huge support and encouragement from DDF which has allowed us to focus exclusively on the issues related to Tidy Towns themes and objectives.

Being part of the Tidy Towns Competition provides a focus for developing the shared spaces in the town and surrounding areas. The inclusive nature of Tidy Towns and the diversity of the projects we engage in, means that all members of the community can participate and contribute in many different ways. This helps build a strong, supportive and resilient community and we feel this was very evident in how our town pulled together during the Covid-19 crisis.

Participation in Tidy Towns has underlined how vital it is to protect our biodiversity and

support sustainability. These are the areas that we plan to focus on going forward, building on the steps that we have already taken.