Tyrrellspass gets ready for fancy dress ball at Halloween

Tyrrellspass Tidy Towns had yet another busy year, packed with new initiatives and a focus on sustainability and biodiversity projects, working with other community groups and partners.

Many community activities were tied in nationwide and worldwide initiatives; for instance, the three events around Earth Day were registered on the official Earth Day website, putting Tyrrellspass on the map alongside the big boys!

These events were: joining in the An Taisce Spring Clean; launching the Tyrrellspass Sustainable Energy Community Master Plan and Tyrrellspass Community Biodiversity Action Plan at the GAA Pavilion; and partnering with St Anne’s National School for the WEEEird and Spec(s)tacular Recyclables Collection, for which three boxes full of small electrical devices such as electrical toys and broken rechargers were saved from landfill and sent for recycling at Westmeath County Council facilities; and an entire box of used spectacles found a new lease of life with underdeveloped communities through the refurbish programme championed by Mullingar Lions Club.

All that was just the start. For the first time, Tyrrellspass Tidy Towns hosted learning initiatives, through the REACH programme managed by the Longford and Westmeath Education and Training Board. A Sustainable Gardening for Biodiversity course was held in June, attended by 40 participants who learned from horticulturist Aoife Munn about how to make community spaces and our homes havens for urban biodiversity.

At the end of August, the Tidy Towns hosted a second workshop: of all things, a Scything for Meadow Management course. Attendees learned the use of the Austrian scythe, a tool so light and with a technique so effective that even a child can use it. Participants employed their new skill to make a start of the yearly cutting of the wildflower meadow at Belvedere Orphanage: an ideal setting, as scything is a technique that preserves insects and small animals that dwell in the meadow, while protecting soil aeration, which improves its health and maximises wildflower yield.

Another brilliant partnership was established with the Local Authority Waters Programme, centred on improving water quality in Tyrrellspass. The focus was on the Molly Smullen, a stream of historic significance that rises at the foot of Gneevebawn Hill, runs under the new Mullingar Road and alongside Cloncrow Bog, and eventually joins the Brosna. It was, at one point, the main source of water for the village.

The Tidy Towns passed on their knowledge of the stream to the Green-Schools Committee at St Anne’s NS, which helped them to achieve a great result: Regional Winner for the Marine School of the Year 2024, ahead of schools that are actually in seaside towns.

That might be why there was such a great welcome for the committee member who held the Watch it Grow initiative, helping the 100-plus students fill pots and plant peas and sunflower seeds to watch germinate and bring home.

Heritage Week

Heritage Week Events, led by ETHOS (Everything Tyrrellspass Has On Show) included the unveiling of the new Heritage Trail, an event for which Tyrrellspass Tidy Towns joined LAWPRO in displaying the results of water testing by kick sampling in the Molly Smullen. Unfortunately, results were not encouraging and the Molly Smullen, like many other local streams and rivers, is not in the best of health; which makes further interventions and local action even more important.

More than 60 years of participation in the Tidy Towns Awards means all are used to the village of Tyrrellspass being in remarkable condition through the adjudicating season, but the award is no longer just about keeping a village neat – if anything, it is now about combining the need for neat with the need for wild, moving towards a different idea of beauty, a different appreciation of the nature on our doorstep.

Volunteers are always welcome, whether they are interested in biodiversity or can’t stand litter, want to learn about event management, are great at social media, or would like to make friends: the time commitment can be as little as an hour a week.

To join the Tidy Towns, message the Facebook page or leave your phone number with Caroline in Gonoud’s Pub and Lounge.

Halloween Fancy Dress Ball

There is no better way to conclude such a busy year than to celebrate with a repeat of last year’s popular Halloween Fancy Dress Ball, at Gonoud’s, on Saturday October 26 (doors 9pm). With tickets at just €10, a raffle on the night and prizes for the best costumes, it promises to be a night to remember.

Tickets available from Gonoud’s or contact Monica 087 4134822.