They received the overall winner award and the €15,000 in prize money for being the highest scoring entrant in the whole competition.
Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys, was on hand to present the winners in each of the categories with their awards.
“Today you are all winners. What you do for your communities is admirable and commendable… you are out there whether rain, hail or shine,” Ms Humphreys said.
“MC Marty Morrissey said the awards ceremony at a packed out Hogan Suite in Croke Park was a “celebration of place”.
A total of 904 towns and villages entered the competition this year, which has been running for 66 years.
In place since 1958, the competition, administered by the Department of Rural and Community Development and sponsored by SuperValu, has grown beyond a competition into a national sustainability movement.
Luke Hanlon, Managing Director of SuperValu paid tribute to the efforts of 30,000 volunteers across the island, with over one million hours put in by committees across the country this year.
He also commended volunteers, 20pc of which are under 25 years old, for planting 108,000 trees and 200,000 square metres of flower beds.
Towns and villages big and small across the country entered, ranging from the smallest in Category A – populations of under 200, to the largest, Category H – with 25,001 and over.
A total of 80 Tidy Town centres were awarded gold medals. “Let’s acknowledge the efforts of all our volunteers,” Morrissey said, before a resounding cheer rung out for the medal winners.
Ireland’s tidiest village award went to Ballynahown in County Westmeath, which has a total population of 75 people, while Ireland’s tidiest small town went to Blackrock in County Louth.
The winner of Ireland’s tidiest large town for 2024 was announced as Westport, while Ireland’s Tidiest Large Urban Centre went to Ballincollig.
A series of Endeavour Awards were given out for the biggest improvement by an entrant in each county from the previous year.
There were also County Awards for the top three entrants in each county and Regional Awards for the top-scoring entrant in each region.
Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals were also also given to entrants with scores that fall within a set range from that year’s winning score.
There are also separate awards sections for Island entrants and Gaeltacht entrants.
Assessment of participating towns was carried out by an independent panel of adjudicators appointed by the department during the months of June, July and August.
