Winner: Bunclody, Co Wexford

Summary
Snuggled in the breath-taking parkland of Mount Leinster, Bunclody is set among rich quiet farmlands on the border of counties Wexford and Carlow in Ireland’s sunny south-east. Bunclody is a pretty town where the Slaney and Clody Rivers meet in the valley of the Blackstairs Mountains. Bunclody has so much to offer locals and visitors alike, from hand gliding, fishing, heritage trails, stunning scenery, culture, sports, great food & drink as well as traditional rural life. As it has an historic Market Square, Bunclody has the honour of being chosen as one of ten Irish market towns to feature in the prestigious Annual Architectural Biennale in Venice in 2018 under the banner of ‘Freespace’. Constantly striving to create a more welcoming, imaginative and attractive community, Bunclody’s Voluntary Town Team works closely with local authorities, amenity providers, business, the extended local community and sporting organisations to enhance the town. Bunclody is “one of the pleasantest towns” in Ireland (John Wesley, 1787).

Community Contact: Michael Sweeney [email protected]

Citation
From the moment the Judges arrived in this very attractive town, they were impressed. They heard a top-class presentation in a lovely community arts facility and visited numerous places and projects. This town has a strong partnership approach between community and sporting organisations, businesses, voluntary bodies and the local councils of two counties, with an excellent town team. The inclusion of all diverse groupings of residents is very obvious and judges were impressed with their visit to the excellent day-care facility, community tourist office and the fantastic traveller project. After an impressive visit, the judges will continue to watch the development of this town on its journey as a great place to live, work and visit.

Runners Up: Maghaberry, Co Antrim and Thomastown, Co Kilkenny