In total over 470 different locations across all 32 counties were nominated
Wednesday 8th September 2021: What do Clonbur in Galway, the City of Derry, Ballinakill in Laois and Gorey in Co Wexford have in common?
They are all among the Top 20 Best Places to Live in Ireland and are in the running for the overall title following the publication of the long list of contenders.
Other places to make the long list include Killarney in Kerry, Carrick-on-Shannon in Leitrim, Clonakilty in Cork and Tullamore in Offaly. (See full list below)
The Irish Times ‘Best Place to Live in Ireland’ competition, which is sponsored by Randox Health, began in June when members of the public were invited to nominate their favourite place to live for the award.
Over the course of the summer, more than 2,400 members of the public nominated 470 locations in every county in Ireland for the title of ‘Best Place to Live in Ireland 2021’.
Towns predominate among the Top 20 locations selected – with 11 representatives – while there are 4 villages, and 3 cities in addition to the Dublin suburbs of Cabra and Malahide.
In addition to the capital, the three other counties with two representatives are Monaghan, Laois and Galway.
Each nominated location was considered by a panel of judges on specific criteria, including community spirit, local services and amenities, diversity, transport links, housing supply, vibrancy of the local economy, cost of living, safety and of course the unique X factor.
While Malahide on 320 received the most nominations – the village of Glaslough in Co Monaghan – population 450 – received 246. This means over half the population of the village – 55% – nominated it for the award.
While the number of nominations was a factor in the selection of the 20 locations, the quality of the place itself was the chief consideration.
The panel of five judges – which includes Mayo County architect Simon Wall, Monaghan GP Dr Illona Duffy, RTE Nationwide TV presenter Zainab Boladale and Irish Times journalist Rosita Boland – spent hours reading and debating the entries, before selecting the Top 20.
The Chair of the Judging Panel, Conor Goodman said the entries from people all over the island showcased the quality-of-life available here.
“While the competition is a celebration of the many great places this country has to offer, it also has a serious mission. We want to highlight good examples of community cohesion and local initiatives, in the face of challenges such as the housing shortage and the public health crisis.”
“In the Top 20 locations our judges saw how pride in, and passion for a place can galvanise a community to action and lead to a spirit of inclusivity and creativity. In each of these locations a strong culture of volunteerism is evident as is a strong interest in sustainability and a desire to create a welcoming environment which caters for people of all ages and backgrounds.”
The Top 5 finalists will be named in mid-September with the overall winner announced on Sat Sept 25th.
The Top 20 Best Places to live in Ireland 2021
Cities (3)
Derry City / Londonderry, Galway City, Waterford City
Villages (4)
Abbeyleix and Ballinakill (Co. Laois), Clonbur (Co. Galway) Glaslough (Co. Monaghan)
Suburbs (2)
Cabra (Dublin 7), Malahide (Co.Dublin)
Towns (11)
Blackrock (Co. Louth), Bray (Co. Wicklow), Carrick-on-Shannon (Co. Leitrim), Celbridge (Co.Kildare), Clonakilty (Co. Cork), Enniskillen (Co. Fermanagh), Gorey (Co. Wexford), Killarney (Co. Kerry), Monaghan (Co. Monaghan), Rostrevor (Co. Down), Tullamore (Co.Offaly)
The countrywide competition last took place almost 10 years ago in 2012 in the midst of the financial crisis.
On that occasion Westport was selected as the overall Irish Times Best Place to Live as it met so many criteria and displayed a remarkable community spirit that was evident in its 90-plus voluntary organisations. Due to its previous win Westport could not be nominated for this year’s competition
For information about ‘Best Places to Live 2021’ go to www.irishtimes.com/bestplace