Galway City Council has achieved five prestigious Green Flag Awards, at the announcement on 8 November by An Taisce Environmental Education Unit. The Green Flag Awards acknowledge Ireland’s best public parks and gardens, with Quincentennial Park in Salthill achieving the award for the fifth time, Children’s Millennium Park retaining the honour for a sixth year in a row and O’Sullivan Park in Mervue achieving the award for the third time. Both Kennedy Park (Eyre Square) and Terryland Forest Park joined the honour roll this year, with the award of the Green Flag for the first time.
The Green Flag Award is an international mark of excellence for parks and green spaces, with applicants marked on stringent environmental standards in green-space management, and excellence of visitor attractions. The Awards are judged every year by a peer jury of green space experts, who volunteer their time to visit applicant sites and assess them against eight strict criteria, including horticultural standards, cleanliness, sustainability, and community involvement.
Speaking about the Awards, Patrick Greene, Director of Services with Galway City Council commented, Galway City Council is delighted to see the work of our staff in Environment and Recreation and Amenity recognised today, with the award of five Green Flags for the City – including two for the first time for Kennedy Park and Terryland Forest Park. Our staff work throughout the year to make our parks inviting spaces for play, for exercise or for relaxing, while also supporting biodiversity and protecting wildlife. Over the past year, our staff have upgraded the playground in Millennium Children’s Park, delivered planting and tree works in Eyre Square, new planting and lighting in O’Sullivan Park, new footpaths and biodiversity initiatives in Terryland Forest Park and upgrades to Quincentennial Park and ongoing litter picks on a daily basis. This work is funded through the Local Property Tax and Commercial Rates. Without this support from home/property-owners and businesses for this investment in the city we could not create beautiful, engaging and playful spaces for the people of Galway. Many thanks to the many volunteers who help us to maintain these spaces.”
The international Green Flag Award was awarded to 120 Irish parks, gardens, greenways and wildlife sanctuaries around the country last Friday 8 November.
In the Republic of Ireland, An Taisce Environmental Education is the national operator, and has delivered the Green Flag Award since 2016. The Green Flag Award is a non-profit international accreditation program that recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces.
More information on Green Flag Awards can be found at https://www.antaisce.org/green-flag-for-parks