Ireland’s Greenest Place is set to be announced along with category winners including the greenest suburb, village, town and community after an evaluation of numerous entries from across the island.
The 2025 Irish Times Ireland’s Greenest Places competition, held in association with Electric Ireland, has thrown up numerous examples of genuine environmental enhancement; whether in large urban centres or remote rural locations.
The overall winner is selected not only for its tangible contribution to a greener environment and a high level of participation, but also for its vision of a new kind of living or working, based on sustainability – including, where possible, the scaling-up of renewable energy – building climate resilience, cross-community engagement and care for nature.
The competition revealed ongoing projects that vary significantly in scale but all achieving success through the sustained support of volunteers and local buy-in.
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Many of the locations have benefited from transformative action, changing both physically and culturally as a result of collaborative green projects.
The overall winner and category winners are chosen from a shortlist of 14 entries – with a representative of the judges having visited all these locations.
Entries that reached this final stage of deliberation show evidence of concrete, widespread action on climate, biodiversity and sustainability goals.
Those shortlisted for the greenest suburb award are Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, and Harper’s Island on the outskirts of Cork.
In the greenest town category are: Ballina, Co Mayo; Skerries, Co Dublin, and Killarney, Co Kerry.
[ Ireland’s Greenest Places 2025 competition: 40 shades of green initiativesOpens in new window ]
Among the entries vying for top honours in the greenest village group are Castlegregory/Maharees, Co Kerry; Inagh, Co Clare; Cloughjordan Ecovillage, Co Tipperary; and Louisburgh, Co Mayo.
The largest number of entries was in the community category. Those shortlisted are: Coolmine Lodge, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15; Taplin’s Fields in Dublin’s inner city; Dingle Peninsula in Co Kerry; Ambrosetown Cemetery in Duncormick, Co Wexford; and Dysart river restoration project in Co Westmeath.
- The judges for the awards were former Green Party leader and ex-minister for environment Eamon Ryan; Irish Times Environment Editor Kevin O’Sullivan, Senior Features Writer Rosita Boland and Electric Ireland’s Head of Marketing Lisa Browne. The panel is chaired by Irish Times Features Editor Mary Minihan.
