Monaghan County Council proudly welcomed esteemed judges Tim Caffrey and John McGrillen of the prestigious Pride of Place competition on Monday 10th August and Tuesday 11th August, as part of a special visit to meet this year’s county nominees.
Pride of Place is an all-island competition organised by Co-Operation Ireland in partnership with IPB Insurance. The competition allows each Local Authority to celebrate the achievements of communities that demonstrate outstanding civic pride, inclusivity and partnership with local authorities.
This year Monaghan County Council has nominated 3 outstanding initiatives to represent the county. On Monday 10th August the judges visited Lisdoonan Development Association in the category Community Wellbeing. On Tuesday 11th August Ballinode Community Centre welcomed the judges in the Population 300-1000 category. Judging in Monaghan finished in the Ulster Canal Stores in the category Community Tourism.
The judges were delighted with how each group represented themselves, their communities and the Council. The judges acknowledged the support of the Cathaoirleach Cllr. Aidan Campbell, Monaghan County Council Chief Executive Robert Burns, all the Elected Representatives who were notably present during each visit.
Cathaoirleach Cllr. Aidan Campbell said “I congratulate all our nominees on how they have presented themselves and their communities to the judges. It takes hard work and commitment to plan for judges visits and I am very proud of the standard each group has set this year. I wish them all the very best in the competition”.
Chief Executive of Monaghan County Council Robert Burns said “Pride of Place is a celebration of the people and communities who work every day to make Monaghan a great place to live, work and visit. Across all three nominations, the judges experienced first-hand the dedication, volunteerism and community spirit that are helping local areas to thrive. The passion and commitment shown by everyone involved was truly inspiring and reflects the strong sense of pride that exists throughout our county. I congratulate all of our nominees on representing Monaghan so positively and wish them every success in the competition”.
The winners of the 2026 Pride of Place competition will be announced at a gala awards ceremony on 24th October at the Convention Centre, Dublin.