Council Shortlisted for Five Excellence in Local Governments Awards

Cavan County Council is shortlisted for five awards at the Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards, which take place at the Crowne Plaza in Santry on Thursday, 27th November.

Cavan projects have been selected for consideration at the awards ceremony, including ‘Celebrating Irish Language & Culture’, Best Age Friendly Initiative’, ‘Heritage and Built Environment’, ‘Municipal District Initiative’, and ‘Supporting Tourism’ categories.

An innovative project by Cavan Library Service in Glangevlin to re-produce an historic bilingual Irish prayer book in dating from 1921 is shortlisted for ‘Celebrating Irish Language & Culture’.

The Library Service, through Creative Cavan, is also among the finalists in the ‘Best Age Friendly Initiative’ category for the groundbreaking ‘Art of Life – Death Positive Libraries’ project, which helps older people have discussions around end of life through the creative arts.

The Bailieborough Bridewell museum, which opened to the public this summer and takes a pioneering approach to Irish and Ulster-Scots history, is nominated under ‘Heritage and Built Environment’, while the ‘Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark - Regenerative Tourism Business Network’, a cross-border initiative that supports local businesses in the delivering of sustainable, high-quality tourism experiences across Cuilcagh Lakelands UNESCO Global Geopark, is in contention under ‘Supporting Tourism’.

The final Cavan project hoping for success in the annual Excellence in Local Government Awards is Ballyjamesduff Municipal District, which is shortlisted under ‘Best Municipal District Initiative’ for its excellent work alongside the local community of Mullagh and the Diocese of Kilmore in bringing home the relics of St Kilian to County Cavan from Germany ‒ for the first time in 1,300 years ‒ in October 2024.

Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, Cllr John Paul Feeley said, “It’s wonderful to see such worthy projects, from across Cavan, shortlisted by the judges for Excellence in Local Government. While I know that, for the staff involved, the real reward is in the high-quality work they deliver on behalf of their communities, it is nonetheless worth celebrating their achievements, and I wish all involved the best of luck on the night”.

Chief Executive of Cavan County Council, Mr Eoin Doyle said, “To have secured five nominations in such a competitive field is fitting recognition of the dedication, talent, and innovation shown on regular basis by our staff. From the logistics of trans-continental commemorative events and reviving once-lost historical documents, to climate-conscious tourism, and expertly managed historical restorations, this shortlist of projects gives an excellent insight to some of the work undertaken day to day by Cavan County Council on behalf of the people of Cavan”.