Category Archives: TidyTowns

Clane Tidy Towns Award Night, and Person of the Year 2012

October 30th was the annual Awards Night for Clane Tidy Towns, with the eagerly awaited results announced for the 2012 Best Kept Estates and Best Presented Premises competitions.

With a record 21 local estates entering, prizes were awarded for Small, Medium and Large estate categories. Generously sponsored by Clane Project Centre, and supported on the night by local businesses Manzors, Doolans and P J Wallaces, the well deserving winners of Best Kept Estates were:

Small Estates:

  • 1st Prize College Grove,
  • 2nd Prize Mainham Wood.

Medium Estates:

  • 1st Prize Park View,
  • 2nd Prize Alexandra Park.

Large Estates:

  • 1st Prize Abbey Park,
  • 2nd Prize Central Park and Churchfield,
  • 3rd Prize jointly awarded to Loughbollard and Alexandra Walk.

All estates that entered received a voucher to go some way towards recognizing the very valuable contribution they all make towards making Clane, our home, look so well.

Launched just a few years ago, the winner of the Best Presented Premises 2012 was also announced. This year the accolade went to Marron’s Pharmacy, and Lord Mayor of Clane Dessie Marron was delighted to receive the award.

The night was also the occasion when the identity of Clane Person of the Year, 2012, was revealed. This year Clane Community Council decided to award it not to an individual, but to an organization they felt embodies so much of what is good about Clane, and which truly demonstrates the deeper meaning of the word Community. Clane Person of the Year was awarded to the Clane Conference of Saint Vincent de Paul, and their President Austin Daly was honored to accept it on behalf of the 20 or so volunteers that work so hard for this tremendous organization, now supporting over 110 families in the immediate area. Special mention was also made of Moira Fogarty who could not be there on the night, but who has played such a key role in the organization since it’s inception over 28 years ago. Our sincere congratulations and gratitude to these very worthy winners.

Tidy Towns 2012 – the results are out!

The National Tidy Towns Competition results are out and all our businesses and organisations that are “Committed to Clane-Up”, all our residents that have maintained their ‘patch’, all our volunteers that weeded the main street, picked-up the litter, planted hedges and built nest-boxes can take a bow – Clane received a wonderful 274 points, an increase of 5 on last year.

This was a particularly uncertain year for Clane’s Tidy Towns Committee: due to recent growth in population we were moved up a category and in County Kildare are now in the same band as Kilcock, Athy and Kildare. However, joining this new category has encouraged the hard-working Tidy Towns team to think bigger, and we hope you’ll agree that the results can be seen in projects like the quickly maturing hedge on the approach road from Naas, the beautiful flower tubs on main street, the wonderfully maintained Garden of Remembrance (now carefully tended to by our Tús Scheme workers), and the nest and bat boxes that have gone up in and around the town.

The full adjudicator’s report for Clane can be downloaded from the Tidy Towns website. Why not take a look and see what caught the adjudicators eye – both good and bad. Perhaps you can think of new ways to help progress Clane even further in the competition – the committee would love to hear your ideas.

A big thank you again to everybody who contributed to Clane Tidy Towns 2012 – well done indeed.

Celebrate Heritage Week … in Clane

The week starting August 18th is National Heritage Week and this year we are delighted to announce it can be celebrated in Clane.

On Sunday 19th Clane Community Council has arranged a Wild About Clane Nature Walk by the Liffey, with experts from Birdwatch Ireland and Kildare Bat Group. The walk starts at 8pm in the Abbbeylands Shopping Centre Car Park.

On Tuesday 21st August starting at 8pm in the Library, Clane Local History Group are presenting a talk where local history experts will present on the topic Main Street Clane: Its Buildings and People.

Why not come out and enjoy your local heritage at one or both of these events…all are welcome and they are free of change. We look forward to seeing you there.

Clane Nest Box Scheme 2012 – the results!!

In early 2012 Clane Tidy Towns, in association with the Kildare Branch of Birdwatch Ireland, launched our Nest Box Scheme.

A selection of the nest boxes donated to Clane Nest Box Scheme

A survey identified several species that could be reasonably expected to be attracted to nest boxes in Clane, appropriate sites were identified around the town, and suggested nest box designs were drawn up.

People were invited to create and donate nest boxes, and a wonderful total of 18 boxes (including 4 from the local Men’s Shed) were assembled, gratefully received, painted up and carefully installed.

Over the course of the breeding season these boxes were monitored under license from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and now that the season is over (at least for these nest boxes) we are delighted to share our results.

"With beautiful views over the Liffey..."

Despite the inclement weather which drastically affected the population of caterpillars on which most nestlings are fed, we are delighted to report that nests were constructed in 9 of the boxes, and young were successfully raised in 7 of these nests. Eggs were not laid in one of the nests, and in another the nest was abandoned for some reason before the eggs hatched. Of the 18 nest boxes originally installed a total of 37 young were successfully reared – a wonderful result for the first year of the scheme. All the nests were occupied by Blue Tit, one of our targeted species. Details of the nesting results were contributed to the BTO’s Nest Record Scheme to assist in long term research.

Of the 18 nest boxes installed we actually went ahead and installed a camera in one of them, and connected it up to a recorder. By shear luck, a pair of Blue Tits started to construct their nest in the box the day after the camera went in!! The complete nest was not visible to the camera but at least 9 eggs were seen to be laid and at least 8 young were counted leaving the nest a few short weeks later. The transformation from empty wooden box to chaotic home full of at least 10 birds was wonderful to witness, and we are delighted now to share some of the highlights below having uploaded them to YouTube. A big thank you to the staff and members of the John Sullivan Resource Centre who kept a close eye on the birds. They christened the mum Annabelle, and the dad was named Apollo. We hope you enjoy the clips below.

A big thank you to everyone who supported the Nest Box Scheme in 2012 – the results were very encouraging. Here’s wishing the 37 young that were raised all the best in and around Clane in the coming weeks and months.

GAA Scrap Week Fundraiser

Clane GAA have organised a scrap metal collection from May 28th to June 2nd to raise funds for their under age teams. Please drop off any scrap metal to O’Connell’s Yard, Millicent Road, Clane this week. For all the details including a list of the types of items accepted please see the Scrap Week Fundraiser Details. Why not take a quick look in the back garden, attic or shed and see if you can de-clutter and support our under age GAA teams at the same time?

Committed to Clane-Up!

Clane Tidy Towns are delighted to announce the launch of their new “Committed to Clane-Up” initiative. Businesses and organisations that commit to cleaning up around their premises are provided with a “Committed to Clane-Up” sticker to display in their shop window. Clane Tidy Towns are delighted with the enthusiasm local businesses have already shown signing up to the scheme and salute them for playing their part in making Clane an even better place for locals and visitors alike.

If your business or organisation would like to join the scheme please send an email to ClaneTidyTowns@gmail.com or drop down to the village green in front of the Abbey on Tuesday evenings at 7:30pm where the volunteers gather for the regular weekly cleanups.

Saving Clane Swifts…

Swift (by Dick Coombes)

A recent study by volunteers of Kildare Branch of Birdwatch Ireland revealed that Clane is at risk of losing a species that has graced our skies since possibly the first buildings were built in Clane. A bird with an amazing story: the swift.

Swifts only spend a few months of the year in Clane, arriving in late April from sub-Saharan Africa, and departing by the end of August. Somewhat similar to swallows, house martins and sand martins, swifts are perhaps twice as large with stiff scythe like wings. They can sometimes be heard frantically chasing and screaming after each other in and around our buildings in the summer evenings.

Swifts are true masters of the air. They eat, drink, mate and even sleep on the wing – in fact swifts typically only stop flying to breed. So, once young swifts leap out of their nest for the first time, they may not stop flying for two or three years, until they are ready to look for a nest site themselves and start a family. Swifts typically nest in gaps under roof tiles of tall buildings, but modern building and roofing techniques are making it more and more difficult for them to find suitable nesting sites. Luckily solutions are not too complex and volunteer groups such as the Northern Ireland Swift Group are working to raise awareness and improve the lot for these birds.

The Abbey, Clane

Last year about 10 swifts were seen flying in and around Clane, but only two swift nests were actually located – both in very old buildings, and one in a building that may be redeveloped shortly. With the possibility of existing nest sites being lost, Clane Community Council and Clane Tidy Towns have made a special effort to preserve this species in Clane by providing dedicated accommodation for swifts in the tower of the Abbey.

A swift colony nest box that includes space for five nests has been specially constructed and installed behind the louvres of the window high up above the main door to the Abbey. The entrances are designed to line up with existing gaps in the louvres, and yet not let starlings in. The rear is designed to allow the nests be checked discreetly, and cleaned. Each nest includes a simple ‘concave’ to keep the eggs from rolling around and possibly even out of the nest box.

The new nest boxes with rear windows and walls removed

The next challenge in this project will be encouraging swifts that have been flying non-stop for two or three years to finally come to a rest and consider a nest site in this particular window. Although one of the current nest sites is nearby, success is not guaranteed. Another factor is food supply. Swifts only eat insects, so the health of our surrounding gardens, fields, rivers and countryside will also be important to ensure that there are enough insects for them to breed successfully. However, fingers are crossed. If the younger swifts simply discover the nest boxes this summer it could be an important step to securing the presence of this amazing bird in Clane for hopefully many years to come.

The nest boxes with their rear wall removed

Temporarily blocking the louvres beneath the nestboxes

The new nest boxes awaiting prospective tenants

Have you seen our missing nest box?

Earlier this year Clane Tidy Towns ran a nest box scheme in association with the Kildare Branch of Birdwatch Ireland. We were delighted with the response: in the end 18 boxes were generously donated by the community, and installed in carefully chosen locations.

Unfortunately however, one of these boxes has been removed by somebody in the last few weeks.

The missing nestbox number 1, with distinctive Clane Tity Towns logo.

Box number 1, with our Abbey and “CTT” Logo painted on the side, was carefully hand-made by a local retired gentleman. This unique box even boasted a torched felt roof. We were really curious to see if it would be occupied: it is very disappointing that this box has been interfered with.

If you come across the box, or have any information on its whereabouts, please let anyone on the Tidy Towns team know. Information can also be sent (in confidence and anonymously if necessary) to ClaneTidyTowns@gmail.com.

Nestbox 1 after installation

The bare tree today

Clane goes a little bit Batty

Hot on the heels of a successful Nestbox Scheme for our feathered friends, Clane Tidy Towns is not forgetting our other aerial, ahem, acro-bats. Working closely with Kildare Bat Group and Bat Conservation Ireland, two specialised bat boxes have recently been installed.

Clane's new bat boxes

These ‘boxes’ are actually a bit like large concrete mineral bottles. They are made from concrete so that the temperature does not fluctuate as much as in a wooden box, and are painted black and installed facing South so they absorb as much heat as possible. The inside of the box has a rough surface so that bats can climb up inside them.

All Irish bats are insect eaters, and so are very small. Anything from one or two to twenty or thirty bats might move into these boxes. We will monitor the boxes carefully and keep you posted of any developments.

You can see one of these bat boxes for yourself by the Liffey in our Liffeyside Nature Park. Four species of bat (the Leisler, Daubenton, Soprano Pipestrelle and Common Pipestrelle) have been recorded by the Liffey recently. These bats can each hoover up more than 2000 moths and midges every night. We hope they enjoy their new accommodation.

For more information on bats in Ireland check out Bat Conservation Ireland‘s website.

Kildare Bat Group records installation details of bat box 1

Bat box 2 open for business

Spring Clean 2012 – thank you!

A big thank you to everyone who turned out today and in previous days to help clean up the countryside around Clane. With the initiative coordinated by Tír na Móna, and with support from An Taisce, AES and Kildare County Council, the local effort was spearheaded by Cllr Pádraig McEvoy. Members of Clane Tidy Towns and Clane Community Council organised teams of volunteers of all ages, and spread out around the local roads. A phenomenal amount of rubbish was removed, some of it with a JCB, and Clane’s Main Street also received a thorough spring clean.

Many residents’ associations took the opportunity to clear up their public spaces, and this waste was removed also.

To help sustain energy levels throughout the day a wonderful cup of tea and lunch were provided by the volunteers in St. Kevin’s GAA, Staplestown.

To minimise landfill, the rubbish collected was segregated, and the various piles of green waste, general waste, electrical appliances, metal, tyres and litter (collected on an ongoing basis) can be seen in the accompanying photos.

All who helped out can sleep easy that this volume of rubbish has been cleared from our environs. If you spot dumping appearing from now on, please inform Clane Tidy Towns or the Kildare Litter Warden hotline at 1800 243 143.

Clane Community Council – Best Themed Float 2012!

Clane Community Council was delighted to be awarded Best Themed Float for the Clane St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2012. Featuring Oisín Aosta, Oisín Óg, Niamh and a team of warriors and volunteers from Clane Tidy Towns, the team dragged the last boulder out of Clane, revealing a beautiful village twinned with Tír na nÓg.

Despite the inclement weather there were smiles all round during the parade itself and it seemed like everyone had a great day.

A big thank you to everyone who helped put our float together, and a very well done to the St. Patrick’s Festival Committee for pulling off a fantastic 8th festival in a row.

Spring ‘Clane-Up’…March 31st

The Spring is upon us and it is time for our annual Spring Clean. In association with Tír na Móna, Clane Tidy Towns will be cleaning up the roads and ditches in and around Clane on Saturday March 31st starting at 10AM.

Why not organise your neighbours or resident’s association to adopt a local ditch or clean up the area outside your estate. Please contact Cllr Pádraig McEvoy on 086 8658262 to organise disposal of the rubbish you collect.

Happy St. Patrick’s Weekend!

This is going to be a packed weekend for Clane Community Council! Proceedings kick off at 3pm with our entry in Clane’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade…keep an eye out for Oisín, Niamh and their special announcement in association with Clane Tidy Towns. We also have our Church gate collection this weekend – all support is gratefully appreciated. Finally we are participating in the “Reeling In the Years” exhibition in the Parish Hall on Sunday from 11:00am to 5:30pm. Please drop in and say hello.

Available To Let – 17 new Nest boxes!

Clane Tidy Towns and Kildare Branch of Birdwatch Ireland were delighted with the reponse to the Nest Box Scheme for Clane, 2012. A grand total of 17 boxes were donated to the cause and are now installed in and around the town awaiting prospective tenants. A special thanks to the folks of the Man’s Shed, organised by Clane Project Centre’s and based in Thompson Business Centre, for constructing 4 of the boxes.

The boxes will be monitored over the coming breeding season…keep an eye out here for future updates. If you spot any activity at any of the boxes, please send a note to us at wildaboutclane@gmail.com.

Liffey Cleanup – thank you

Volunteers from Clane Trout and Salmon Anglers Association and Clane Tidy Towns with some of the rubbish collected along the Liffey

A big thank you to all the members of Clane Trout & Salmon Anglers Association who spent the morning of Feb 19th with volunteers from Clane Tidy Towns cleaning up along the Liffey in Clane. A full trailer load of rubbish was collected, some of it washed down from upstream, but some of it dumped here in Clane.

The Liffey is a beautiful amenity in Clane and is an important wildlife corridor. It has a wonderful wheelchair-accessible Liffey walk which leads into our Liffeyside Nature Park.

Please play your part to keep this amenity clean and safer for our children. Don’t litter, if you have a dog clean up after it (and don’t dump the bag), and if you come across dumping here or anywhere else in Clane please contact the Kildare Litter Warden at 1800 243 143.

Volunteers from Clane Trout and Salmon Anglers Association and Clane Tidy Towns

Wild About Clane – Nest Box Scheme!

In recent months volunteers from the Kildare Branch of BirdWatch Ireland have surveyed public spaces in Clane and identified numerous sites that would be suitable for nestboxes for certain species. Based on this we would like to invite you to root out that jar of screws and spare bit of plywood in the back of the shed and bash a nestbox together for us!

Different species prefer different types of nestboxes, so for this year we are requesting  boxes with holes of diameter 25mm (for Blue Tits and Coal Tits) and 28mm (for Great Tits
and Tree Sparrows) – we can drill the hole if that suits better. For complete plans for the ideal nestbox please see our recommended nest box design.

We will be siting these boxes carefully with the guidance of BirdWatch Ireland, and of course the sooner we install them the better the chances they will be found. If you could drop off your box to The Abbey, opposite the playground, at 5pm on Saturday February 18th, we would be delighted to also take your details and make sure you are
told of the final location of your box.

Please note we won’t be installing nestboxes in housing estates, so why not consider making a box for your local residents association too. You are welcome to contact WildAboutClane@gmail.com if you would like a survey of your estate to suggest which locations might suit certain species. Good luck!

Liffey Cleanup at Clane – Sunday Feb 19th

Clane Trout and Salmon Anglers Association are organising a cleanup along the Liffey on Sunday February 19th. Starting at Alexandra Bridge, where the Sallins Road crosses the Liffey, the cleanup will continue downstream, along the Liffey walk. Many hands make light work – if you could spare an hour or two why not come along and lend a hand – kick-off at 10:00AM!

Congratulations to our Best Kept Estates and Premises

On Monday October 17th the winners of Clane Best Kept Estates and Best Presented Premises were announced to an eager audience. With a record 21 local estates entering the competition, 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes were awarded for large, medium and small estates. The winners are all listed here, and congratulations to all estates that entered this years competition.

The recently inaugurated Best Presented Premises award this year went to Heavenly Shoes and Accessories, on Main Street.

Nick Fitzgerald, Chairman of Clane Community Council, thanked everyone who helped in any way with Clane’s Tidy Towns efforts, and encouraged people to get involved in whatever way they could. Mr. Ted Murray, Chairman of Clane Project Centre, generous sponsers of the awards, congratulated all involved and was delighted to see the competition going from strength to strength.

Liffeyside Nature Park – a wonderful new amenity for Clane

Mayor of Kildare Cllr. Weld, and local budding photographers Jessica Doran and Stephen Doyle unveil one of the two new wildlife signs at Clane Liffeyside Nature Park.

Clane Community Council and its Tidy Towns Sub-Committee marked International Biodiversity Day, Sunday 22nd May, in style with the official opening of its Liffeyside Nature Park and the unveiling of its two new “Wild About Clane” information panels.

The showers blew over and the sun came out just in time for the evening’s events.

Supported by experts Niall Tierney and Deirdre Moran from Birdwatch Ireland Kildare Branch, Terry Walsh from Clane Trout and Salmon Anglers Association, and Philip Strickland from Moths Ireland, John Kennedy from Clane Tidy Towns led the enthusiastic crowd on a guided nature walk. People were introduced to the variety of native trees, wildflowers, birds, insects, fish and animals present in and around the park. They were also treated to a glimpse of a kingfisher that bolted out from under Alexandra Bridge, and to stories of otters seen lying on their back in the river, feasting on freshwater mussels picked from the riverbed.

Terry Walsh, Chairman Clane Trout and Salmon Anglers, treating the locals with stories of otters lying on their back in the Liffey feasting on freshwater mussels.

The nature walk was followed by the official opening ceremony, with the crowd addressed by Chairman of Clane Community Council Mr. Nick Fitzgerald, coordinator of the project John Kennedy from Clane Tidy Towns, and special guest Mayor of Kildare Cllr. Brendan Weld.

After describing the 15 year history of the project, the individuals and groups that had contributed to the park, the signs and the day’s events were all sincerely thanked. The importance of biodiversity was also highlighted. The park was then officially opened by Mayor Weld and the two local children whose photographs featured on the signs: Jessica Doran and Stephen Doyle.

The celebrations moved on to the Westgrove Hotel for some refreshing teas, coffees and finger food. This was followed by the final event of the day: a batwalk down by the Liffey. Tina Aughney from Bat Conservation Ireland provided a fascinating insight into these surprisingly small insect-eating mammals, and thanks to Tina bringing a supply of bat detectors, everyone was able to listen in to the clicks and calls of the three species of bats that were identified on the walk.

John Kennedy, Clane Community Council, pointing out some Butterbur - a plant traditionally used to wrap butter.

A great evening seemed to be had by all, with people commenting that all the hard work may have turned the former sewage works into not just a wildlife refuge, not just a wonderful amenity for the people of the town, but an important attraction for visitors to Clane too.

Why not take a walk down by the park yourself. We hope you find the new signs helpful in introducing the beauty of the natural world…

…Wild About Clane.

For more information please see our press release. To print out your own copy of the signs you are welcome to download the high resolution posters from the Wild About Clane section of this website.

Our thanks to John Power for supplying all the photographs…

Celebrating Biodiversity Day in style at Clane Liffeyside Park

Sunday May 22nd is International Biodiversity Day and this year Clane will be celebrating it in style. Clane Community Council and its Clane Tidy Towns committee are delighted to announce the grand opening of Clane Liffeyside Nature Park and the unveiling of its brand new wildlife signs…

Buzzard over North Kildare (T. Byrne)

…Why not come along and enjoy the evening with us. There will be wildlife experts available from 6:30 pm to help point out and explain some of the plants and animals that are “Wild about Clane“.

The opening and unveiling ceremony will happen at 7:30pm, and will be  followed by a guided nature walk.

The day will be rounded off with a bat walk where you can learn about, see and even hear some of our most remarkable inhabitants. The walk will depart from the Abbeylands Shopping Centre Car Park at 9:30 pm.

Willow Catkins by Alexandra Bridge (J Kennedy)

The Liffeyside Park is beside the Alexandra Bridge on the Sallins road. The nearest car park is at the Abbeylands Shopping Centre. All are welcome…we hope to see you there!