THE TWO TOWNS that have shown an outstanding commitment to tourism in the last year are Westport and Kinsale.

That’s according to the Fáilte Ireland Tourism Towns Awards, which today honoured the Mayo and Cork hotspots in the large and small categories respectively.

The 2014 winners held off competition from eight other towns:

- Ardmore, Co Waterford
- Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim
- Glengarriff, Co Cork
- Kilkenny, Co Kilkenny
- Killarney, Co Kerry
- Lismore, Co Waterford
- Portmagee, Co Kerry

Westport, Co Mayo Source: Bert Kaufmann

In their statement on Westport, the judges praised the “energy, pride and friendliness” of locals, as well as the variety available to visitors in the town.

Minister for State for Tourism, Michael Ring, said both winners had been honoured for “putting tourism at the centre of what they do.”

Judges were impressed by the “cosmopolitan feeling” in Kinsale, as well as what they called its “beautiful scenery and narrow streets bursting with history.”

Kinsale, Co Cork Source: gerryahern

Both Westport and Kinsale will receive winning certificates and €5,000 grants, while the eight short-listed towns will get certificates of merit “to acknowledge their own impressive performances.”

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