If you're driving through Aughrim, in south Co Wicklow, stop for a moment to marvel at the 24,000 or so recently planted bedding plants, and the preternatural spick-and-spanness of the place.
The village, a Tidy Town gold-medallist in the past two years, is representing Ireland in the European Entente Florale; Kilkenny is our entry in the towns category. The 11-county competition isn't just about making a splash horticulturally. The judges also look at matters ecological and environmental, and seek evidence of community participation, awareness and education in these areas. The judging has already taken place (as has that for Tidy Towns); the results will be announced next month. Yet even though the judges have passed through, Aughrim residents aren't slacking. In June they were named winners in the small-town section of the Best Kept Town Awards.