Longford town has the unfortunate distinction of getting the lowest marks for a town of its size in the recent National Tidy Towns competition.
What is particularly strange about this result is that within 10 miles of the county capital there are two villages which have been outright winners of the national competition.
Ardagh, Co Longford, took the national award this year and it is only eight miles from Longford town which did not impress the adjudicators at all. They noted that on tidiness, Longford did not perform well and, focusing on its roadside edges, said they required cutting and that weeds in gutters created an untidy appearance.
Streets and back areas in the town also came in for heavy criticism, particularly the presentation of the Kilashee-Strokestown road and the Westport road. As main approach roads to the town, it is felt work needs to be done to improve the initial impression they give of Longford.
The general image the judges took away was that "it is still presented as being quite untidy and lacking in colour".
The citizens of Longford are touchy about the subject, and like most folk, do not like criticism of their own place in any shape or form, but last week, a Fine Gael urban councillor decided to air the problem at a meeting of the local UDC.
"I had to raise the matter because we are losing out as a town by not having visitors stop and visit our town," Alan Mitchell said.
"It makes commercial sense to have a good-looking town. While not all the remarks were critical, there is a great deal to be going on with. "We received the lowest marks in the category for towns with a population from 5,000 to 10,000. "The town did, however, increase its marks over the year but it is all in sharp contrast with the village of Ardagh, which is only eight miles away and won the competition outright."
Mr Mitchell said towns such as Tullamore, Co Offaly, were constantly increasing their marks and creating an environment where people would stop and stay when they are passing through.
"We have a few drab buildings which should be done up and there is no reason why weeds should be growing up around them. "A lot could also be done with the pavements and the road signs which were referred to by the adjudicators," he added.
Take the courthouse on Main Street; now closed for three or four years it looks, said Mr Mitchell, dilapidated with weeds growing on the outside.
It did not, he said, present a good image for what should be one of the landmark assets of the town.
He said there were those in Longford who were critical of the adjudicators and claimed they had some kind of bias, but nothing could be further from the truth. He has taken up one of the adjudicator's suggestions that a three to five-year development plan, which would set out long-term objectives for the town, be looked at.
"My basic suggestion is that the urban district council should take over and act as the Tidy Towns committee and in a sense it is best capable of delivering the things that need to be done."
He said a plan had been drawn up by the local development association, which is funded by Leader II, and which could form the blueprint for the enhancement of Longford.
"Action is needed for Longford now. The last thing we need is another plan gathering dust."
They had a number of other problems apart from the appearance of the town.
"We have a serious traffic problem which can only be addressed by the local authority. I think perhaps the traffic problem is the most serious one of all because it creates difficult conditions and motorists are not inclined to stop and stay in a town where they are subjected to long delays."
Mr Mitchell said he was proud of Longford: it had much to offer but much still needed to be achieved. However, it would be achieved if the local authority, local business people and all sections of the community became involved.