Westport, Co Mayo, has been declared Ireland’s best-kept town.
It is the second time the picturesque town on banks of the Carrowbeg River has won the accolade. It won the overall contest after being selected as the best kept large town.
Portrush, Co Antrim, won the award for small towns and Moynalty, Co Meath, won the award for villages.
Entrants were judged on cleanliness, the appearance of buildings, the presentation of roads, public facilities and the natural environment.
Today was the tenth anniversary of the awards, which are run by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Northern Ireland Amenity Council (NIAC). They are sponsored by SuperValu supermarkets.
All previous winners were invited to Dublin Castle to celebrate the anniversary and received a memento from Minister of State Batt O’Keeffe.
The Cork TD said the cross-Border competition was "an important success story".
"Ireland’s Best Kept Towns competition has been organised and conducted in a spirit of respect, trust and friendship, though the underlying element of competition has been no less for that," he said.
Doreen Muskett, chairman of the NIAC, said: "Each town is extremely complimentary about the other towns in the competition - there is a real feeling of mutual respect coupled with a clear ambition to improve."
The prize for category winners was €3,200; Westport, which was also the overall winner in 2003, received €6,400.