Kinsale crowned Overall Winner of Bank of Ireland Begin Together Awards 2020 scooping €50,000 cash prize
- Tallaght claims Rising Star Award and €20,000 cash prize
- Tramore wins Business & Community Covid-19 Response Award and €20,000 cash prize
- 20 towns shared in the prize fund of over €200,000
6 October 2020: Kinsale has been named as Ireland’s Most Enterprising Town in the Bank of Ireland Begin Together Awards 2020, taking home the trophy and a cash prize of €50,000.
The County Cork town, which has embarked on a “Kinsale Comeback Campaign” to attract domestic tourists, was revealed as the overall winner on Virgin Media Television’s Ireland AM programme this morning. The Rising Star Award, which recognises towns that have overcome major challenges, was won by Tallaght, County Dublin.
The Bank of Ireland Begin Together Awards – previously known as the National Enterprise Town Awards – bring business and community groups together to support local recovery and rebuilding. The initiative was fast-tracked to provide funding to winning towns in early October and directly assist their Covid-19 recovery.
This year three special Covid-19 response awards were also introduced. Tramore, County Waterford took home a prize of €20,000 and claimed the Local Business and Community Response Initiative Award. Via Wings, a Dromore, Northern Ireland-based social enterprise, won the Local Community Enterprise Initiative Award and New Ross, County Wexford won the Local Town Promotion Initiative Award.
Francesca McDonagh, CEO, Bank of Ireland said, “The enterprising spirit and ‘can-do’ attitude of our communities has always been strong but this is no ordinary year. Communities across the island of Ireland told us their stories and I’ve been really impressed by their sense of partnership, passion and ambition. This year’s winner – the town of Kinsale – is a wonderful example of those qualities and I congratulate them on everything they have achieved. For most of this year we’ve all had to keep apart but that won’t stop us from working together. The Bank of Ireland Begin Together Awards are positive proof that communities and businesses can and will overcome this challenge and I’m proud that we at Bank of Ireland can support them.”
The Awards are one strand of the Bank of Ireland “Begin Together” programme, a €4 million three-year initiative to improve the financial, physical and mental wellbeing of Ireland’s communities. In April, Bank of Ireland also donated a further €1 million in emergency funding to communities with urgent needs arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
To find out more about all of this year’s Begin Together Awards prize winners click here .