Pride of Place Awards

Loop Head Peninsula takes home, not one, but TWO, National IPB Pride Of Place awards.

Celebrations are ongoing out on the Loop Head Peninsula, West Clare, following the news that their community was a double winner in the 2022 IPB Pride of Place Awards at a ceremony held at the Clayton Hotel in Dublin (Saturday, 21 January 2023) – coming FIRST in the Islands and Coastal Communities category and also having been announced as the holders of the National Climate Action Award.

Ceremony host and television personality Marty Whelan announced the Loop Head Together Project as overall winner of the “Coastal Community” category – recognising the very collaborative approach to local development evident on the peninsula. With almost 50 partner organisations, from the tidy towns, to the many smaller local interest groups, and including all the schools, the sports clubs, and of course, the local development groups, the communities willingness to work together was praised by the judges.

 Loop Head was ALSO named winner of the Climate Action Special Award for a regenerative farming experiment named Hemp4Soil, which explores the potential to improve soil quality and biodiversity while also creating alternative sustainable income streams for farms on Loop Head. The project involves ten local farmers who, in conjunction with the Department for Agriculture, Fisheries and the Marine and local scientific and biodiversity experts, explore how growing HEMP on the land could not only improve the overall quality of the soil and benefit local biodiversity, but could also provide sustainable income streams to the farmers in the future.

The Loop Head Together representatives on the night said “Thank you to all our amazing communities and organisations for everything you do. You deserve this national recognition!!! These are your awards. Thanks in particular for supporting this entry to the following: Loop Head Together CLG, Clare Co Council, Laura and Daniel and Hemp 4 Soil, Carrigaholt Development Association, the Hemp Bale Netting Project, Kilballyowen Development and Halla Eoin, Loop Head Lighthouse and especially to the landowners who allowed the Judges access to their property.”

News of a local celebration night to follow! Watch this Space