Carrick on Shannon is the smallest town in Ireland yet to achieve the prestigious standard of Purple Flag for its well-managed evening and night time economy.
We will formally raise the Purple Flag on Friday evening next, January 29th at 4.15pm. All businesses are encouraged to help turn the town purple for the weekend. The raising of the Flag will take place in the Tourist Office carpark at 4.15pm and there will be a special prize for the most creatively "Purple-themed" outfit by a Woman and by a Man.
The town was awarded the standard in November 2015 and to mark the start of the Spring season in the town, the Purple Flag will be raised at the Tourist Office Car Park by Cathaoirleach John McCartin and the McGloin Family who were selected through public recommendation to raise the Flag.
The accreditation of Purple Flag is carried out by Independent Assessors from the UK and Ireland through the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM). There is an extensive process which involves looking at all aspects of a town to be submitted for advance review and then the town is assessed by two adjudicators. Community, business, arts and sports organisations all contributed to the putting together of the application which was then submitted by the Purple Flag Co-ordinator for the Town. The criteria looked at includes the following:
- Access to and around the town
- The offering in terms of restaurants, bars, shopping, recreation, heritage and arts
- Lighting and safety
- Design and recognition of a town's unique heritage and place
The award is reviewed annually and the Purple Flag Steering Group meet on an on-going basis to ensure that the targets set are achieved in order to retain the standard and continue to build on the attractiveness of the town.