Abbeyleix treated its European guests to the finest Laois hospitality on Friday night, after the Entente Florale judging had concluded.
The heritage town flew the flag for Ireland in the European competition, with 7 of the jury visiting the town for four hours’ of adjudication earlier that day.
When the serious business was over, the judges were treated to local entertainment and fine food at the local banquet.
A drinks reception was held in the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel that evening with Spink Comhaltas entertaining the crowds with a performance.
World champion
Following the banquet at the hotel, world champion Irish dancer Shauna Tierney wowed the guests with her dancing prowess.
The judges literally got a taste of what Abbeyleix and Laois has to offer throughout the day on Friday.
They dined al fresco in the community garden where locally grown produce was on offer. They also got to sample local honey, G’s Jams and specially made sausages for the occasion from Williams’ Butchers.
There was also beautifully prepared speciality breads and fresh pizzas baked in the pizza oven on site in the community garden for the guests and local volunteers to enjoy.
Having put on an impressive show, the local community will now have to wait until September to see how they scored in the competition.
Results
That month the results will also be revealed for the national Tidy Towns competition.
With the amount of work carried out in the local area – the heritage town which is one of the standard-bearers in Laois – an improvement is anticipated on their consistently high score in the national competition.
SEE ALSO – Pat Critchley – Priceless memories from working on the bog
