Maynooth University campus has received the Green Flag award from An Taisce for a public green space, retaining its award for the sixth consecutive year.
The University campus has also retained its Green Heritage Flag for the fourth consecutive year, and additionally, was “highly commended” for its biodiversity on campus.
In total, 120 public green spaces received awards in the programme managed by An Taisce Environment Education, which celebrates the recognition of Ireland’s best parks and green spaces.
The Maynooth University campus, shared by Saint Patrick's Pontifical University, is part of a global community of well managed parks and green spaces. The award acknowledges excellence in the management of those green spaces, including parks, gardens, greenways and wildlife sanctuaries around the country, which are freely open to the public.
Ireland leads the way for other EU countries, with the largest quota out of a total of 174 EU Green Flag Award sites being located here in 2024. Ireland is also among the leaders in parks and public gardens, with more Green Flag Awards received than by any country, other than the UK where the scheme originated in 1996.
The Green Flag Award is the international quality benchmark for the public green space sector, now operating in 19 countries around the world.
Running for over 25 years, the Green Flag programme uses eight key criteria, with an emphasis on environmental management, for its assessment. All sites implement a management framework and then undergo an annual inspection conducted by qualified judges.
President of Maynooth University, Professor Eeva Leinonen, thanked all of those who those who helped and supported the Grounds Team in retaining these awards for another year.
“We are honoured to retain the Green Flag Award and the Green Heritage Flag at Maynooth University, highlighting our ongoing commitment to sustainability and care for our campus environment. Our green spaces are a real source of pride for our community and reflect the hard work and dedication of our Grounds Team and the Maynooth Green Campus initiative," she said.
"This recognition encourages us to keep building on our efforts to support biodiversity and sustainable practices across our campus, as we look towards a greener future that benefits both our community and the wider environment.”