Ardgroom locals making a clean sweep each year

Cleaning up: Ann and Andrew Leahy, Sheila Harrington, George Twinem, Maarten Rikken, Christine Twinem and Ineke Langenberg.

ANOTHER group has been prompted to give The Southern Star details of their regular clean-up events, following on from our recent Litter special.

Marian Lynch from Westpoint Shellfish in Ardgroom says she has been doing an annual clean-up, along with a group of friends, for the past 23 years.

The group has grown during that time, having started with Marian and her daughter Helen (then aged 3) cleaning up during the summer. Marian’s husband Ger would collect the bags along the road and bring them to the dump.

‘That number has grown to 21 in number,’ says Marian. ‘I would like to thank those who couldn’t be in the picture because they were cleaning other areas at the time – Gert and Lotte Vox, Kathy Lynch, Marianne Kloppe, Laura Hatton, Simon Harrison and Ger Lynch.

She said there are also many new and enthusiastic members.

‘We make the most of the day so it’s not “all work and no play”. We are cleaning and chatting and having the laugh, while still getting on with the job and each year we take turns meeting up in a member’s house afterwards for refreshments,’ Marian explained.

‘Last week when I was putting the last of the rubbish on the heap – it is twice the size since this photo was taken – I met a group of French tourists picnicing in Caus, where that photo was taken. They were wondering what I was doing, and I explained about An Taisce and the Annual Spring Clean and they stood back and admired our handiwork and said how they had seen so many people cleaning the roads throughout Ireland and wondered what they were doing.’

Marion said the visitors were amazed that so many were so interested in their environment and grateful and appreciative of our work and loving our wonderful country.

‘They said that nothing like that ever happened in France,’ she told the Star.

‘I felt proud to be Irish and living in such beautiful surroundings, it is a joy to have it clean,’ she said.