Library service, Lú Festival and Sea Louth projects in the running for national awards
Louth County Council has been shortlisted for three awards at the All-Ireland Community and Council Awards on behalf of Local Authority Members Association (LAMA).
The LAMA awards recognise and celebrate communities and councils working together, providing a great opportunity to highlight and celebrate the work done within communities, to reward the unsung heroes and recognise the phenomenal contribution they’ve made to our lives.
With 235 entries this year, it was a fantastic achievement for Louth to be shortlisted for three awards.
Louth Library Service were selected as finalists in the Most Inclusive Project 2022 category. This award is for an individual, team, group or network who initiated and lead action to remove barriers to attract and improve working experience and engagement levels and make the environment more inclusive for all.
Recently awarded ‘Library of Sanctuary’ status by Places of Sanctuary Ireland, Louth Library Service was the first library authority in the country to gain this award for a library service as a whole.
This award recognises the good practice in Louth Library Service and the contribution libraries make to building a community of welcome and sanctuary across County Louth, welcoming people seeking sanctuary and all new arrivals in the community.
The objective of the Library of Sanctuary title is to promote the integration, integration and welfare of refugees, asylum seekers, and vulnerable migrants, through a practical commitment to becoming places of welcome and safety.
Drogheda’s Lú Festival of Light was shortlisted in the Best Irish Festival category. The Lú festival took place from the 28th October to the 5th November 2022 and was based around an audio visual transformation of three key heritage sites in the town – St Peters Church, the Old Abbey and St Laurence’s Gate.
The three sites were lit up with spectacular displays which transformed them with dramatic moving images into a colourful canvas telling remarkable mythological tales through speech, sound and projection. To tie in with this and provide a full wrap around festival there was on street entertainment, in venue entertainment, street parades and an interactive element to the AV display.
The Sea Louth project was shortlisted as a ‘Best Tourism Initiative’ finalist. Based on the scenic seafood trail, developed by Louth County Council, it showcases the county’s worldclass seafood producers and attracts visitors to the county’s scenic coastline.
Hundreds of holidaymakers have embarked on the trail to date, filling Sea Louth ‘passports’ with stamps in exchange for an exclusive memento. The trail covers the entire 70km stretch of coast, highlighting stunning scenery and the finest local seafood along the way.
Featuring 14 scenic viewpoints, from Drogheda to Omeath; nine producers; and over 40 restaurants, visitors can pick up Sea Louth ‘passports’ from tourist offices in Drogheda, Dundalk and Carlingford – or download online – and collect uniquely designed scenic viewpoint stamps from designated collection points along the trail.
The ceremony took place in Clomel, Tipperary on Saturday evening last, with Louth County Council represented on the night by Councilor Michelle Hall, Mayor of Drogheda, Colette Moss from Strategic Economic Development, and Amanda Branigan and Leona Burgess from Louth Library Service.
