Raheny is a very tidy place. And this doesn't just happen by accident. The Raheny Tidy Village Group is made up of volunteers who devote a lot of their spare time to ensuring the Village is got tidy and stays tidy.

The success of the Festival has emphasised the village core and the community spirit it nourishes in the wider area. Raheny takes pride in its appearance and in the civic effort and spirit of cooperation that makes a Tidy Village possible.

The Group's stand reminded us of how successful Raheny has been in the various Tidy Town type competitions over the years.

Some of the trophies and images were on display so I went in to check them out.

This is a particularly handsome trophy and an original variation on the three castles motif of Dublin. It represents second place in the category Waste Management Initiative in the Dublin City Neighbourhoods Awards 2011.

Raheny won the Tidy Towns Urban Village Award in 2009.

And in the same year, the Raheny Business Association won the Shopping Street category in the Dublin City Neighbourhoods Awards.

There was also a display of a series of nice photo montages of the Village. I gather these came from the competition sponsors. I picked up a strong vibe, however, that, nice and all as the trophies and montages were, cash prizes might be more useful in supporting the work of the Group.

And even on a day like this, and perhaps more particularly on a day like this, the Group's work is never done. Raheny will wake up the following morning to a Village every bit as tidy as it was before the Festival.