3 Xplore Towns Make Shortlist for Best Place To Live in Ireland

Our Xplore towns Clonakilty, Killarney, and Galway City are three out of five locations shortlisted for the coveted Irish Times Best Place to Live in Ireland title.

Two other locations — Glaslough, Co. Monaghan and Waterford City — were also nominated. The longlist, which was revealed on September 4th, saw 20 towns and cities in the running for the award. The winner will be announced this Saturday the 25th.

2,400 members of the public entered their favourite location into the competition over the summer. In total, 470 locations (across all 32 counties) were nominated. Earlier this month, judges selected their top 20, while the final five were revealed last weekend.

What Were the Criteria?

Locations were judged on the quality and availability of the following:

• natural amenities
• buildings
• community initiatives and spirit
• presence of clubs, societies and activities
• good local services
• diversity and a welcome for outsiders
• transport links
• employment opportunities
• the price of property and housing supply
• cost of living
• digital links for distance working
• safety and security.

We're very lucky to have so many incredible Irish towns on our Xplore network. It's no surprise that 3 of them are in the running for best place to live, and we look forward to continuing to showcase all of the wonderful things they have to offer. 

Congratulations Clonakilty, Killarney, and Galway, and best of luck to all five locations in advance of the Saturday final!

Check out this Irish Times article for more on how and why the final five have been selected.