Kerry’s Derrynane Historic Park voted among world’s best

Derrynane National Historic Park, Co. Kerry

Park won the hearts of locals and visitors alike in Green Flag People’s Choice Awards

Sports & Parks

Read More: Awards Green Flag Awards Kerry Parks

17 December 2020

Derrynane Historic Park in Co. Kerry was voted among the world’s top ten Green Flag sites in a competition that saw over 50,000 votes cast.

The People’s Choice Awards are voted on every year by members of the public. Parks rally votes via social media to encourage people to show their love for their local green spaces.

In a year that has seen parks and green spaces serve a vital role for health and wellbeing, the 2020 hunt to find the world’s best loved parks was especially significant.

In alphabetical order, the top voted-for parks from ten countries are:

Site Name	Managing Organisation	Country
Abraham Ledeboerpark, Enschede	Gemeent Enschede Afdeling Stadsdeelbeer	Netherlands
Al Bahya Garden, Abu Dhabi	Abu Dhabi City Municipality	United Arab Emirates
Campus de la Universidad de Navarra , Pamplona	University of Navarra	Spain
Derrynane Historic Park, Kerry	Office of Public Works	Ireland
Incilipinar Park, Denizli	Denizli Metropolitan Municipality	Turkey
Jonsereds trädgårdar , Partille, Gothenburg	Partille Kommun	Sweden
Park Vordenstein, Shoten, Antwerp	ANB (Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos)	Belgium
Roma Street Parklands, Brisbane	City Parklands	Australia
Stadtpark – Botanischer Garten, Gütersloh	Fachbereich Grünflächen Stadt Gütersloh	Germany
Te Mata Park, Hawke’s Bay	Te Mata Park Trust	New Zealand

Derrynane Historic Park in Co. Kerry won the hearts of locals and visitors alike. The site is managed by Ireland’s Office of Public Works – which celebrated nine Green Flag Award wins in 2020.

“Obviously it’s great to see Derrynane National Historic Park, under the management of National Historic Properties of the Office of Public Works, appreciated as being one of the world’s top parks,” said Robert Moss, Green Flag Award manager, Republic of Ireland. “Also of significance is the fact that 2020 is now the third year in a row for which Ireland has seen one of its parks voted to be among the best in the World, as part of this public vote.”

Only awarded for exceeding tough environmental standards in green space management, and excellence of visitor attractions – the Green Flag Award for Parks is the mark of a quality park or green space and is recognised throughout the world. An Taisce Environmental Education Unit have been operating this scheme within the Republic of Ireland since 2016.

“This isn’t the first time this year that people have been vocal about their love for parks,” said Carl McClean, international development manager for the Green Flag Award. “The effects of the pandemic has meant that more and more communities are valuing the outdoor spaces they have local access to, and I hope that this voice is also heard loud and clear by political leaders.”

“The award was originally established to provide a platform to recognise well managed parks and green spaces, and the people that look after them every year. However, this year in particular it has been an honour for the Green Flag Award to play a special role in acknowledging their value and importance.”

The 2020 awards were available to public town parks, country parks, nature parks, historic parks, gardens, greenways, cemeteries, and public green spaces from across the whole country.

The Green Flag award now operates in 15 countries around the world including: Australia, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Finland, The Netherlands, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Mexico and the USA – celebrating over 2,000 award-winning parks and green spaces annually.

Read More: Awards Green Flag Awards Kerry Parks