Big Splash for Para World Champs

More than 90% of towns surveyed were reported to be clean, compared with just 28% of city areas.

Kilkenny, Mallow, Clonmel and Ennis were also among the cleanest areas in Ireland.

Tralee was found to be "moderately littered”, while Waterford and Galway were once again the only clean cities.

Cork city centre, Mahon, Limerick city and Galvone have all made some progress, according to the survey.

"Cork city and Limerick city were improved, as was Drogheda, which bounced back from being 'seriously littered',” the report found.

An Taisce, which carries out the surveys on behalf of IBAL, found discarded furniture, sleeping bags and blankets o omas Street in Dublin. While a basement on O'Connell Street "wasn't just littered but subject to dumping”, the report noted.

Cork northside's Cathedral Walk was subject to dumping and was "an eyesore for children playing in the school yard directly opposite”.

While PPE littering is down dramatically following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, vaping litter has increased.

Masks only accounted for litter in 7% of areas. Vaping devices accounted for 6% –the rst time vapes have been counted.

Mr Horgan said: " e impact of disposable vapes is twofold. Not only are they single-use plastic, but the lithium battery within them is an especially toxic form of litter.

"Unfortunately, as is our experience with co ee cups, consumers tend to opt for the convenience of the disposable product. In striving for a circular economy, the case for banning them is a strong one.” e Irish Para Swimming Team has been announced to represent Ireland at the Para Swimming World Championships this summer. Manchester will play host to the 11th edition of the Para Swimming World Championships from July 31 to August 6. e team is made up of four Paralympians and one new Irish para swimmer. Ellen Keane spearheads the team as the seasoned Paralympian with four Paralympic Games under her belt and one more on the horizon.

Speaking about the World Championships, Ms Keane said: “I’m so excited. e pool that we’re going to be competing in is really fast, it’s a really great pool to race in. It’s a new team that we’re bringing away with some new faces and it’s great to see such a young team. I’m excited to see them compete and support them.”

Paralympic silver medalist Nicole Turner adds to the experience of the team, hoping to qualify for her third Paralympic games this year. Turner, from Laois, has picked up two silver medals on the Para Swimming World Series in both Melbourne and Minneapolis this year.

Limerick native Róisín Ní Riain has had a great start to 2023 tting her training and competition schedule around sitting the leaving cert this summer. After breaking two world records at the Irish Winter Championships in 2022 she set another world record at the Para Swimming World Series in Berlin this May.

Tokyo Paralympian Barry McClements will hope to continue his consistent form from earlier this year at the Para Swimming World Series in Minneapolis. e Down man collected two silver medals in the 100m backstroke and the 100m y.

It will also be an exciting week for Derry’s Dearbhaile Brady as she will be making her major championship debut for Ireland.

Para Swimming Performance Director Dave Malone said: “ Following the success of the team at last year's world championships, we expect an even greater challenge this year and our team have been focusing on performing at a key milestone event towards the Paris Paralympic Games.

"We’re looking forward to Dearbhaile Brady competing at her rst ever major championships for Ireland.”