Sacred Heart Salutes Clonakilty on winning "Best Town" at the 2017 Urbanism Awards in London.

Clonakilty in West Cork has been named as the best town in Ireland and the UK at a prestigious awards event in London.

The Academy of Urbanism – the same body that named Oliver Plunkett Street as the best street in Ireland and the UK this time last year – was in competition with Blackpool in the UK and Todmorden in West Yorkshire for the top prize, and saw off more than 40 other towns along the way.

The voting members include leading architects, planners and developers. Winners are judged across a range of criteria, including social, economic and environmental factors such as good governance and commercial success.