Clonakilty in west Cork has been named as one of the European Union's top 10 tourism destinations in a new Europe-wide competition.
The European Destinations of Excellence Awards were given by the European Commission to the best emerging rural holiday destinations.
The competition was open to 10 countries this year, and this will be extended to 18 next year.
Some 32 destinations in Ireland entered the competition, and these were reduced to a shortlist of 10 before a team of judges visited the areas.
Clonakilty won the "amenities of natural beauty" category.
The citation from the EU Commission said: "In addition to an abundance of activities on land and sea, music sessions and fresh local produce, there are also a full range of heritage sites, galleries, pubs, walking routes and fishing points."
Presenting the award, European Commission vice-president Gunter Verheugen said the project was there "to promote destinations like Clonakilty where commercial success goes hand in hand with social, cultural and environmental sustainability".
Roy Maguire, secretary of the Clonakilty Chamber of Tourism, said he was "absolutely delighted" that Clonakilty won the award as the judging criteria were "fairly searching".
"It's another in a long list of awards for Clonakilty, and we are extremely pleased."
Clonakilty is a regular winner in the National Tidy Town Awards, having most recently won in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Clonakilty Chamber of Tourism won a variety of prizes with this award, including promotional DVDs of the town and a three-year marketing plan.
