Creepy crawlies lining up to check into Milltown hotel

MILLTOWN Tidy Towns have unveiled their new bug hotel, an initiative they hope will help the group regain their Tidy Towns County title.

The environmentally friendly initiative provides a safe habitat for a variety of beneficial insects, including bees, ladybirds, and beetles, who play an important role in pollination and maintaining healthy ecosystems.

The structure was built and designed by one of the group’s newest members, Aaron O’Sullivan from Wicklow, who joined them earlier this year after moving to the village. Comprising entirely of recycled materials, it has already become a popular new attraction in the village park.

“Our original bug hotel was blown away in Storm Éowyn, and we talked about creating a new one during a meeting earlier this year. Aaron kindly offered to build one for us,” explained Ita Mannion, Milltown Tidy Towns PRO.

“Our old one was nothing more than a few wooden pallets on top of each other, so we weren’t expecting much, but what he created was fantastic. It’s a five-star hotel for bugs.

“Aaron used to build props for the show Vikings and within a few weeks he had created something far beyond our expectations.”

Biodiversity and inclusivity are just two of several categories that towns and villages across the country are judged on every year in the Tidy Towns Competition.

The bug hotel should help Milltown Tidy Towns improve their scoring for biodiversity and being built by Aaron, a new resident who was welcomed into Milltown with open arms, means the project puts them in contention for the Inclusive Community Award too.

“We’ve made great strides over the past 12 months, more people have gotten involved in our weekly meetups every Thursday and we are hopeful of regaining our county title,” added Ita.

“We were just a point off Abbey in Loughrea, and the bug hotel should help us increase our score in biodiversity. We increased our score last year and hopefully we can continue that upward curve in points in 2026.”