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A record number of Ireland's towns and cities are litter free, the latest street cleanliness survey has found.
While Cavan is top of the bill, and one of 18 with better standards than the European norm, experts have warned about visitors' first impressions to the country.
The Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) league has named and shamed the approach roads to Dublin Airport as one of the worst rubbish blackspots.
The north inner city was also found to have been one of the poorest for litter.
Dr Tom Cavanagh, IBAL chairman, said there may be an issue with local authorities not working together to improve conditions.
"We're finding that the main roads by which visitors reach tourist areas are often littered, which undermines the great work being done in the tourist areas themselves," he said.
"The roads around Dublin Airport are just one example. The IBAL League has seen the cleanliness of key destinations such as Cork and Galway improve greatly in recent years, but the routes by which they are accessed let them down."
"In some cases it's the immediate approach roads, where the town and county councils are not working together. In others it's major routes many miles from the town."
The survey, carried out by national trust body An Taisce, found 76% of the 42 towns and cities surveyed were clean - a record percentage. The overall result was described as hugely positive, with 43% of our towns and cities cleaner than the European average.
But the environmental body said that while the grounds of Dublin Airport were immaculate, the roads surrounding it were spoiled by dumping, casual litter and "all manner of rubbish".
