Niall Horan's whistlestop tour of Mullingar - where he went and who he met

Niall Horan returned to his home town of Mullingar last week for Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann.

He brought his close friend, the Scotsman and popstar, Lewis Capaldi, along for the trip.

The pair, who are understood to be filming for a new Guinness advert, were seen walking Mullingar's main streets, chatting with locals, and visiting the Joe Dolan statue on the Market Square.

While there, Lewis Capaldi was overheard saying: "Joe Dolan - the true king of Mullingar!"

The duo then popped into Gloss Hair and Beauty Salon to say hello, before entering the historic Greville Arms Hotel.

The pair then made their way up Patrick Street, where they popped in to Clarke's Bar, with Niall singing hits including This Town and Slow Hands in front of an intimate audience.

The 28-year-old star along with Capaldi also covered renditions of Take It Easy, Free Fallin’ and Chasing Cars.

Invited guests included Niall's friends, family, past school teachers, and members of the Mullingar Shamrocks football team and more.

Speaking to Clodagh McKeon, one of the lucky attendees said: “It was absolutely brilliant. There was a great mix of people there that represented the town.

“Niall was so genuine and really looked to be enjoying his time back home which was great to see.”

Ciaran Clarke said: “The fleadh was out of this world but when we heard about this opportunity with Niall, it was something that we just couldn't turn down.

“Niall made the choice to come here which we were delighted to hear because he used to pop in regularly when he lived in Mullingar.”

Carole Clarke said: “People who are important to Niall were here. His mom said he’s always flying here, there and everywhere but at the end of the day, he’s such a homebird. He spoke to everyone that was here on the day.”

Ciaran and his family presented both Niall and Lewis with Mullingar Celtic football jerseys that had their names on them and Hill of Uisneach sweatshirts.

Ellie, who works at the bar, makes knitted hats and gifted the singers with a hat each which they were delighted about.

Mrs Clarke said: “They went home wearing plenty of clothes anyway.”

The family said that all who attended Saturday afternoon had a fantastic time and that even the film crew were emotional when leaving.

“Mullingar is a great little town. Everybody was so respectful of what was going on and so it made it easier and more fun."

Ciaran and his wife expressed their thanks to the entire workforce of Clarke's Bar and to all the musicians who played over the past week.

“We couldn't have done it without our amazing staff, our family and our regular musicians. They really pulled it out of the bag.

“The fleadh itself was so brilliantly organised too.”

“So many people said they had never experienced a fleadh like the one here in Mullingar.

“We really hope it returns next year.”

The previous evening, Horan and Capaldi did an impromptu busking session on Dublin's Grafton Street.