Fleadh committee to be honoured

The council are to host a reception to thank the organising committee of this year’s fleadh for the “incredible” work they did.

At the September meeting of the Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District, members supported Cllr Denis Leonard’s proposal for an event to thank the voluntary committee. He also suggested that the council send “letters of gratitude to the committee, the volunteer coordinator, the gardaí, and the emergency services for helping the event run so smoothly”.

Cllr Leonard said Mullingar hosted “probably the best fleadh ever” and as a county, Westmeath should “stand up and take a bow and look at the amount of effort that went in to bringing over 500,000 visitors and €60m to the town”.

One of the highlights of the fleadh for Cllr Leonard was the way “everyone banded together, everyone seemed to know what they were doing”.

“Every place was so welcoming. We need to bring in the committee and representatives of the over 1,000 volunteers that gave up their time. No more than the musicians, it was nothing without the volunteers,” he said.

Cllr Ken Glynn said it was “fantastic what this town witnessed” [during the fleadh]. Praising the committee, volunteers and Westmeath County Council for their contributions, he said the success involved years of planning and “didn’t happen overnight”.

Cllr Bill Collentine paid tribute to everyone involved in the fleadh. A seasoned fleadh attendee, he said this year’s was his 39th and it was the best yet. “It’s great to see it coming back next year and hopefully it will be even more successful, if that’s possible.”

Cllr Emily Wallace said that the fleadh “showed the best of what we have to offer in Westmeath”.

“For it to have looked that effortless means that a lot of work was put in.”

Cllr Frank McDermott said that he can remember attending the fleadh that last time it was in Mullingar in 1963. He added that this year’s fleadh was “magnificent” and a credit to everyone who played their part.

Cllr Aoife Davitt said that the fleadh showcased Mullingar on a national level and was a “masterclass in how your organise and bring an event to fruition”.

The mayor of the MKMD, Cllr Hazel Smyth, worked as a volunteer team leader throughout the fleadh. She said she has “never been so proud of my town”.

“So many people said that had never seen Mullingar look so well. Businesses and residents went over and beyond to make sure the town was looking its finest.

“We were lucky to have the sun shining, but the co-ordination behind the scenes was incredible,” she said.

Cllr Mick Dollard praised the council for their significant financial support for the event. He also singled out Cllr Bill Collentine and his colleagues in Mullingar Tidy Towns for their efforts.

Praising the different agencies, state and voluntary, that worked hard to ensure the event was a success, Cllr Paddy Hill said that he has attended a lot of fleadhs over the years and that in his opinion Mullingar “was the best fleadh I ever stood in”.

Director of service David Jones said that the council were “delighted” to support the fleadh committee with the application and hosting the event.

“It was a significant undertaking, between all the bodies involved, including Westmeath County Council. Of course, huge credit to the voluntary fleadh committee, Joe Connaire, the chairperson, Colette Glynn and Willie Penrose. They were backed up dozens of people. It’s proper order that recognition is given to those and the volunteers in general who played such a critical role in making this year’s fleadh such a success.”

Mr Jones added that many sections of the council played a “pivotal role” and praised everyone involved.