News review of 2022 - August

One of the biggest ever crowds in Mullingar turned out for the official opening of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2022 at the Gig Rig in Blackhall. The mood was “buoyant” as Mullingar marked ‘The Homecoming’, and Uachtarán na hÉireann, Michael D Higgins, officially opened proceedings. Acknowledging the town’s links to the history of Comhaltas, President Higgins, paid tribute to those in Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, past and present, for their hard work, and pointed out what a joy it was “for all of us to be able to celebrate the fleadh once again in person”.

Tom Allen of North Midlands Credit Union, main sponsors of the fleadh, said: “It’s been a long time coming home, now that it’s home, we want it to stay at home!” as thoughts turned to who would secure the fleadh for next year, with Mullingar, Belfast and Wexford all vying for it.

Bishop Tom Deenihan, in giving an ecumenical blessing, prayed for good weather, so that those who worked so hard to make the fleadh a reality could enjoy it: “While much of Europe is praying for rain, grant us here some weather that will help us appreciate the talents and time that you have given to us,” he said.

One of those who had worked tirelessly was the chairperson of the Fleadh Executive Committee, Joe Connaire, who explained the “long road” it had been in getting the fleadh to return to Mullingar, where Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann was founded in 1951. He thanked the hundreds of volunteers and Westmeath County Council, “without the help of whom we could not have brought this event to town”.

At Mullingar harbour, the ‘Float to the Fleadh’ drew boaters from across the 32 counties, and as far away as the UK and Norway, to navigate the Royal Canal to Mullingar from east and west, to take part in the “buzz” of the fleadh. Foster and Allen released a new single, ‘The Homecoming’, in honour of the fleadh returning, while the event drew international superstar and solo artist, Niall Horan of One Direction fame, home. The ‘This Town’ singer visited the Greville Arms, the Joe Dolan statue, Rochforts Superstore and Clarke’s Bar with his friend Lewis Capaldi.

The pair were filming for a Guinness documentary and even stopped for a chicken fillet roll in Spar on Dominick Street, which Niall said reminded him of his school going days in St Mary’s CBS. Niall Horan’s Homecoming: The Road to Mullingar with Lewis Capaldi, aired on national television in October.

Hopes were high that Mullingar would retain the fleadh in 2023 when Comhaltas chief, Labhrás Ó Murchú, stated that town was the “front runner”, and said it was “one of the best fleadhs in the history of the festival”. Brian Cowen was another man in “top form” at the fleadh. The former taoiseach, who has endured serious health issues, was honoured with a Gradam na hÉigse award for his contribution to Comhaltas and Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. The Clara man regaled the large crowd in attendance at the Seisiún Mór on the steps of the Cathedral Christ the King, with tales and fond memories of his trips to Mullingar over the years.

Meanwhile, in Kinnegad, a third public meeting was held to discuss how the arrival of 75 unvetted single male asylum seekers, staying in Harry’s, had caused the loss of 17 jobs in hotel restaurant and bar, because they needed somewhere else to eat other than their rooms. The steering committee insisted that “Kinnegad is welcoming, not racist”, but pointed out that the 45-bedroom hotel was “unfit for purpose” as a direct provision centre. The group had already got an assurance from IPAS (International Protection Accommodation Services) that 75 asylum seekers would be moved on, to be replaced with Ukrainian refugees, but wanted the landmark premises to return to hotel use once that happened.

The new owner of Con’s Bar, Alan Clancy, who operates bars, hotels, restaurants and nightclubs across the country, including 37 Dawson Street in Dublin, said he and his team were looking forward to working “alongside local business, suppliers, and the large community of Mullingar.” He said Con’s “has been at the centre of the pub scene in Mullingar for many years”, and he hoped it would continue to be so.

A petition with more than 1,500 signatures to secure a new swimming pool for the town was presented by Lisa Corcoran to Cllr Andrew Duncan ahead of a meeting of Westmeath County Council . Frustrated at being unable to take her young children swimming in Mullingar because of the lack of a shallow pool for toddlers, as well as the overall condition of the facilities, Ms Corcoran started the online petition the previous April. She said the campaign was gaining momentum and wouldn’t stop until it was successful.

Head of Fáilte Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, Mullingar man Paddy Matthews, said the bogs of the midlands were “Ireland’s Amazon rainforests” at a council meeting, adding that they represented huge potential for tourism growth. In Multyfarnham meanwhile, a new audio trail guide showcasing the rich heritage of the village, was made available to download for free. The guide, which starts in the village, includes the Friary, Lough Derravaragh, the Children of Lir, Lacken Monastic site and mottes built in the early 13th Century.

Residents in Rathgowan Wood and Rathgowan Park, Mullingar, had concerns about a 212-unit housing development on the C-Link Road. DSPL Ltd’s plans were submitted to An Bord Pleanála in early July. At a special council meeting, representatives broadly welcomed the plans due to the shortage of housing, but said the concerns of neighbouring residents must be taken into account, which included worries over increased noise and traffic levels. Residents called for an alternative entrance rather than the existing one proposed, in Rathgowan Park, as the development, if given the go-ahead, would be the biggest built in Mullingar since the Celtic Tiger.

There was delight at the Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar when planning permission was granted to build a new out-patients department (OPD); hospital manager Kay Slevin said it was a “massively progressive step”.

A cocaine seizure of €8.4m in Mullingar was described as a “massive loss” to organised crime. Officers from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, supported by other units, monitored a Cessna single-engine aircraft landing at Abbeyshrule Aerodrome in Longford. Officers later intercepted two vehicles at Lough Owel, recovering 120 kilograms of cocaine from a car. A Polish pilot and County Waterford man were remanded in custody.

In local politics, the newly elected mayor of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad, Green Party councillor, Hazel Smyth, talked of how she had run as a “rank outsider” in the 2019 local elections. No Green Party candidate had been elected in Westmeath before. Now the new mayor said she was determined to make progress on the re-opening of Killucan railway station, the long promised regional sports centre in Mullingar, and the development St Loman’s Hospital and as well as St Peter’s, Castlepollard, and to ensure Mullingar is an attractive safe, clean and great place in which to live, work, do business, raise families and prosper.

“Under-fire” Minister of State, Robert Troy TD, released a statement apologising “unreservedly” for “errors and omissions”, after he failed to declare two Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) contracts he had with Westmeath County Council. Opposition TD, Paul Murphy of People Before Profit, called for the Standards of Public Office Commission to investigate possible breaches of ethics legislation, under which TDs and senators are obliged to declare supply of goods and services to a public body if worth more than €6,500.