My fleadh: Seamus Dunne, Annebrook House Hotel
As part of our post-fleadh coverage we talked to a number of local people about how they got on over the week.
How was your fleadh, were you busy?
Busy is probably an understatement! We had four venues, so we were delighted that there were big crowds in all of them, including Bothar Bar, which was a small pop-up bar that we ran Wednesday to Sunday. The bank holiday Sunday and the main Saturday had the biggest crowds I've seen in Mullingar in my lifetime.
Did you get time to enjoy the music and the different sights and sounds?
Probably not as much as I would have liked, but that's the same for most people, I'd say! I made a conscious effort to take lots of videos for social media, and to walk through the town at least once a day. The atmosphere was absolutely brilliant and the videos will provide great memories.
How would you compare this year's fleadh to 2022?
Both years were brilliant, but this year was definitely busier. Credit to Joe Connaire and all the great people on the committee, and also the amazing volunteers and Westmeath County Council and Mullingar Tidy Towns, among others. They had the town spotless every morning and I think last year people were so impressed that they came back again and told friends. An Garda Síochána kept everybody safe and the Fire Service did Trojan work also. There also seemed to be more music on the streets this year, which added so much to the atmosphere.
What were your standout memories from the fleadh?
So many, the phenomenal effort from all the team at the Annebrook, the great work of hospitality staff all over town, Mullingar should really be proud of itself. I spoke to one man who has been to the last 40 fleadhs and he said this was the best one yet!
I was very lucky I got to meet Aidan Gillen, the Game of thrones star, and Dáithí Ó Sé, both absolute gentlemen.
The Bothar Bar was absolutely brilliant also and it was great to see a bar that only holds 13 people do so well! We look forward now to the Westmeath Bachelor Festival going from strength to strength and also St Patrick's weekend, which has a lot of potential for growth. What a town we have!