PAGES PAST: Proposed army move from Athlone to Mullingar

Westmeath Independent, February 13, 1864

An extraordinary meeting of Athlone’s Town Commissioners was held “for the purpose of remonstrating with the government” against the proposed removal of the depot battalion from Athlone to Mullingar.

The comment column in the newspaper remarked that, “For nearly 500 years Athlone has been the military stronghold of the Kingdom – the great central depot for stores, and the chief station for troops”.

It continued by stating that within 20 years, more money had been expended upon its barracks and fortifications than upon all other stations in Ireland.

At the Town Commissioners meeting, the chairman, JH Brown, stated that a former temporary removal of the troops from Athlone had had a great effect on business in the town, and a six month absence “would totally ruin it”.

Carlow Morning Post, February 14, 1874

In its account of the outcome of the parliamentary election in Westmeath, the Carlow Morning Post reported that the Home Rule candidate PJ Smyth had topped the poll on 2204 votes, and his running mate, the Right Hon Lord Robert Montagu, was a close second with 2163. As had been expected, the sitting Liberal MP, the Hon AW Greville, fared badly, with 401 votes.

Commented the newspaper: “The town of Mullingar was illuminated: the whole county was lighted up with bonfires, and everywhere intense enthusiasm was manifested on account of the overwhelming victory. All was peace and good humour.”

Westmeath Examiner, February 9, 1884

Very much live as a subject of debate in the area in 1884 was the suggestion that a tramway be constructed connecting Mullingar and Ballymahon.

The Westmeath Examiner of February 9, 1884 reported that a special reading on the subject had been held that week in the grand jury room of the courthouse to inquire from an engineering point of view into the merits of the proposed tramway.

Representing the tramway company were Edmund Mooney, Mr Walker and Mr Ward.

Also present were Mr Joyce the county surveyor for Westmeath, and Mr Moynan, the county surveyor for Longford, and also three cesspayers, Messrs Beird and Higgins, Ballymahon and Gilroy TC, Mullingar.

Mr Ward, who was an engineer for the tramway company, explained that the idea was that the tramway should pass through Ballynacargy and then on to Ballymahon. The company had identified a site owned by Lord Greville, just over the Green Bridge, as suitable for the Mullingar station. The next station would be in Ballynacargy, and the final one at Ballymahon.

Asked if other stations were to be constructed along the line, he said no, that they would be not at all necessary as anyone could get the tram car stopped at any place.

Westmeath Examiner, February 10, 1894

As the bad feeling between the then Bishop of Meath, Most Rev Dr Nulty, and the Westmeath Examiner rumbled on, the Examiner reproduced an item from the newspaper ‘United Ireland’ criticising the bishop for making observations which were discreditable to Irish workmen. Apparently, the parishioners were disgruntled over the bishop’s decision to place an order for a town clock for Mullingar with an English establishment rather than an Irish one.

Stated the United Ireland report: “He admitted the Dublin Trades Council told him that the clock could be made in Ireland, but the bishop, who has an idea that he is right in all questions from politics to clockmaking, knew better, and so he refused to spend the money in Ireland though he was anxious to give employment to Dublin artisans ‘even though they were Parnellites’.”

The newspaper was not impressed, and its report went on to read: “The latter phrase is so characteristic of the Bishop who wrote the Meath Pastoral that we do not think it worthwhile to notice it, but the statement that the clock could not be made in Ireland is one to which the Trades Council should give attention. If they cannot prove to the public that those charges are erroneous, they may as well be idle as to attempt the development of Irish trade.

"At the same time, we do not think that Irish workmanship should be boycotted simply because work is not executed in every detail equal to foreign production, or because of a small difference in expense or delay in execution. A consideration of this kind should weigh with every Irishman who wishes to see trade develop in his country.”

Westmeath Examiner, February 13, 1904

The auctioneer Patrick Cleary had an advert in the Westmeath Examiner of February 13, 1904 announcing the “highly important sale” of the Oliver Plunkett Street shop, Day’s Bazaar, which he described as a “really first-class business premises”. The business was offered for sale per the instructions of Mrs Day, who was retiring from business.

“The premises are situate in the very best position in the Main Street of Mullingar, in the centre of the markets, and a very high class stationery, news agency and fancy business has been done for the past fifty years by the late Mr C Day and his predecessors.”

The advert stated that the gross rental profit on the property was £17 1 6 and the purchaser would then have the remainder of the premises rent free.

The advert stated that the sale consisted of a dwelling house with shop, large showroom, office, kitchen, pantry etc, drawing room, dining room, four bedrooms, three large rooms with a billiard table, lavatory etc, let to the Commercial Club, together with a large yard with stable, coachhouse, store and three tenement houses in the rear.

All held under lease from the Right Hon Lord Greville for 91 years from March 25 1894, at the yearly adjusted rent of £30 18 6d. The three rooms let to the Commercial Club were let under lease for an unexpired term of 13 years at the yearly rent of £35. The three tenement houses were let at weekly rents of 1s 9d, 1s 9d and 1s 6d respectively.

Freeman’s Journal, February 11, 1924

“Lunacy Account” was the heading on a story in the Freeman’s Journal about the 20 cases for malicious injury that had been dealt with by County Court Judge Fleming at the Mullingar Quarter Sessions.

Henry John McKenna, Clonmoyle, was awarded £550 compensation in respect of meadows damaged at Fore, Tyrrellspass. His son William received £90 in respect of another damaged meadow at Fore, while yet another son, John, received £68 for a similar incident.

The Representative Church Body obtained a decree for £18 in respect of damage to a stained glass window at Drumcree Protestant Church. Thomas Tormey, Clonmashel, Delvin, was awarded in one claim £65 and in another, £200, for the burning of hay.

The Representative Church Body received £95 in respect of damages by burning of a stage and piano in Castlepollard Parochial Hall, while GR Woods and Cox, as representatives of the committee of that same hall, were awarded £10 compensation in respect of the destruction of badminton set and ping pong set etc.

Thomas Dunne, Stonestown, Delvin, got a decree for £8 in respect of six head of cattle: their tails were cut and the hair shorn off before the animals were then tarred all over.

Mrs Mary Dunne, mother of the last applicant, was awarded £20 for the spiking of meadows.

Capt Hawkesworth Smythe, Ballinagall, was awarded £7 in compensation in respect of 10 windows in a lodge on his estate in which glass, etc, was broken.

Irish Examiner, February 14, 1934

A 4,000-year-old stone axe found near the military barracks in Mullingar, and a bronze socketed javelin head found at Killucan, had been sent to the National Museum in Dublin by Mr Hugh Weir, Mullingar, the February 14 edition of the Irish Examiner reported.

Westmeath Examiner, February 13, 1954

The members of Westmeath Vocational Education Committee were informed that years could be added to the years of service of an “officer” for pension purposes – but not for a “servant”.

The question arose in the case of a former caretaker at Mullingar Vocational School.

He was classed as a “servant” and the committee’s application to the department to add years for pension purposes had been refused on a number of occasions.

The report stated that at the previous Monday’s meeting of the committee, Mr Frank Waters proposed that the five TDs of the constituency be asked to introduce a private members’ bill to deal with such cases, so that years might be added to the service record of “servants”.

“It is most unfair,” he commented, and Very Rev Fr Quinn, chairman, agreed.

Irish Independent, February 14, 1964

“The Connaught Rangers from 1793” was the subject of a lecture by Lt Col John P Kane to the Military History Society of Ireland in UCD on February 13, 1964.

Lt Col Kane, Commander of Columb Barracks, Mullingar, traced the history of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, Connaught Rangers, through the Napoleonic War, Crimea War, Indian Mutiny and the Boer War.

The Mullingar man informed the gathering that the 1st Battalion originated as the 88th Regiment, British Army, in Galway in 1793. The 2nd Battalion owed its origin to the Scotch Brigade in the Dutch Service in 1872.

A special taped message from the 93-year-old official historian of the Rangers, Col HM Jourdain, an old Ranger then residing in Oxford, was played by Lt Col Kane to the Society.