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Westmeath Examiner, July 5 1884
Jailed for attempting suicide
A man who appeared before the Mullingar Quarter Sessions charged with having attempted to commit suicide was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment.
The man, who was from Athlone, pleaded guilty to having “attempted to murder himself” by cutting his throat with a razor on March 18, but said he was out of his mind at the time.
Dr Sharkey deposed the prisoner was admitted to the workhouse hospital on March 13. He had five wounds on his throat and did not seem to have been in any way insane. The doctor said he was afterwards removed to Mullingar jail.
Another witness deposed that he was the defendant’s brother-in-law. He believed the prisoner had drink taken when he attempted to take his own life. He was not addicted to drink, He was a pensioner from the Artillery.
The prisoner stated that he had not slept for three weeks before the occurrence.
He also said that while serving as a soldier, he had been out in China and the sun had taken an effect on his brain.
It appears there was little sympathy from the magistrates, and they imposed the prison sentence.
Westmeath Examiner, July 7 1894
Swing boat accident
A freak accident which led to the death of a soldier was reported in the Westmeath Examiner of July 1894.
The report revealed that at about 9.45pm the previous Monday, two soldiers named Rudd and Brewer got into one of the swing boats stationed by the travelling company Purchase, at the Fair Green in Mullingar.
“They had been swinging for but a few minutes when the onlookers were horrified to see Brewer fall out of the boat,” stated the report, going on to say that Mr Brewer was apparently “very much injured”.
Taken from the Fair Green to the military hospital, the injured man was seen to have such serious injuries that he would not recover, and he passed away at 9.30am the following morning.
That evening, Tuesday, an inquest was held before John Gaynor, the county coroner, and the jury found that death was as the result of a fall, and expressed their opinion that the proprietor of the swing boats should use more care in the conduct of the boats.
Westmeath Examiner, July 2 1904
Health of Moyvore-born bishop
An update was given to Mass-goers in Mullingar on the health of the Most Rev Dr Joseph Higgins, who was bishop of Rockhampton, in Queensland in Australia.
Most Rev Dr Gaffney, Lord Bishop of Meath, the previous Wednesday, the Feast of St Peter and Paul, “in the course of some brief remarks to the congregation”, said that the many friends and well-wishers of Bishop Higgins would be glad to learn that he had recovered from a severe attack of illness which had affected him after leaving Ireland the previous year for Australia.
According to Wikipedia, Bishop Higgins had suffered a “slight” paralytic stroke.
Bishop Higgins was born in Moyvore in 1838; ordained a priest of the Meath diocese in 1863, appointed auxiliary bishop of Sydney, Australia, and titular bishop of Antiphellus in 1888; bishop of Rockhampton in 1899, and bishop of Ballarat, Australia, in 1905. He died in 1915.
Belfast Newsletter, July 8 1914
‘Would rather be shot’
Remarks made by a local cleric at a meeting in Tang were reported in the Belfast Newsletter.
At the public meeting, held to form a Volunteer Corps, Rev P O’Reilly said what Ireland really should have was complete independence.
Fr O’Reilly said the Home Rule Bill given them was not what the Irish people had been waiting for for so long. The parliament they were getting was purely subordinate.
John Redmond might be a great man, but he was an Imperialist and he – Fr O’Reilly – was not, and that made a great difference.
The priest went on to tell those present that he believed that within 10 years, all Europe would be at war. It was his view that Ireland should be armed for that time.
He went on to state that he would sooner be shot than take the oath of allegiance, for that would be swearing eternal slavery to England.
Fr O’Reilly advised them all to join the Volunteers, and to be ready any time they were needed.
Westmeath Examiner, July 5 1924
Camp Field closed to public
At Dáil Éireann, Mr PW Shaw asked the Minister for Defence if he was aware that the Camp Field, Mullingar, had been closed from the public by instructions from General Headquarters, and, whether, as this field had been used for football practice for the previous 20 years by the people of the town, instructions would be given which would afford the same facilities to the people.
The reply that was supplied to Mr Shaw explained that it had been found necessary to close the Camp Field in order to prevent it becoming a common, and to protect adjacent army property which was being damaged by persons who had free access to the field.
“Its use for sports purposes by the local people is permitted at any time they apply for it to the officer commanding at the barracks.”
The same issue reported that the previous Monday, there had been a rail accident near Mullingar. A goods train engine had struck a portion of the gates at the railway crossing near Lough Owel.
Irish Press, July 7 1934
Military matters
The first overnight camp for the training of members of the Uisneach Regiment of the Volunteer Force had been held on the historic Hill of Uisneach that week, the Irish Press reported.
The camp saw upwards of 60 volunteers from Westmeath who had completed their 28 days of training take part.
“Tents were pitched and an army field kit supplied the meals for the camp,” said the story.
The following morning, it continued, Mass was celebrated by Fr Dunne, CC, Castletown.
“Numerous visitors were spectators at rifle practice and military training,” stated the report.
Officers in charge at the event were: Lieut Donnelly and Lieut Murray, Artillery Corps; Lieut Cosgrave, Signals Corps; Lieut Glynn and Lieut Spain; Captain Touhy, District Executive Officer; and Captain TF Burke, Area Administrative Officer.
The use of the hill had been kindly given by Mr J Glennon, Lunestown House.
Westmeath Examiner, July 8 1944
Medal presentation
At St Mary’s Hall in Mullingar, certificates and medals were presented to people who had been attending lectures in first aid organised by the Red Cross.
Certificates were presented to: Elizabeth Carroll, Mary Dunne, Elizabeth Farrell, Lily Garry, Kathleen Healy, Kathleen Jennings, Bernadette Madden, Antoinette Madden, Kathleen McCarthy, Bridie Naughton, John Norman, Richard Norman, Lillie Stenson, James Scally, Mary Whelehan, Patrick Weymes.
The medals of merit were presented to Mr Thomas Lennon, Mr James Stenson, Mr Michael Bennett, Mr Ernest Cully and Mr Bernard McCormack.
Connacht Sentinel, July 4 1954
Death of oldest Irish editor
The death of the editor of the Westmeath Examiner was written about for the benefit of readers of the Connacht Sentinel. The item stated that the deceased John Hayden “was many years ago Ireland’s youngest newspaper editor and lived to be Ireland’s oldest working editor”.
The item noted that Mr Hayden had founded the Westmeath Examiner in 1882, and edited it until his death, which had occurred just the previous week – a span of 72 years.
“He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Associated Irish Newspapers and the Master Printers’ Association.”
Mr Hayden had been, the writer continued, a close friend of Parnell and John Redmond and was an Irish Parliamentary MP for South Roscommon from 1897 until 1918.
He was arrested four times under the British Coercion Act.
Irish Press, July 7 1964
Argentina Links
Westmeath’s links with Argentina came up for mention in an item by TP O’Neill in the Irish Press of July 7, 1964.
The item started off by revealing that the first Irishman to set foot in what was now Argentina was a Jesuit missionary, Thomas Field of Limerick.
He, and four companions had, in 1587, travelled from Brazil to Buenos Aires and suffered many vicissitudes on their journey, not least being a term at the mercy of a pirate.
“When they reached Buenos Aires, they found that it was a village of a few dozen houses built around a Spanish fortress then but seven years old.”
The writer stated that two centuries were to pass before Irish names again appeared in the historical records of that part of South America, but then the settlers were prisoners taken from time to time in English raids on Spanish possessions.
In 1814, the first really notable Irishman in the history of the Argentine was made commodore of the naval forces of General Alvear, who was fighting for the liberation of South American colonies from Spain. That Irishman was William Brown of Foxford, County Mayo.
“He was not the only Irishman there, however, for the first half of the nineteenth century saw the building up of a remarkable colony of Irish settlers.
By 1840 it was estimated that some 3,500 Irishmen had settled there and it was noted at least three fourths of these were from Westmeath,” stated the item, going on to add that these emigrants from Ireland did not stay in the cities and towns as did those who went to the United States.
Instead, they went into agricultural pursuits, particularly the newly-developing sheep-raising industry.
“The history of sheep in nineteenth century Argentina is largely the story of the Irish colony. Throughout the century, the Irish had the ministration of Irish priests. A Dominican priest, Father Burke, was the first. He died in 1828.
The most famous was Father Anthony D Fahey, of Loughrea, who arrived in Buenos Aires in 1844 and died there in 1871.
“William Bulfin wrote of him: ‘God be with the old times when the boys, having established themselves fairly well… came into Buenos Aires to look for wives. Here again Father Fahey was their friend in need.’
“So was founded a settlement which differed fundamentally from all the others to which the Irish went in the last century.”
Westmeath Examiner, July 2 1974
‘The Cesspool of Mullingar’
An item published in the Irish Times of June 24, 1974 reprinted in the Westmeath Examiner, contained a hard-hitting analysis of the state of Lough Ennell, and the causes behind the deterioration of the lake.
The item stated that since the previous August, all of Mullingar’s sewage – untreated – had been released into the River Brosna, which carried it to Lough Ennell.
The journalist who wrote the article spoke with Dominic Roche and his wife, who lived “in a tidy thatched house” near Butler’s Bridge, who had watched their boat hire business dry up as the lake condition deteriorated.
“The hundreds of anglers who staked their boats in the Brosna and stored their engines in quaint-looking wooden shelters on the banks… have gone, except for maybe six or seven,” wrote the journalist.
“The charm of still boats tied in the Brosna, a picture for any photographer, has turned to arid bleakness and decay.”
Westmeath Examiner, July 8 1984
Shamrocks v St Malachy’s
In what was pretty much the last kick of the game, Brendan Conlon snatched a dramatic draw for Mullingar Shamrocks in their Westmeath Senior Football Championship encounter, setting the sides up for a replay. The final score was St Malachy’s 0-8, Mullingar Shamrocks 1-5.
On the St Malachy’s team were: Gerry Daly, Noel Geraghty, Tommy Lowry, Finbarr Clarke; Ger Jackson, Gerry Whelan, Pat O’Brien, Michael Lowry, Willie Lowry, Sean Casey, Kieran Kirby, Aidan O’Brien, Eamon Clarke, Sean Dalton, Fabian McLavin, with Stephen Hanratty coming on as sub for Sean Casey.
Mullingar Shamrocks: Denis Larkin, Peter Smith, Peter Faulkner, Ned Moore, Peter Ledwith, Denis Corroon, Patsy Fagan, Gerry Nohilly, Brendan Conlon, Denis Shields,Sean Murphy, Tom Maguire, Paddy Dunne, Michael Greene, Sean Hynes; Michael ‘Spike’ Fagan came on for Tom Maguire and Mark Kelly came on for Denis Shields.
Westmeath Examiner, July 2 1994
Eurovision responsibility
The appointment of Mullingar man John McHugh as executive producer of the 1995 Eurovision Song contest was what gave the Westmeath Examiner its lead story on July 2 1994.
John, son of Owen and Una McHugh, Harbour Street (and McHugh’s Supermarket) would have overall responsibility for what was to be Europe’s biggest TV extravaganza of 1995, with an anticipated viewing audience of up to 400 million people.
John, a law graduate with a post-graduate qualification in journalism, earned his stripes working on ‘The Late Late Show’ later going on to spend three years working in TV in London before returning to work as producer and director of ‘Kenny Live’.