Niall Horan gigs draw fans from all over the world to Mullingar

Around 500 Niall Horan fans visited Mullingar over the span of a few days last month when the star was playing gigs at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin.

Such is the level of fame he has earned that fans came from all corners of the globe, including Japan, Brazil, and the US, to see where it all began for the former One Direction star.

The sell-out gigs took place on Friday August 23, and Saturday August 24 – the former featuring a surprise performance from Ed Sheeran – as part of the world tour for his third solo album, The Show.

Clarke’s Bar has become synonymous with Niall since the Fleadh Cheoil in 2023 when it was chosen as a filming location for a documentary on the star with Amazon Prime.

It’s become an attraction for his fans the world over since, but the time of his latest gigs in Dublin was like no other.

“Over the weekend, we probably saw around four to five hundred fans,” said proprietor Ciaran Clarke.

“We had people from all corners of the world who had come for both nights of the concert, really hardcore fans, but really lovely people, and we made a lot of nice friends out of it.

“They came from Japan, China, Brazil, Argentina, Las Vegas, New York, Boston, Nashville, all over Europe, you name it.

“We get them every day of the week now; whenever a plane lands in Dublin, you have a few coming to Mullingar, and it’s great for the town.”

Carol Clarke theorised that the fanfare is a runoff from Covid.

“We had four girls in from Spain the other day, and within five minutes of coming in, they were all roaring and crying,” she said.

“We were almost counselling them; it was unbelievable, and three hours later, they were still here and still crying.

“The way we look at it is, these youngsters have lived through Covid and didn’t have anything else; they were on their phones, doing TikToks and on Insta.

“They were fanatical, and that’s what they were getting their life from, but they’re the loveliest fans, and we enjoy them coming in.”

Sitting in the back of Clarke’s on the afternoon of Monday August 26, were 19-year-old Anna from Austria and 23-year-old Moon from Ohio in the US, who first connected online through a shared love of Niall Horan.

“We met on Twitter about a year and a half ago,” said Anna.

“We met up in Dublin this week after buying tickets to both his shows [at Royal Hospital Kilmainham] last March.

“I have seen him play before in Munich, Prague, and in Dublin last November, but these shows were just so special.

“We decided to come to Mullingar because it’s a special place if you’re into Niall and his history.”

Moon said they’ve seen Niall play live on 16 dates of his current world tour.

“I’ve been a fan of his since the beginning, for 14 years, and I think it’s just his charm,” they said.

“I came here because he talks all the time about Mullingar; he’s so proud of his country.

“At his shows in the States, he was just talking over and over again about how much he loves Mullingar, how much he loves Ireland, and how if you ever get the opportunity to visit, you have to go.”

Hilda and Aase Linn from Norway, both 25, also made the pilgrimage to Clarke’s last week after the gigs.

“We went to his concerts on the Friday and Saturday night,” said Aase. “It’s just his charm for me, really,” while Hilda quipped that “he’s just a good time”.

Bridget from the US, aged 20, said she’s been a Niall Horan fan since she was five.

“It was after I heard What Makes You Beautiful on the radio, and then my mom got me a CD for my birthday,” she said.

“He’s always been my favourite from One Direction; it’s just his energy, his charm, he’s so happy, joyful, and seems so kind.

“I used to go for blondes too; that was really my vibe.”

She decided to travel to Mullingar after seeing Niall play on the Saturday night.

“Mullingar means something to me,” said Bridget.

“I also wanted to see places in Ireland that people don’t normally go, and it’s been great. I’ve met lots of other fans here too.”

Julia from Germany was also in Mullingar over the weekend and said Niall seems like the “sweetest and nicest guy”.

“Me and my friends wanted to see lots of things in Mullingar, but we only had two hours here and ended up spending the whole time in Clarke’s – they were the nicest people!

“We liked it so much we came back the next day, and it started heavily raining, so we stayed in Clarke’s again, doing karaoke with other fans and drinking Guinness.”

Other locations in town have also been attracting large numbers of adoring fans in recent months, such as the Niall Horan mural on Dominick Street, which was painted by local artist Shane Turner and unveiled in 2022.

The mural came through a #LoveMullingar initiative from the Chamber of Commerce, and it was given the ok by the pop star himself.

Other sites like Spar on Dominick Street, where Niall and Lewis Capaldi famously ate a chicken fillet roll during the fleadh, and his old school around the corner, Coláiste Mhuire, have become tourist attractions in their own right.

He also has a long association with the Greville Arms Hotel, according to receptionist Holly Cuffe.

“People come here from everywhere, across the globe, they always do, but over the weekend he was playing in Dublin, it was just a constant flow of people,” she said.

“They’re delighted when they see the little cabinet case full of his collections and treasures; we have one of his BRIT Awards here.”

Ms Cuffe said his fans are some of the most dedicated.

“I had a girl in from Brazil; she’s 22 and has been a One Direction fan since she was 10,” she said.

“She taught herself English so that she could understand One Direction.

“She also taught herself art because she wanted to make fan art for One Direction and Niall specifically; she brought this fabulous book of drawings in to us.”

She said around 15 groups of fans were heading to the Greville on the weekend of his latest Dublin gigs.

“We would typically get at least three or four groups a day, but this was crazy,” said Ms Cuffe, adding that Niall “has really put Mullingar on the map”.

Music museum calls

For local historian Jason McKevitt, the hundreds of fans making the pilgrimage to Mullingar in recent weeks reinforce the need for a music museum in the town.

“Niall is continuing to put Mullingar on the map, and while Joe Dolan did it before him, Niall is now doing it at a supersonic level,” he said.

“It’s up to Mullingar now to utilise it and reward Niall for his efforts in promoting the town.

“It’s not just a museum that we need to do; I’m talking about an interactive centre, a three-dimensional thing, as museums have modernised now and it’s not all about art being on a shelf.”

Mr McKevitt believes the local authority needs to step up.

“Westmeath County Council need to take the lead on this because we have a USP (unique selling point) in tourism that we’re not currently using,” he said.

“Every other town in Ireland is envious of what we have, and think of all the revenue you could bring in by putting a centre in.

“I’ve been campaigning for this for years, but let’s stop talking about it and let’s get a feasibility study done – that’s what’s needed to get this moving.”

Mr McKevitt said while the ideal location for such a centre would have been Columb Barracks in the past, its current use means that Mullingar Swimming Pool in the town park is the next best option – after it’s eventually replaced by new facilities in Robinstown, or elsewhere.

The new Mullingar Chamber president, James Bourke, also thinks now is the time to get serious regarding a music museum in the town.

“The appetite is there, as visitor numbers show, and we’re fortunate to have this musical heritage, which differentiates us from other towns from a tourism perspective,” he said.

“A lot of towns in the midlands claim certain elements of history, but what we have is unique, and we need to take a progressive step forward with something like a museum to take advantage of it.

“I think there would have to be a feasibility study done on this to see what economic benefits to the area would be.

“It would have to be led by the local authority as a driving force; it’s not feasible for someone to bring it on themselves, they need to bring it on board and support it.”

Mr Bourke added that Mullingar is already experiencing economic benefits through Niall Horan’s fame.

“It’s bringing atmospheric footfall to the main street of the town and can only be good for retailers, with obvious knock-on benefits to the wider economy from that,” he said.

Niall Breslin, of The Blizzards fame, said a museum would be positive for the town but included an additional suggestion.

“I think it would be a good idea if it is also supported by having proper facilities for young people and young bands to rehearse, practise, and record,” he said.

“At the end of the day, that’s what makes a band. It isn’t sitting in a bedroom listening to music; you have to rehearse, and you’ve got to do the work.

“We (The Blizzards) were lucky that we could use the rugby club or the upstairs of Danny Byrnes, which is why the band was successful – we had a place to practise.”

Bressie said the council need to get involved for a museum to work in Mullingar.

“I think the bureaucracy that comes at council level often hinders stuff like this, but it would be so positive,” he said.

“We have some brilliant bands starting up here in Mullingar, big artists, and the town needs to get behind it and support it.”