Mullingar needs a Joe Dolan app and trail

A call to have a ‘Joe Dolan Tourist Trail’ set up in Mullingar, and to have an app created that would add to the experience of Joe Dolan fans coming to visit the town has been made by Cllr Mick Dollard.

At the September meeting of the Mullingar Municipal District Committee (MMDC), Cllr Mick Dollard had a motion on the agenda proposing that the MMDC liaise with the tourism officer with a view to setting up the trail.

Cllr Dollard said the “number one” place in Mullingar for taking pictures was at the Joe Dolan statue, and he recalling a phone call he received after Joe’s death from journalist and Joe Dolan biographer, Ronan Casey, regarding the possibility of having a statue erected, Cllr Dollard pointed out that the statue hadn’t happened “by accident”.

In fact, he continued, the statue was erected and unveiled within nine months of the singer’s death.

Cllr Dollard listed other locations that are associated with Mr Dolan’s memory – the wall at Belvedere recounting his life story; the Joe Dolan Bridge; Walshestown Cemetery, where he is buried; Grange Cottages, where he was born; and The Greville Arms Hotel.

“I think Westmeath Tourism should grab this now and run with it,” he said.

Cllr Dollard remarked that there are places in Ireland now for which apps have been created, and if people had such an app on their phone, they could use it to hear Joe Dolan music when they were at the statue.

Cllr Una D’Arcy seconded the “excellent” motion, and she described Mr Dolan as having been as important as Elvis or Tom Jones.

She stated that this summer she met with visitors on two tour buses who came to Mullingar this summer solely because of the Joe Dolan connection.

Cllr Ken Glynn also supported the motion, and reminded his colleagues of their many calls to have a museum created in Mullingar to celebrate its musical and general past.

“We should never be shy about shouting about our history and what has been achieved in this town,” he declared, adding that with the planned town centre enhancement, this would be “a great fit”.

Also in support of the motion was Cllr Emily Wallace, who said we can tend to take for granted all that Mullingar has to be proud of, and all the people of whom it can be proud, “because they walk among us every day”.

“You stand in Mullingar any day and there is always someone taking photographs at the Joe Dolan statue,” she remarked.

Cllr Liam McDaniel said it was “a wonderful” motion, while Cllr Paddy Hill also supported the motion describing Joe Dolan as “a legend”, not just in Mullingar and Westmeath “but all over the world”.

He also revealed that one of the first places where Joe Dolan and The Drifters had played was in Coole Hall.

Support came too from the mayor, Cllr Bill Collentine, who remarked that Mullingar could be proud of having “a lot” of great musicians.

“We should have a museum: we have a lot of history,” he stated.

The formal written response to Cllr Dollard’s call stated that the town’s musical heritage was an important feature of Mullingar’s tourism potential as identified in the council’s tourism strategy.

“The council is currently working with the Mullingar Chamber to develop a tourism action group to bring forward projects to enhance the visitor offering in Mullingar and the promotion of musical heritage will be given priority for consideration by this group,” the response concluded.

Director of services Martin Murray said the executive already has in mind a project similar to what Cllr Dollard proposed.

“Certainly we want to be dealing with this in a very positive manner,” he said, saying that Joe Dolan’s legacy was an asset to Mullingar.