New free Mullingar history trail guide ‘a great project by a great team’

The Tidy Towns committee in Mullingar has taken on a new responsibility: it’s doing its best to promote the town as a destination both for locals and tourists.

The committee has devised a heritage walking trail that is “eco-friendly, Covid-friendly, user-friendly – and free”.

An immense team has contributed to the project, which can be accessed via a smartphone app, the mayor of Mullingar, Bill Collentine – who is also chairman of the Tidy Towns committee – told the Westmeath Examiner this week.

“The depth of interesting local information on this trail was put together by local historian Jason McKevitt,” he said.

“The narrations are all by local people. The videography is by Sarah Jane Foster of SJS Productions, the app development, build-out on both Apple and Android platforms, and supporting literature, have been managed and organised by Martin Nally and his team at Handyweb.ie, supported by their sister company Townapps.ie, and the oversight of the project has been under the auspices of Mullingar Tidy Towns Committee.”

The route options provide a fascinating mix of locations and lore.

“Mullingar is an Aladdin’s Cave of interesting places and stories, and with this, whether you have five minutes or three hours to spare, you can enjoy any or all of this fantastic walking trail of Mullingar. You can either dip in or do the full route,” Cllr Collentine said.

At each point featured on the trail, the app offers up the history and anecdotes connected to that point – and the voices sharing this detail are those of real Mullingar people.

“There is also a selection of videos and images to help you more fully enjoy this trail experience,” said the mayor .

It’s Joe it’s Joe it’s Joe

The official route kicks off at the Joe Dolan statue and the historic Market House on the main square, he says. “This walking trail takes you through 15 trail points around the town, taking in everything from medieval Mullingar to our latest international music star and proud ambassador, Niall Horan,

“You will find out about famous people who visited Mullingar, important historical locations in the town like the town jail, underground passageways, hear of the last hanging on Mullingar, see where executions took place at the Military Barracks – and be introduced to the writer James Joyce’s connection with the town.

“You are taken back to the 12th century and the Anglo Norman times and quickly forward in time to the mural of Mullingar’s famous musical sons and daughters.

“You get to see bullet holes in the wall of a pub – from civil war times; learn about the importance of the railway station in the history of the town and the murder of the stationmaster.

“There is information on the town’s connection with World War I, the Easter Rising of 1916 and the military importance of our town.”

Scannáns and scandal

Not everyone is aware that two successful movies were shot in Mullingar including ‘The Great Train Robbery’. And: “Did you know a speech in Mullingar Military Barracks resulted in the resignation of an Irish president or that a local TD resigned as a Junior Minister over the closure of this Barracks?” says Cllr Collentine.

“Does anyone know where Padraic Pearse addressed the Gaelic League in this town or where in Mullingar that Ireland’s Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann was founded? Or that Mullingar’s cathedral has mosaics by the world famous Russian artist Boris Anrep.

“We are still only whetting your appetite as there is so much more to learn and enjoy on this free Mullingar Heritage Trail App.”

Cllr Collentine says he is delighted that the Mullingar Tidy Towns Committee has been able to give visitors another great reason to spend more time in Mullingar, and that the Heritage Trail app will be of ongoing benefit for visitors and locals alike.

“I am proud that this project from beginning to end involved so many local people and shows the great talent that is in this town – from our authors, our narrators, project managers and app developers and our own team in the Tidy Towns – all have a strong Mullingar connection.

“It’s a great Mullingar project by a great Mullingar team.”

The official launch of the Heritage Trail app will be announced soon. Mullingar Tidy Towns looks forward to adding more trails to the Mullingar App in the future,” said Cllr Collentine.

The Mullingar Heritage Trail app is available to download for free on Google Play and the App Store by searching for ‘Mullingar App’ on these stores or you can follow this link from your iPhone, iPad or android device – http://onelink.to/2zz7tx