Bachelors visit Mullingar ahead of this year's festival
G2T to be official partner of Bachelor Festival
Rory O’Connor of Rory’s Stories is MC for Lakeland Sessions
The Westmeath Bachelor Festival team are working hard behind the scenes, and have this week, as some of the contestants visited Mullingar, announced two new partners – Good2Talk as official charity partner, and Rory O’Connor from Rory’s Stories as MC for The Lakeland Sessions.
The Lakeland Sessions kick off The Westmeath Bachelor Festival on Friday April 29, and Rory will provide the commentary and banter between the live entertainment which features The Academic, Gavin James, The Blizzards and Ellen Sleator.
Rory has become an internet sensation in recent years and many of his videos went viral throughout the lockdowns. He was a source of lighthearted and jovial material for all age groups as the pandemic gripped the nation, as in response to that Rory became a champion of positive mental health and emphasised the need for self care and community mental health services.
One such service is Good2Talk Westmeath, which is the charity partner for The Westmeath Bachelor Festival. The service, based in College Street, Mullingar, provides suicide prevention, psychotherapy and a range of mental health services to the local community.
The Westmeath Bachelor Festival organisers are privileged to be affiliated with such a group who provide a life saving service to the people of Westmeath, they said in a statement this week.
Tomás Nally, event organiser, said: “We are delighted to be teaming up with Rory’s Stories for the event. Rory is such a positive influence and has such a positive following online. That is what we want this festival to be about – getting back to normal, leaving the dark days behind us, celebrating life and all that’s positive in the community.
“We really think this event will give back to the businesses and people of Westmeath and the country who have gone through so much. With Rory and a charity like Good2Talk we are celebrating getting life back on track with the local community.
Good2Talk chairperson Katie Nangle said: “We are thrilled to be chosen as the official charity partner of the upcoming Westmeath Bachelor Festival. There’s no denying the last two years has presented many challenges and roadblocks for charitable organisations, but the support and generosity of our local community has been a beacon of light to the board, staff and volunteers at Good2Talk.
“We sincerely thank the event organisers for this incredible opportunity for G2T and are grateful to see the return of fundraising activities, which are a cornerstone for the service delivery and growth of so many local organisations.”