2023 NEWS REVIEW: May

Around 5,000 people defied the rain to climb the Hill of Uisneach this year to celebrate Bealtaine, by lighting a fire commemorating one of Ireland’s oldest traditions, and marking the arrival of summer. The summer bathing was as popular as ever, an the water quality at The Cut in Lough Lene and Portnashangan at Lough Owel was reported as being ‘excellent’ by the EPA, while the water quality at Lilliput at Lough Ennell was deemed ‘good’, having previously been classified as ‘poor’.

However, with only 100 days to go to the commencement of the 2023 Fleadh Cheoil, the chair of the organising committee, Joe Connaire, said businesses needed to put their hands in their pockets to help with a €300,000 funding shortfall. The committee had to raise €1.7m to cover the operating costs associated with hosting the fleadh. Mr Connaire said he had many “sleepless nights” wondering if they would be able to raise the final €300k.

Minister Roderic O’Gorman came under fire for his “lack of engagement” with the people of Castletown Geoghegan over the proposal to house 240 international protection (IP) applicants in Middleton Park House. The chair of the Castletown Geoghegan committee, Deirdre Clarke, said that if the government go ahead with the plan, it would change the fabric of the village, increasing its population by 170 percent. She added that the village had no garda presence since the station closed in 2013, and the health centre is open part time.

A HIQA report on the Midland Regional Hospital at Mullingar contained two non-compliant findings related to standards assessed in the emergency department. The hospital was overcrowded at the time of the HIQA assessment, carried out the previous December, and the report found that hospital management were reliant on agency staff to maintain the non-consultant hospital doctor staff roster. Furthermore, attendance and uptake of mandatory and essential training for nursing staff in the emergency department was not at the required level. Inspectors also found that compliance was generally better in the wards when compared to the emergency department, and the patients they met spoke of a more positive experience.

The board of the Good2Talk (G2T) charity in Mullingar announced that it would close its doors at the end of the month, due to lack of funding. Later that month, it was reported that a new service to replace G2T would be up and running by mid-June. Meanwhile, Bressie began his ‘Rising’ journey, training on Mullingar lakes for a kayak trip down the River Shannon by, in conjunction with Ray Carolan of Lakeland Kayaks. The aim of the feat, set to take place in July, was to raise funds for charity, A Lust For Life, which Bressie co-founded.

The new owners of the iconic canal-side pub, Mary Lynch’s in Coralstown, were given the green light for major renovations. Declan Murphy, Hugh Farrell and Shane Clifford of DSH Holdings, said plans included an extension of the east of the building, and the removal of two ensuite bedrooms.

There was delight in Castlepollard Community College when a play called Still, written and directed by students, Claire Walshe and Laura Delaney, was accepted and performed at the Briery Gap schools drama competition. Based on the Salem witch trials, Still was performed at the Everyman Theatre in Cork, and lead actor Michaela Byrne took home the award for best single performance on the day, while the group took the runners-up trophy back to Castlepollard. In Mullingar, the youngest students of Gaelscoil an Mhuilinn were also celebrating after being crowned All Ireland champions at the Féile Scoil-Drámaíochta. They took first place for musical drama Ná Trí Mhuicíni (The Three Little Pigs).

The three-day Delvin Book Festival was a resounding success, and more than 13,000 books were sold, and raising over €7000 for Delvin Sports and Leisure Centre. The newly added arts and crafts show on the Friday of the event, attracted more patrons than expected, while local businesses showed their support, and the pubs had live music on all weekend.

The Emerald Lakes Academy run by Kevin Lister made history at the World Championships in Killarney, when dancers took accolades for Open Solo, Team, Show Dance Drama, and Premierships. The group of dancers from Rochfortbridge, Mullingar and Rathangan, put Emerald in the number one spot on the medals table, out of more than 100 schools from 26 countries.

Rose of Tralee, Rachel Duffy from Rosemount, visited Mullingar, where she dropped by Ann and Áine O’Reilly, the mother-and-daughter team at Zobi who designed the dress Rachel wore the night she took the crown in Tralee. The Rose then made here way to North Midlands Credit Union, where her late mother worked for 18 years, and then enjoyed a reception for her at the Greville Arms Hotel.

The Darkness Into Light walks took place in Mullingar and Ballymore among hundreds of other locations across the island. Setting off at 4.15am from St Loman’s GAA grounds, hundreds of people walked to the town park and back, while in Ballymore more than 600 people walked the 5km from the village to the GAA grounds and back. Funds raised tipped €10,000 for Pieta House, an amazing feat for a rural village. Meanwhile, a record amount of money was donated in the Mullingar area on Daffodil Day this year. More than €45,000 was raised for the Irish Cancer Society, almost €15,000 more than 2022.

A large crowd turned out in Delvin to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Laurence Ginnell (1852-1923). Ginnell had a long political career serving the people of Westmeath as an MP in the House of Commons, and later as a TD in Dáil Éireann. A plaque was unveiled in the village centre, and members of the Ginnell family from Dublin and Mullingar attended.

Special guest on the day was the new ambassador of Argentina to Ireland, Her Excellency Ms Ana Laura Cachaza, who was joined by her Deputy Head of Mission, Mr Nicolas Francisco Vidal. Ginnell had served as the Dáil envoy in Argentina from August 1921 to April 1922.

Towards the end of the month, the decision to open the “nerve centre” of a €10bn company in Mullingar was seen as a “vote of confidence” in the town and its people. Tánaiste Micheál Martin officially opened the Ardonagh Group’s analytics lab in Marlinstown Business Park, providing data-led insights for the insurance brokerage group’s global network. The firm’s CEO, David Ross, a Mullingar native, had named the group after the townland in which he grew up, and said it was a “huge privilege” to open the “nerve centre” in his home town.

Mr Martin also opened the “first of its kind” Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI) Daycare Centre in Multyfarnham. Once up and running at its facility within the village’s Franciscan Friary, it would host a dementia café, social club and career support centre, as well as specialised care for individuals, and their families. Mr Martin said daycare would be a vitally important support to individuals diagnosed with dementia and their loved ones.

The death of Mr Jim Hearn, a man who played a key role in promoting the growth and development of Westmeath, was announced. The civil engineer worked with Westmeath County Council for 20 years, and was instrumental in building of the Athlone and Mullingar by-passes, the road bridge over the River Shannon in Athlone, and was also credited with fostering the restoration of the Royal Canal, responsible for replacing a number of bridges which had been hindering the passage of barges.

And sadly, only a week later, the death of former manager of Westmeath County Council, Jack Taaffe, was reported, a month short of his 90th birthday. Born in Mayo and raised in Kildare, Mr Taaffe was appointed manager in Westmeath in 1981. He was involved in the start of the Enterprise Centre in Bishopsgate Street, and oversaw the development of Belvedere House and Gardens, the Athlone and Mullingar by-passes, and the regeneration of Mullingar Arts Centre.