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Mullingar

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Mullingar (from Irish an Muileann Gearr/gCearr 'the short/left-handed mill') is the administrative centre of County Westmeath, Ireland for the Baron Mulingar(1560) and the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath. Local government affairs are administered for the county from the town and county council buildings. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act ( Henry VIII 34 ) of 1542, proclaimed Westmeath (which then included Longford which separated in 1586) a county, separating it from Meath. Mullingar became the administrative centre for County Westmeath.

The town was originally named Maelblatha, and takes its modern name from a mill noted in the legend of Colman of Mullingar.[6]

Mullingar now possesses amenities such as libraries, secondary schools, gymnasiums, snooker halls, internet-cafes, an Arts Centre, and railway station. The town had a tradition of cattle-trading up until 2003, when its cattle market was finally closed for development of a mixed commercial and residential scheme called the Market Point.

Mullingar is famous for the neighbouring lakes, Lough Owel and Lough Ennell, which attract many anglers, as well as Lough Derravaragh. Lough Derravaragh is best known for its connection with the Irish legend of the Children of Lir. Having being turned into swans, the four children of King Lir spent three hundred years on Lough Derravaragh before moving to other locations around Ireland. Lough Lene has a reputation for its clear water, historic ringforts, and wind-surfing.

In recent times one of Mullingar's major exports has become the items of pewterware [7] produced by the firm of Mullingar Pewter located near the town. Genesis fine art is also produced locally and sold worldwide - one of its sculptures of the "Pilgrims" dominates the dispensary house at Austin Friars St where once there was an Augustinian Friary.

The town is the second largest town in the Irish Midlands, second only to Athlone [8]. The town, as of 2006, is however, officially the most populated town in the midlands [4] due in part to its increasing popularity as a commuter town.

A statue of Joe Dolan has been erected on market square as a tribute.

The town has three newspapers serving the community: The Mullingar Advertiser, The Westmeath Topic, and The Westmeath Examiner.[9] Mullingar forms part of the Midlands Gateway,[10] in association with Athlone and Tullamore.

Statue commemorating the Austin Friars

Commerce

The Cathedral of Christ the King seen from Mary Street in Mullingar

Mullingar's commercial sector has expanded in recent years from just a few shops on the town's main thoroughfares - Oliver Plunkett Street, Austin Friars Street, and Mount Street - to several major shopping areas. There is an out-of-town retail park at Lakepoint (about 1.6 km from the town centre), the Harbour Place shopping centre near the town centre and a new development at the Green - on the site of the former Avonmore and Pennys units.

The town has a mix of local retailers and chain stores (Tesco, Dunnes Stores, O2, Penneys, Lidl, SuperValu, Boots, Specsavers, Lifestyle Sports, Butterfly Kisses, Atlantic Homecare, Marks and Spencer and others). The town also has branches of all the major banks - AIB, Bank of Ireland, Halifax, Ulster Bank, National Irish Bank, Permanent TSB - and branches of First Active and EBS building societies. The town also has one of the country's largest Credit Unions (St Colemans Credit Union)[citation needed].

Arguably the largest development in Mullingar, the proposed "Mullingar Central" development is located between Mount Street, the Railway station and Blackhall Street. Planning permission has been granted for retail, commercial and residential units. Phase 1 which includes tax offices, library, civic offices and County Council buildings was officially opened on the 11th June 2009[11]. Phase 2 of the project will be the largest retail centre in the midlands and will incorporate offices, residential units a cultural building and leisure facilities. This has been shelved due to the economic situation however.[12]

A Farmers' Market is held in Mullingar every Sunday and a further small market is run near Penneys/Marks and Spencer by The Green.

Education

The town has several primary schools serving the area, and a number of secondary schools - including Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar's oldest post-primary school. Colaiste Mhuire is primarily a boys school, however the successful repeat Leaving Certificate class is co-educational. Just to the north of Mullingar on the Old Longford Road is St Finian's College. Until 2003 St Finian's was an all-boys boarding school; however, in 2003 the decision was made to phase out the boarding school by 2007 and to admit girls as well as boys. Loreto College for girls is the largest secondary school in the town, while Mullingar Community College is a co-educational school for boys and girls. The Community College also runs evening courses for adults and awards the FETAC certificates.

The nearby village of Multyfarnham has a boarding school for both boys and girls, Wilson's Hospital School serves many students from Mullingar.

Industry

The Famine Memorial Fountain and a millstone, recalling the origin of the town's name

Mullingar contains several industrial estates including Lough Sheever Corporate Park and the Lynn Industrial estate. Two of the towns major manufacturing plants - Penn tennis balls and Tarkett[13] - both closed in the early 2000s causing many job losses. However newer industries have absorbed the job losses - including Capmark,[14] Oakley,[15] P.E.M. Engineering,[16] Trend Technologies,[17] Taconic International,[18] and Mullingar Pewter[7] which are all sizeable operations. The town is also home to a Van Nelle (Ireland) (a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco factory which has provided employment for many years.

Iralco,[19] an automotive component manufacturer, is located nearby in Collinstown continues to provied employment to a skilled work force. The town recently won a €25m Lidl Warehouse and distribution center which will employ between 100 and 150. A new site for the IDA Business Park has been sited aloung the new N52 bypass. A major addition to the towns telecommunications infrastructure - a broadband network - was completed in 2004 - this is expected to increase the areas attractiveness to large multinational companies. Tesco Ireland had wanted to build a superstore in Lakepoint Retail addition to its current store but the local council turned this down.

A new shopping centre anchored by Marks and Spencer and Penneys has opened in the town, known as the Fairgreen Shopping centre. Additional tenants at the centre include UK fashion retailer New Look, Dorothy Perkins and Lifestyle Sports. Some feel a need for more retailers in Mullingar which has leaked millions of Euro of spending power from the area to surrounding retail centres such as Liffey Valley and Blanchardstown. The town's Council has great plans for the town centre with the predominantly retail led 'Central' scheme. It is expected to attract many national and international retailers into the area to capitalize on the town's growing population and its increasing popularity as a location with a high quality of life compared to many busy areas of Dublin.

Transport

Roads

The Royal Canal, Mullingar

Mullingar lies near the national primary route N4, the main Dublin - Sligo road, 79 km (49 miles) from the capital. The town is served by Bus Éireann services to Dublin,Athlone (where passengers can catch connecting buses), Sligo, Cavan, Tullamore and Ballina.

The town currently suffers from heavy afternoon traffic partially caused by a lack of off-street parking problem. The town is bypassed and a ring road has been completed in a bid to further alleviate traffic. A new road to Athlone is also in the planning stages.

Waterways

In the 19th century the town was served for a time by the Royal Canal - however displaced first by the railway and then the car, it is no longer commercially used for the transport of goods or people.

Railways

A train from Dublin arrives at Mullingar

The Midland Great Western Railway line to Mullingar from Dublin opened in stages from 1846 to 1848, arriving in Mullingar on 2 October 1848. This was to a temporary station, adjacent to the greyhound stadium. The original mainline ran from Dublin (Broadstone Station) to Galway via Mullingar and Athlone, the Mullingar to Galway section opening in August 1851. The present station opened with the branch line to Longford on 14 December 1855.

There were two secondary stations in Mullingar, Canal Crossing cattle bank was on the Sligo Line and on the Athlone Line, Newbrook racecourse had its own station. This was unique in that it was a two platformed station with both platforms on the Down Line.

Nowadays, the line northwest to Longford and Sligo is the mainline, Galway is accessed from Heuston Station via Portarlington and the line between Mullingar and Athlone is currently disused. Mullingar station is served by national rail company Iarnród Éireann's Arrow commuter services to Dublin and InterCity trains to/from Sligo.

The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland have a secondary base in the town. There is a photo survey of the disused Athlone.

Health services

The Midland Regional Hospital at Mullingar serves the entire Longford-Westmeath area. A large extension was built in the early 1990s to accommodate the ever-increasing population. A change in government, however, halted investment and the extension lay as an empty shell until late 2006 when funding was finally secured to ensure its completion.

There are several other hospitals in the town: St Loman's, which provides psychiatric services to all of the Irish Midlands; St Mary's, a care centre for older people; and the St Francis Private Hospital.

Tourism

Mullingar's main tourist attractions are its lakes - Lough Owel, Lough Lene and Lough Ennell - which are popular with anglers - and Belvedere House and Gardens which is heavily promoted for its beauty. The town has several hotels - including the Greville Arms Hotel, Annebrook House Hotel, Bloomfield House Hotel, Newbrook Hotel and the 4 star Mullingar Park Hotel which houses a conference centre.

The town is also known for its connections to Irish author James Joyce, who was an occasional visitor to Mullingar during his youth. Joyce's father, John, was a civil servant posted from Dublin to compile an electoral register of Mullingar and the surrounding townlands. He often stayed in the Greville Arms Hotel.

Notable buildings

Christ the King Cathedral, Mullingar

Mullingar's most notable building is the cathedral of Christ the King Mullingar, the cathedral of the Diocese of Meath. The Cathedral was dedicated on the day World War II broke out.

Columb Barracks is a major military base in the county comprising of the 4th Field Artillery Regiment and the HQ of the 54 Reserve Field Artillery Regiment (Army Reserve) formally the FCA (9 FAR).

People

Local Organisations

Music

[citation needed]

The Stables is one of the main music venues in the county dedicated to original live music.[citation needed] It was opened in 1990 and to date has presented performances featuring The Frames, Damien Rice, Bell X1, Damien Dempsey, and Joe Dolan among other big name Irish acts. [20] It generally tends to catch acts on their way up in the world as it is not the of biggest venues. Recently, acts such as Delorentos, The Blizzards, The Immediate, and Director, have taken to the stage, alongside mature acts such as Kila, Triega, Darragh J. Glennon and Declan O'Rourke. Apart from The Stables, Danny Byrne's is another well known location playing host to cover bands and DJs, alongside some lesser known original acts.

The Mullingar Town Band was founded in 1879 by Fr. Polland as a Holy Family Confraternity Band.[21] The local Military Barracks supplied many of the early members who themselves were serving members of the British Regimental bands stationed in Mullingar. Many of the members of these bands settled in the town and joined the band. The Mullingar Confraternity Band remained under the auspices of the Confraternity until the 1940s when it was handed over to a committee who continued under the title of Mullingar Brass and Reed Band. And thus it remained until membership had dwindled to 3 or 4 members in 1957 when the present Director Hubert Magee was asked to take the helm. In 1979 the centenary was celebrated with a membership of 100 - one member for every year of the band's existence.

The band has a dual role of marching band - The Celtic Crusaders - and a concert band. It has won some of the top awards in Ireland, Northern Ireland and England. Entirely voluntary, it is maintained financially by membership fees and fundraising. Every four years since 1974 both the Celtic Crusaders and Concert Band attend the International Youth Band Festival in Pumerend, Holland. In 2004 the band completed a successful exchange with the Cardinal Gibbons High School Band, Raleigh, North Carolina. They travelled to Midsomer Norton, England in July 2006 for the Open European Championships, bringing home four gold medals, including a gold with distinction in the senior concert section for the first time.

The Arcadian Danceband, fronted by Joe Delaney, were a popular band from Westmeath in the 1920s and 30s. The band played in Mullingar, Killucan and Kinnegad, and travelled to out of county venues in Kilkenny and Louth. Their music consisted of covers of popular dance numbers of the day and as some original songs. Front man Joe Delaney played various instruments including the accordion, bodhran and some brass.

Theatre

Mullingar Student Players is a dramatic society made up of entirely by secondary school students from the area. Director Sean Lynch is a native of Mullingar and joins with Musical Director Angela Lynch and Choreography Siobhan Murphy to bring various musical productions to fruition. Past productions have included Les Miserables, West Side Story, Calamity Jane, Little Shop of Horrors, Fame as well as various plays and dramas. All presentations take place at the Mullingar Arts Centre. This coming April, the society will present Disney's Beauty and the Beast. There is also a hugely successful Pantomime group in the town. They present highly successful shows that use original scripts written by two local men. Since 2007, the group has produced "Cinderella", "Aladdin" and "Jack & The Beanstalk".

GAA

There are four Gaelic football teams in the Catholic parish of Mullingar; Mullingar Shamrocks [22], St. Loman's (both senior clubs), Shandonagh (intermediate) and The Downs[23] (senior). St Oliver Plunkett's [24] (senior)and Cullion (intermediate) are the only hurling teams in Mullingar. The main GAA ground for County Westmeath, Cusack Park, is situated in Mullingar. Mullingar also has ladies teams such as Mullingar Shamrocks and St Lomans.

Soccer

At the moment, Mullingar has three adult soccer teams: Mullingar Athletic (who play in Gainstown) and Mullingar Town (who have their grounds in D'Alton Park). The third, set up in 2009, are known as Hibernian Celtic AFC, they were originally formed in 1948, but ceased in 1986. They play their home games in the Raithin community pitch in which they share with Grange Utd, an under 18 side formed in 2009. Outside the town you have Rathowen Utd, Raharney FC, Rochfortbridge and Coralstown FC. All teams play in the CCFL league system.

Rugby

Mullingar rugby football club is located in Cullionbeg, and has had a degree of success in the 1990s with two towns cup final appearances. The club also made it to the 1989 towns cup final.The club was represented by great players who went on to play at a higher level, these include Shane Deering, M walls, N. Breslin P,Lynn K mc Kinley. The club has a pick of up to 50 players with three senior teams in very competitive leagues. the 07/08 season was a very competitive season with all three teams progressing well in there respective leagues. The 3rd team won the Anderson cup under the captaincy of the talented mick Lynn. The players awards night took place in the club house to mark the achievements of the previous season. The winners on the night included Adriel Farrell (Try of the year) Rob Collentine (young player of the year) The coveted Players player of the year went to the very talented Brian Murphy. The club player of the year went to Kevin O'Brien who played consistently well for both senior teams. The team is looking forward to the next season and hoping to climb up the Leinster leagues. With the emergence of talented players such as Davy Miller, Simon moorehead with a blend of senior players should all bode well.

Tennis and Badminton

The Mullingar Tennis and Badminton Club is located in the heart of the town and includes 8 outdoor tennis courts and a hall containing 2 badminton courts [25]

Athletics

Mullingar has a rich tradition in athletics with the club Mullingar Harriers producing many international athletes. Bobby Begley was Irish Team Manager when Eamonn Coughlan won the 5,000 meters World Championship in Helsinki.

Snooker

St. Mary's Snooker Club has the proud history of running Ranking Events for Greater Westmeath, namely the Mullingar Open Snooker Championship, The Westmeath Open Snooker Championship, the Midland Open and the St Mary's Open Classic. The County's most successful player has been Mick Kane who has won 11 Mullingar Open Snooker Championship titles and 7 times County Westmeath Champion. Ger O'Connor has won 4 Mullingar Open titles and also 7 Westmeath Championships. The two most naturally talented players the club has ever seen would definitely be Enda Collins and Terry Parker, most recent to date would be parker with a high break of 122, he has a number of titles under his belt including the 2002, 2004 Midland Open Championship and has also won the 2005 Mullingar Open Championship in a classic contest against Seamus Brereton from Edenderry. Another top player is Richie Toal, winning the 2003 Midland Open Championship and in 2006 & 2007 the Mullingar Open Championship. Stephen Hickey won the Mullingar junior snooker championship in 2005. The "John Smith Memorial Cup" is played for each year as a Handicap event and has been in existence since 1963. The "Peter McNally Memorial Cup" in honour of Peter McNally (Irish International) Edenderry Snooker Club was won by the St Mary's Snooker Club team in 1997; the team was Mick Kane (capt), Ger O'Connor, Anthony Cleary, Richie Toal, John Norris, Larry Mahedy & Niall Heffernan. Some years later the McNally Tournament became a singles event and Ger O'Connor and Pat Tyrell reached the Final and Richie Toal the Semi-Finals.

Greyhound Racing

Greyhound Track,
Lynn, Mullingar

When programmed, greyhound track racing occurs upon the Lynn Greyhound track on Thursday and Saturday evenings, beginning at 20:00. For television broadcasting purposes, races are interlaced with those from Shelbourne Dublin.

Golf

Mullingar golf club also has a proud history and hosts every August bank holiday weekend a leading amateur golf competition, i.e. The Mullingar Scratch Cup. This competition has been won by the likes of Hughie Myres, Des Smyth, Pádraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley. The 2006 winner is up and coming golfer from Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy. Mullingar player Gerry Purcell is former An Post Golf Society Irish Champion on two occasions.

Basketball

The Mullingar Monarchs were formed in 2001, training from the CBS gym in the town centre. Recently however the Monarchs have switched training locations to Rochfortbridge. While the club took 2 years to get off the ground they are now one of the most decorated in the Midland League, securing one treble and two double titles. The team have also played in the National League Division 1, only one step away from the superleague.

The Mullingar Dragons were formed in 2007 and play in the North Eastern Basketball League. In July 2008 a Women's team was added to the already established Men's team.

Cricket

The Cricket club is based on the Murray Murray in Bunbrosna, overlooking Lough Owel. The Club fields 2 men's teams in Leinster and Midland Cup and league competitions

Hockey

Mullingar Hockey Club currently has 4 adult teams and the club play its matches in the Loreto College, on the Longford road, not far from the hospital. The men's side of the club are in its 26th year, and has between 40 and 50 members, with their 1st team currently in Leinster League Division 4, the 2nd team play in Division 7.The Ladies side of the club were re-formed three years ago, after a break of five years and also have two teams. The matches are played every Saturday (an odd Sunday game does occur) and are open to the public (see local press for details). There are 3 fully qualified coaches at the club and several high level umpires. The colts section of the club train every Sunday morning @ 11am and cater for kids from the age of 5 up to 15. More details can be found on the clubs website: www.mullingarhc.com

Swimming

The Mullingar Jets Swimming Club is based in the town swimming pool located in Mullingar Town Park.

Cycling

Lakeside Wheelers Mullingar Cycling club is a predominantly leisure and touring club catering for cyclists of all ages and abilities. The Clubs main activities are short, medium and longer distance cycles on Saturday and Sunday mornings and in the summer months on Monday and Wednesday evenings.

Equestrian

Mullingar is also the home of one of Ireland's international riding centres. Mullingar Equestrian Centre ( 5 minutes outside the town) regularly hosts competitions. Also they are available for lessons, and on Friday evenings during the year there are competitions for riders to compete in. Other schools in the area include Ladestown Riding School and Catherinestown Riding School. Studs include Tally Ho Stud, Cleaboy Stud, and Charlestown Stud.

First Aid Organisations

The Order of Malta Ambulance Corps, Ireland's largest voluntary ambulance service,[26] has been in operation in Mullingar since September 2001.[27] The Order of Malta provides ambulance and first aid cover at events across Mullingar and Westmeath. The Order of Malta operate 4 vehicles in Mullingar and work closely with the Athlone Order of Malta which also operates 4 ambulances.[27]

The Westmeath Civil Defence headquarters are located in the County Council buildings at Cullionbeg just off the N4 at the Castlepollard exit off the Motorway in Mullingar[28]. They operate several vehicles to be deployed as required in Mullingar and Westmeath. The Westmeath Civil Defence and the Mullingar Unit of Order of Malta Ireland cooperate closely together for events such as the St. Patrick's Day Parade[29].

In Doubt a 2008 film adaptation of the John Patrick Shanley stage play ,starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, the town is referenced in dialogue between the main character Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) and the school caretaker.

Mullingar featured on Three Men and a Boat on BBC 2 on December 30, 2009. Dara O Briain, Rory McGrath and Griff Rhys Jones were greeted by a large crowd on the Market Square and enjoyed a night at the Mullingar Greyhound Stadium during this episode.

Notes

  1. ^ Census for post 1821 figures.
  2. ^ http://www.histpop.org
  3. ^ http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/census
  4. ^ Lee, JJ (1981). "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses". In Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A. (eds.). Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
  5. ^ Mokyr, Joel; O Grada, Cormac (November), "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850", The Economic History Review, Volume 37 (Issue 4): 473–488, doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x {{citation}}: |issue= has extra text (help); |volume= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  6. ^ From: Betha Colmáin Maic Lúacháin, or, The Life of Colmán son of Lúachan Life of Colman of Lynn alternatively, one may find where the old copy of the original has been all these years in France Bibliothèque de Rennes
  7. ^ a b Mullingar Pewter, Gifts of a Lifetime
  8. ^ http://www.westmeath-enterprise.ie/about-westmeath
  9. ^ Audit Bureau of Circulations, Jun 2006 - Jan 2007.
  10. ^ Midland Gateway Ireland Athlone Tullamore Mullingar tullamore Offaly Ireland tullamore chamber online westmeath offaly tullamore
  11. ^ http://www.advertiser.ie/mullingar/article/13884
  12. ^ http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/property-plus/rejuvenating-mullingar-1321107.html
  13. ^ Tarkett Group
  14. ^ capmark^
  15. ^ Oakley - The Official Site
  16. ^ PEM Ireland
  17. ^ Injection Moulding, Plastic Mouldings, Medical Devices, Automotive Components -Trend Technologies
  18. ^ Taconic Corporate Homepage
  19. ^ Iralco, Ireland, Irish, Meath, automotive industry, automotive components, steel, steel bending, patent process
  20. ^ The Stables
  21. ^ Mullingar Town Band website - History
  22. ^ [1]
  23. ^ [2]
  24. ^ [stoliverplunketts.westmeath.gaa.ie]
  25. ^ [3]
  26. ^ "General Assembly of the Order of Malta Ambulance Corps, in the Regency Hotel, Drumcondra". Department of the Taoiseach. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
  27. ^ a b OrderOfMalta.ie - Mullingar Uniter overview
  28. ^ http://www.westmeathcoco.ie/en/contactus/
  29. ^ Civil Defence

See also

References

  • Seamus O'Brien (1999). Famine and Community in Mullingar Poor Law Union, 1845-49. Irish Academic Press. ISBN 0-7165-2678-6.
  • Matt Nolan (1999). Mullingar: Just for the Record. Crigean P. ISBN 0-9537651-0-5.
  • Mary Farrell (2002). Mullingar: Essays on the History of a Midlands Town. Westmeath County Library. ISBN 0-9506016-3-2.
  • Leo Daly (1975). James Joyce and the Mullingar Connection. Dolmen P. ISBN 0-85105-266-5.
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