Mullingar


Mullingar is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 22,667 in the 2022 census.
The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeath 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.
Traditionally a market town serving the surrounding agricultural hinterland, Mullingar's cattle market closed in 2003 for the development of a mixed commercial and residential scheme called Market Point.
Mullingar has a number of neighbouring lakes, including Lough Owel, Lough Ennell and Lough Derravaragh. Lough Derravaragh is also known for its connection with the Irish legend of the Children of Lir. The town of Mullingar is linked to Lough Ennell via Lacy's Canal and the River Brosna. Another nearby waterway is the Royal Canal, which loops around Mullingar.

History

The town developed at a fording point on the River Brosna. Evidence of ancient settlement within Mullingar include records of a motte-and-bailey castle, a tower house known as Mullingar Castle, a number of fortified houses and several water mills. The town's Irish name, An Muileann gCearr meaning a "wry or left-handed mill", refers to one of these mills.
Former monastic settlements, founded in Mullingar, included the Augustinian Priory of St. Mary and a Dominican friary. The sites of these two monasteries, which were "dissolved" in the 16th century, were in ruin by the late 17th century.
When County Westmeath was formed in the 1540s, with the passing of the Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543, Mullingar became the "shire town" for the newly formed county. It was also a garrison town, following the completion of Wellington Barracks in the early 19th century.
The current cathedral in Mullingar, the Cathedral of Christ the King, was built in the 1930s on the site of a former 19th century cathedral.

Local government and politics

is the local authority for Westmeath. The county council comprises two constituencies or "municipal districts". Mullingar town is in the Mullingar Municipal District, which comprises thirteen members.
The town is part of the Longford–Westmeath constituency for elections to Dáil Éireann.
Mullingar's Ruth Illingworth, a local historian and Fine Gael politician, was Ireland's first female openly LGBTQ+ mayor, elected in 2009.
There is a Chamber of Commerce in Mullingar, and Mullingar is one of the three towns that forms the Midlands Gateway region, along with Athlone and Tullamore, set up as part of the Government's National Spatial Strategy 2002–2020.

Tourism

Mullingar's tourist attractions include its lakes – Lough Owel, Lough Derravaragh and Lough Ennell – which are visited by anglers. The Royal Canal also flows through the town. Belvedere House and Gardens, Mullingar Golf Club and the Bloomfield House Hotel are all located nearby.
The town has a handful of hotels, including the Newbury Hotel, Annebrook House Hotel, Mullingar Park Hotel and the Greville Arms Hotel. The latter holds the two Brit awards presented to Niall Horan, and a large granite monument, which formerly stood at Dominick Street, which was presented to the town by Lord Greville.
One of Mullingar's notable buildings 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, which closed in March 2012, was a military base that housed the 4th Field Artillery Regiment, the 4th Field Supply & Transport Company and the HQ of the 54 Reserve Field Artillery Regiment.
There is a monument, commemorating the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising, at Green Bridge in Mullingar. The monument, built by the Mullingar Tidy Towns organisation, was officially unveiled on Easter Monday 2017. Other memorials and statues in Mullingar include a statue titled "The Pilgrims", a memorial to the Great Famine, and a statue of Joe Dolan.
Mullingar Town Park is a public park situated in the centre of the town, and it includes a wide variety of playgrounds, a swimming pool and a large pond near the centre. On 22 July 2016, the park became one of 22 public spaces in Ireland to be awarded a Green Flag.

Economy

Among Mullingar's exports are items of pewterware produced by Mullingar Pewter. Also associated with Mullingar is Genesis Fine Art, which produces gift items. The "Pilgrims" sculpture on Mullingar's Austin Friars Street, at which location there once stood an Augustinian Friary, was crafted by Genesis on foot of a commission by the Mullingar chapter of Soroptimists International.
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, the Harbour Place Shopping Centre near the town centre, and a development at the Green – on the site of the former Avonmore and Penneys units.
The town has a mix of local retailers and chain stores, and branches of the major banks. The town also has a credit union, Mullingar Credit Union.
A proposed development, named "Mullingar Central", was to have been located between Mount Street, the railway station and Blackhall Street. Planning permission was granted for retail, commercial and residential units. Phase 1, which included tax offices, library, civic offices and County Council buildings was officially opened on 11 June 2009. Phase 2, however, did not proceed.
Mullingar contains several industrial estates and business parks. As of 2015, only one plot on the Industrial Development Authority business park in Marlinstown has been acquired by an employer, Patterson Pumps. At that time, the business was constructing a new plant to which it intended to move its Irish operation from its current location at Mullingar Business Park. Two of the town's manufacturing plants – Penn tennis balls and Tarkett – both closed in the early 2000s causing many job losses. Other local employers include the Midland Regional Hospital at Mullingar, P.E.M. Engineering, Trend Technologies, Taconic International, and Mullingar Pewter.
The town is home to a €25m Lidl warehouse and distribution centre.
Mullingar has a Chamber of Commerce which represents almost 200 businesses from varying commercial sectors.

Transport

Road

Mullingar lies near the national primary route N4, the main Dublin – Sligo road, from the capital. The N52 also connects Mullingar to the Galway-Dublin M6 motorway at Athlone to the southwest, and Kells, Ardee and Dundalk to the northeast. The town is served by Bus Éireann services to Dublin, Athlone, Sligo, Cavan, Tullamore and Ballina.

Waterway

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. The town of Mullingar is also linked to Lough Ennell via Lacy's Canal and the River Brosna.

Railways

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 to Galway via Mullingar, then via Moate to 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, the Canal Crossing cattle bank which was on the Sligo line and, on the Athlone line, Newbrook racecourse which had its own station. This was a two-platformed station with both platforms on the Down Line.
Currently, the Dublin-Sligo railway line northwest to Longford and Sligo is the mainline, Galway is accessed from Heuston Station via Portarlington. Mullingar station is served by national rail company Iarnród Éireann's Arrow commuter services to Dublin and InterCity trains to/from Sligo.
The line between Mullingar and Athlone has been transformed into the Old Rail Trail, a 43 kilometer greenway linking the River Shannon in Athlone to the Royal Canal in Mullingar.
The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland have a secondary base in the town. There is a photo survey of the disused Athlone Line via Moate.

Healthcare

The Midland Regional Hospital at Mullingar serves the Longford-Westmeath area. An extension was built in the early 1990s. 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 the Midlands; St Mary's, a care centre for older people; and the St Francis Private Hospital.

Education

The town has several primary schools, including a number run under the Catholic ethos, a Church of Ireland school, a non-denominational Educate Together primary school, and two Irish language primary schools. Local second-level schools include Coláiste Mhuire, the town's oldest post-primary school, St Finian's College, Loreto College Mullingar and Mullingar Community College.
Coláiste Mhuire is primarily a boys school, however, the 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.
Wilson's Hospital School, a co-educational boarding school, operates under the patronage of the Church of Ireland. It is located in the nearby village of Multyfarnham. It serves day students from the Mullingar area.
St. Joseph's Secondary School, a co-educational school located in the nearby village of Rochfortbridge, also serves the Mullingar area.