Mullingar's past displayed in new book

"An extraordinary effort," was how Bishop Michael Smith described 'Beneath Cathedral Towers' at the book's official launch at the Mullingar Park Hotel on Sunday, December 6.Addressing a packed room Bishop Smith recalled the gargantuan effort required to build the cathedral which if started today would take an astounding €30 million to complete."This remarkable work identifies Mullingar," said Bishop Smith. "It is our landmark and our symbol and it is remarkable that Bishop Mulvaney completed the cathedral while owing little to the banks and we managed to restore it in the 1990s without borrowing from the banks either which was a testament to the high regard in which the cathedral is held by the people of Mullingar."After the opening address councillor Ruth Illingworth, Father Paul Connell, Father Michael Kilmartin and Danny Dunne each presented five favourite photos from the hundreds of pictures which were unearthed for the book.Among the photos shown was the only known surviving picture of the tomb of Bishop Cantwell which was removed from the side apse during the Cathedral's restoration and was placed in a vault underneath the building.A picture of Mrs Evelyn Dore, who is credited with lifting the Cathedral's musical prowess to new levels as director of the choir was of particular interest to the audience, many of whom remembered her as one of Mullingar's most popular characters."I had the great pleasure of knowing Mrs Dore who took over the direction of music in the Cathedral after the death of her husband. I remember her house in Blackhall which was filled with books. She was a lovely person and I was glad to have known her," said the councillor whose own research formed a large part of the book.