'Let’s make Fleadh 2022 work’, says Connaire

Sign up and help make Fleadh 2022 work, urged Joe Connaire, chairman of the Fleadh Executive Committee, who was guest speaker at the annual Cathaoirleach Awards last Friday.

Speaking as a proud Downs, Mullingar and Westmeath man, he invited those present to imagine the town thronged with people from the Green Bridge to the Dublin Bridge, saying that is what is going to become a reality as half a million visitors descend on Mullingar in late July and early August. There will be 6,000 competitors and RTÉ and TG4 will be broadcasting several programmes over the week, he said.

Mr Connaire said that having been kicked back by two years of Covid, the committee now faced the Ukrainian crisis. “With half a million people coming, we need every in-house, out-house, dog house to put them up”, he said. The hotels are now taking in refugees whose needs are greater than those of the fleadh and it will be necessary to accommodate fleadh visitors in neighbouring towns such Athlone, Moate, Tullamore, Kinnegad and even on the Maynooth college campus.

Mr Connaire said that 1,400 volunteers will be needed to run the fleadh. “If you want to help out go to our web site and let’s work together to make this event great, he urged.

He paid tribute to all who were “rowing in” – Westmeath County Council, Westmeath Community Development, the vintners, Bishop Tom Deenihan, Rev Alastair Graham, the Presbyterian church, the schools, gardaí, Fire Service, Civil Defence, GAA and Mullingar Chamber of Commerce, in particular Aisling Coleman.

He acknowledged the volunteers on the fleadh committee – Willie Penrose, Colette Glynn, Padraig Keena, Enda Seery, Julia Dalton, Bernie McHugh, Danny Mulvihill, Aisling Coleman, Dick Stokes and all their sub committees, and Anne Marie Corroon and Pauline Hussey, the council officials who have been appointed to help with the fleadh. Mr Connaire concluded by thanking Ministers Robert Troy and Peter Burke for their hard work in the background.