“I’m a ‘Rosie’ (Rosemount native) first, the Rose of Tralee second,” Rachel Duffy, the newly crowned Rose of Tralee, and the first from Westmeath, told a large crowd gathered at Rosemount GAA grounds to welcome her home from Kerry. She thanked her family, dad Tom, brothers and sisters, her Nana and Grandad, and paid tribute to her late mother Cathy, saying, “she’s here in her own way”.

Tony Allen sang the Rose of Tralee, accompanied by Ballymore Comhaltas, for the event. In interview with this newspaper, the 23-year-old said she was “overwhelmed” at taking the international title: “The whole experience was amazing. Winning was the icing on the cake.”

Rachel is studying in English and Spanish in NUIG.

“One issue in isolation is excusable, but the number of errors now that are of my making, directly or indirectly, has led me to this decision,” stated Longford Westmeath TD, Robert Troy who resigned as a junior minister in September. His resignation came after he failed to declare his interests in full to the Oireachtas. Assuring his constituency members that, “I have not tried to conceal anything,” he said: “My biggest offence is my lack of due diligence.” His statement said that he was sorry for causing “so much upheaval and has distracted from the serious issues at hand in this country”.

It emerged that Westmeath County Council had spent just €205,000 of a €4.5m budget allocated to develop active travel routes around the country in 2021; meanwhile there was “dismay” at the announcement that Mullingar tourist office was to close by the end of the month. Instead, Fáilte Ireland said there would be a “significantly enhanced” web presence for the town and county as a whole.

A Mullingar restaurant owner, Conor Hughes, was busy fielding calls from the media after Sex in the City actress, Sarah Jessica Park, visited his Smithfield eatery, SOUP 2, along with her family. Conor also owns a restaurant in Dun Laoghaire.

The firm planning to build Europe’s largest film studio at Lough Sheever Corporate Park, Mullingar, Hammerlake Studios, estimated that it would be fully operational by 2025, and would need a production staff of more than 1,000. It would also be worth €50m annually to the local economy. That was provided Westmeath councillors decided to approve a material contravention of the county development plan in order for the project to go ahead, which they did later in the month, each voicing their support for a project that would see 300 jobs created during construction.

There was more good news for Mullingar, as Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann confirmed that the Fleadh Cheoil would be returning in 2023, but chairperson of the Fleadh Executive Committee, Joe Connaire, said it would take €2m to get the event “over the line” next year.

“Because of the climate we’re living in, that costs are going up… so we need the support of all the businesses, anyone that can support us going forward.”

A teacher who objected to addressing a student with the pronoun ‘they’, Enoch Burke, was arrested by gardaí and taken before the High Court to answer claims that he failed to comply with a temporary injunction preventing him from attending or teaching at Wilson’s Hospital School in Multyfarnham. The court was told that Mr Burke was in breach of both the terms of his paid suspension and the temporary injunction, and had been present at the school “sitting in an empty classroom.” He was arrested and conveyed to the Four Courts. Mr Burke was committed to Mountjoy Prison after telling the High Court that he would not comply with the injunction preventing him from attending or teaching at the school.

Gardaí launched a criminal investigation into the deaths of Thelma (5), and her brother Michael (2) Dennany, who died from injuries sustained in a car fire just outside Multyfarnham. Their mother Lynn Egar was treated in hospital for what was described as life changing injuries. Hundreds of people joined the principal, staff and pupils of St Cremin’s National School, where the children attended, at a vigil that filled the streets of Multyfarnham. Members of the clergy led the gathering in prayers for the family. The children, who were from Rathowen, were laid to rest a week later, following funeral Mass in St Mel’s Cathedral, Longford.

Very Rev Fr Patrick Moore celebrated a quarter of a century of service to Castlepollard. Children from St Michael’s NS gathered on the grounds of St Michael’s Church, where they planted an apple tree in his honour. Appointed parish priest of Castlepollard in 1997, Fr Moore is a native of Glenidan, and was ordained in 1968.

With a membership of 57,000 and assets of €435m, North Midlands Credit Union, formerly Mullingar Credit Union, added another facility to its ranks - Lanesboro Ballyleague CU, making it the second largest community credit union in the country.

Meanwhile the campaign to provide a midlands hospice on a site at Tullamore hospital received a massive funding boost when capital funding of €20m was announced by Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

Councillors of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad were informed that a consultant would be commissioned to carry out an “area-based transportation plan for the town of Mullingar”, which Cllr Ken Glynn called a “total waste of money”. “We have fantastic engineers within our staff that are more than qualified to find the pinch points and come up with solutions,” he said.

The newly crowned King of England, Charles III, once told Minister of State, Peter Burke TD, that he hoped to visit every county in Ireland. Minister Burke had met with the then-Prince Charles, and his wife Camilla, in March 2021 on a visit to the Rock of Cashel. “He had a number that he’d already been to, so he was going through the list, ticking them off one by one,” said Minister Burke.

Mullingar baker, Una Leonard, appeared on the Late Late Show to launch her new book, ‘Sweet Therapy’. She told Ryan Tubridy how baking helped her get through an eating disorder. While at the RTÉ studios, the Patisserie 2210 cafe owner (on Mount Street) met Mullingar Rochfortbridge outfit, The Academic, who performed their new track Don’t Take It Personally on live television.