Pages Past: 'Collaborative Entry' winner at 2010 St Patrick's Day parade

Westmeath Examiner

March 26 2016

100th anniversary of 1916 Rising

There were widespread celebrations of various types across the country in the week leading up to March 26 2016, to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising.

The national celebration was scheduled to take place on the Sunday of that week in Dublin, and the members of the 2 Artillery Regiment – many from the Mullingar area – were to play a central role, as the Custume Barracks-based regiment were towing four 105 anti-tank guns and a BV 206 Air Defence Vehicle in a big parade taking place in Dublin.

Also due to participate in the parade were members of the Civil Defence, ONE and IUNVA.

Meanwhile Tuesday March 15 had been declared ‘Proclamation Day’, when every school in the country was invited to share their own ‘Proclamation for a New Generation’, and we featured pictures from the activities at a number of schools, including Presentation NS, Dalystown NS and Gaelscoil an Choillín.

Westmeath Examiner

March 25 2006

War of Attrition wins Cheltenham Gold Cup

On St Patrick’s Day, the Michael O’Leary-owned horse War of Attrition, ridden by Conor O’Dwyer, romped home to victory at the Cheltenham Gold Cup, followed in second and third place by two other Irish horses, Hedgehunter and Forget the Past.

Journalist Sharon Newman, in a front page story on March 25 wrote: "Never one to stand in the limelight, O’Leary shunned celebrations in the UK’s top horseracing grounds, choosing instead to share his success with his native county, and dropping in with his family to Mary Lynch’s pub at Coralstown on the drive back from the airport on St Patrick’s night.

"I never thought I would own a horse that would win the Gold Cup. It’s just amazing. It’s fantastic. It’s the first time in a long time the Gold Cup has been filled with Guinness," Mr O’Leary told Sharon, as he took the cup along to the St Patrick’s Day parade in Delvin which took place on the Sunday (March 20).

Westmeath Examiner

March 30 1996

Westmeath success in Leinster Scór finals

There was success for two Westmeath entries in the Leinster Scór finals of 1996, which had just that weekend been held at the Count John McCormack Hall at the Regional College, Athlone.

The Question Time team from St Malachy’s had, the writer said, given "their greatest performance ever", beating the Longford team, Legan. On the St Malachy’s team were Larry Hackett, Johnny Garvin and Seamus McLoughlin.

The other Westmeath team to win a title were the Rince Seit set dancers from The Downs – Fintan Kelly, Tony Roper, Pat Leavy, John Kennedy, Brenda Deihy, Grainne Kelly, Tracy Quinn and Yvonne Smith.

Other Westmeath representatives at the event were Doreen Farrelly, Lough Lene Gaels in the solo singing; the Ballymore Ballad Group – Marie Rooney, Mary McKnight, Teresa Dunne, Edel Martin and Martina Slevin.

The fear an tí for the night was Matt Carley, from The Downs.

Westmeath Examiner

March 29 1986

£2 million cut in health services

"Under threat of being abolished, the Midland Health Board has voted by 19 votes to 9 to accept a £2 million cut in health services, including 160 job losses and the closure of at least four psychiatric hospital wards," stated the lead story of March 29 1986.

The writer revealed that the decision had been reached after almost five hours of debate the previous Thursday, when the board rejected a proposal from Mullingar-based doctor, Michael Smith, that they refer back to the department their non-capital allocation for 1986 with a footnote that they would not tolerate a level of service below that of 1985.

However, the board was warned by its chief executive officer, Denis J Doherty, that the law stated that if a board overspent without the permission of the minister, that could lead to its dissolution.

Mr Doherty brought a number of suggestions aimed at living within the reduced budget. These included the total elimination of locum staff for clerical, administrative, para-medical and maintenance staff; a reduction by up to half of locum cover in all general, district and geriatric hospitals for medical, nursing and catering and housekeeping staff; the reduction of complements for medical, nursing and catering and housekeeping staff at St Loman’s and at St Fintan’s, Portlaoise.

He also suggested closing two geriatric wards at St Loman’s and two at St Fintan’s; and cutting the number of jobs at the health board’s general office in Tullamore by five, and reducing travel expenses for staff by €1m.

Westmeath Examiner

March 29 1976

Record overdraft of almost £1m

A warning that the county council was being stared in the face by a record overdraft of almost £1m was carried on the front page of April 3 1976, in an item stating that the debt had councillor Jimmy O’Brien "extremely worried".

At the council’s monthly meeting, held the previous Monday in Mullingar, Cllr O’Brien called for the support of his council colleagues in tackling the problem.

"We must roll up our sleeves and do something about this overdraft, before it falls back on the rates," Cllr O’Brien stated.

He insisted that there would have to be cutbacks, and addressing the officials, he stated: "We have given you one of the biggest rates ever in Westmeath and yet the overdraft is just short of a million. I want to sound this warning to my colleagues about proposing this and that. It is all very well doing this when it is not coming out of your own pockets, but when you get the demand notes you will know then where the money is coming from."

Westmeath Examiner

March 26 1966

French students to visit Mullingar

There was good news on the tourism front, with an announcement by the Midland Regional Tourism Organisation that negotiations with two French tour operators had been successful, and that a party of 20 French students would be visiting Mullingar for the month of July, while 30 would be visiting Athlone during the same month.

The report estimated the value, in terms of money, at £2,000 for Mullingar and £2,500 for Athlone.

The report went on to state that one of the fastest-growing sections of Irish tourism was student travel, manifesting itself through the visits to this country of young people from France, Germany and other continental countries to improve their English.

"The regional company is keenly aware of the spending power of these young people, which is surprisingly high," said the article. "We are anxious to see the major towns within the region benefit from this branch of tourism. Athlone and Mullingar have been selected as potential holiday centres for foreign students, but before accepting any new town as a possible centre, the student tour organisers require a minimum of 30 first class houses and the availability of suitable classroom facilities for tuition.

Westmeath Independent

March 31 1956

Strange Magic of Pope Pius XII

A small item entitled ‘The Strange Magic of Pope Pius XII’ commented on ways in which the pontiff had broken new ground.

"Occupying the oldest throne in the world, Pope Pius XII is known to all the peoples of the world, more so than any of his predecessors," stated the brief.

"He is the first pope to travel by air, the first to draft speeches and documents on a typewriter, the first to give a real interview to a newspaper man."

The information appeared to have been drawn from an item written by Emmett John Hughes in the April edition of the Reader’s Digest, which the Westmeath Independent said presented a fine portrait of his Holiness, "the brilliant man in whom warmth, compassion and humour find soft, shy expression".

The item noted that the pope had clasped hands with Muslim leaders, Baptist ministers, princes, peasants, soccer players and sopranos. The world’s great and humble of all countries and creeds, the saintly man of singular influence whose deepest yearning is for solitude and prayer.

Westmeath Examiner

March 30 1946

Little Theatre drama festival

The Little Theatre drama festival which had run in Mullingar for two weeks had just ended and speaking at the conclusion of the event, adjudicator Miss Maureen Delaney from the Abbey Theatre in Dublin stated she had really enjoyed the 10 days.

"There were some grand performances and there were some bad ones," she stated.

Going on to speak of the importance of drama, Miss Delaney said it was "a grand pastime" and she said that all those who came along from their offices or from the land to take part deserved great praise. It was good especially for rural inhabitants as it afforded them pleasure and pastime.

The Hutchinson Cup presented by Mr TL Hutchinson for the best three-act play in English performed by a dramatic class from any town or urban area in Ireland was won by the Athlone Little Theatre which presented Juno and the Peacock and obtained 95 marks.

Under this heading too, the producer’s medal went to Miss A Coughlan, Athlone.

The Bishop’s Cup presented by Most Reverend Dr Dalton, Bishop of Meath for the best three-act play in English performed by any rural dramatic class in the Diocese of Meath was won by the Ballarat Players, who presented The Rugged Path.

Westmeath Independent

March 28 1936

Irish Labour Party meeting

A public meeting under the auspices of the Irish Labour Party was held in Kinnegad on the Sunday of the week ending March 28, 1936. Presiding was Mr Peter O’Reilly, chairman of the local branch, and the speaker was Mr John Hayden from Castletown Geoghegan, party organiser.

In his remarks, Mr Hayden said it was not necessary for him to tell the members the level of hardship due to unemployment that existed not only in Kinnegad but in other parts of Westmeath and various parts of the Free State. There was nothing but poverty and suffering in the homes of the workers and he was greatly afraid it was going to continue for a long time, he said.

Continuing, he said that slowly but surely, the workers were sliding down the banks until they were now on the bedrock of poverty, and thus the party had to try to support the organising campaign that had been started in Westmeath and every county to try and get the workers together so that when the time came they would, for once in their lives, strike a final blow to take themselves and their families out of poverty and suffering. Mr Hayden reviewed the activities of the present government and said that during their four years of office since 1932, unemployment had increased from 45,000 to 145,000 in 1936.

To his mind that was a bad headline.

Since they were installed in power, they had achieved one thing, better housing accommodation for the working classes. He was not, however, going to give the government full credit for that housing scheme since, he said, the Labour Party was mainly responsible for its introduction.

Westmeath Examiner

March 27 1926

Mullingar Legion of British Ex-Soldiers

At a meeting of the Mullingar Legion of British Ex-Soldiers, held on St Patrick’s Day in Mullingar, the erection of a memorial to those who had fallen in the Great War was approved. Also in the course of proceedings Mr PW Shaw, TD, said he was glad to see the members had at last realised the necessity of having an organisation.

"There is no county in Ireland in which your interests have been better served than in Westmeath and on the other hand there is no county in Ireland in which up to the present you have done less in your own interests," he told the members.

Mr Shaw remarked that in Mullingar was located the headquarters office where a large staff administered the needs of ex-servicemen and dependants for the counties of Mayo, Galway, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Longford and Westmeath.

In the month of January 1926, he said, the staff there had received over 3,000 letters, 9,100 documents were dealt with, 3,579 letters were dispatched, 11,403 documents dispatched, 1,039 applicants were interviewed, 200 persons were medically examined and many thousands of pounds distributed in advances of pensions, treatment allowances, dental treatments, clothing grants, special diet and educational grants.

He said that at that time, there were 64 men in various hospitals undergoing treatment and 54 orphans and motherless children being educated at Summerhill, Athlone, Sligo Convent and Salthill. The Ministry of Pensions was paying for the support and education of those children in addition to providing the necessary clothing required.

"Only for the interest we have taken in these children, they would be reared as paupers in the county home and I feel quite sure many more children are eligible throughout the country if their cases could be brought under our notice," he said.