Storm Éowyn leaves thousands without power

News review of 2025

As January went out with a bang, thanks to Storm Éowyn, February started bleakly as thousands of local homes and businesses were left without power and water. Gusts in excess of 100km per hour had been recorded at Mullingar weather station during the worst storm since records began, battering the county and the country.

The Westmeath Examiner reported millions of euro worth of damage across the country. At one stage, around 30,000 of the 50,000 premises on the ESB network in the county were without electricity. Many areas were also without water, and alternative water supplies were put in place in some villages. Westmeath County Council were dealing with an “unprecedented” level of calls about damage caused by the storm. A concerted effort was launched to support communities, especially those isolated and most vulnerable.

While Storm Éowyn was the worst storm on record, it brought out the best in people. Clonkill GAA club in Loughegar featured on the RTÉ news when they opened their doors to help people in the community who were without power. “Some people brought their air fryers along,” said club official Declan Leonard, who reckoned as many as 50 to 60 mobile phones were charged there. A number of other community centres opened their doors, including Ballymore.

Many sporting fixtures were cancelled due to the storm, and several sports clubs were assessing the damage caused to their facilities. At Mullingar Golf Club, a quick survey showed they had lost about 20 trees. Milltown GAA club closed their grounds after the storm damaged the ballstop nets there. Ballstop nets were also badly damaged at Turin, while at Mullingar Shamrocks one of the support poles for the ballstop net broke, and next door, the stand at the Mullingar Town grounds suffered damage to its corrugated roof. The Westmeath senior hurling NHL Div 1B clash between Westmeath and Laois was called off as was the Robbie Cooney memorial GAA match in Ringtown, and several local soccer games.

On the entertainment front, Mullingar native Billy McCauley, or Billy Mac as he was better known, retired from broadcasting after 30 years. His Sunday evening Rock ‘n’ Roll Show on Midlands 103 had been running for 20 years, but his career went back decades. He was a well-known figure in music circles for 60 years.

Billy raised tens of thousands of euro for Family Carers Ireland through his annual concerts at the Greville Arms Hotel, Mullingar. In total, Billy, with the support of his wife Margaret, organised 16 concerts and guaranteed full houses each year, thanks in no small part to the high quality of the line-ups he put together. Billy Mac estimated that the concerts raised in the region of €160,000 for Family Carers Ireland.

The Westmeath Examiner featured an article in February on how to avoid ‘catfishers’. The Two Johnnies ‘GAA Catfish’ story highlighted the need to be more cautious in online interactions, and the national mental health charity Turn2Me pinpointed four key red flags to help people spot online deception. In addition, they launched a free online support group for victims of catfishing.

The red flags are: 1. Catfishers avoid video calls or in-person meetings. 2. Their story has inconsistencies. 3. They move the relationship forward too quickly. 4. They ask for money or personal favours.

An Garda Síochána received more than 4,000 domestic abuse calls in the Meath Westmeath division in 2024, an increase of almost 600 on the previous year, figures showed. The figures were released in response to a parliamentary question tabled by Deputy Sorca Clarke. She said more individuals, women in particular, are now having to choose between homelessness and places that are no longer safe.

After raising hundreds of thousands of euro for predominantly local charities over the previous 16 years, Brian’s Treasure Chest on Castle Street, Mullingar, announced it was closing at the end of February. Established by well-known Mullingar native Brian Fagan in 2009, the Treasure Chest was a place where locals could pick up bargains and chat to Brian and his valued team of volunteers.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Brian said it had become increasing difficult to get volunteers to help out since lockdown. He said he would not have been able to keep the shop open as long as he had without his “fantastic” team of volunteers. Catriona Dunican had been volunteering at the Treasure Chest since it opened and Colette Quinn for 14 years. Both said they would miss the shop and the customers.

“You know, it’s very sad and it’s breaking my heart to do it, but we just can’t continue,” Brian said.

A film shot entirely in Mullingar by a local film-maker was selected to be shown at the Dublin International Film Festival which opened on February 20 and ran until March 2. ‘Upper Current’ was written and directed by 25-year-old Gregory O’Reilly, and filmed in full in Mullingar, mainly along the N4 and on Lough Owel.

The film tells the story of a driver making a fatal error on a desolate stretch of the N4, striking a cyclist in the dead of night. He impulsively hides the body, determined to erase any trace of the accident. At dawn, he anchors his fishing boat with the body hidden onboard, and heads into the vast and indifferent expanse of the water. However, in the dim, early light his plan unravels. He drops a paddle and is forced into the water. The tide shifts and pulls him further from his boat into the unforgiving undercurrent. As the night fades into morning the boat drifts in the eerie calm and the weight of his decisions are left to float in silence.

Staying with entertainment, local band Cronin were back with a sweeping new single, ‘Overlooking Paris’, released on February 12 on Live Transmissions Records. It was described as “the first taste of an upcoming EP dropping in April”, with tour dates to follow. The single artwork was designed by Mick Cronin and features a 1920s postcard of the Paris skyline from Notre Dame.