Rose of Tralee hopes she’s ‘making positive impact’

Katelyn Cummins was one of main speakers at Midlands Career Expo 2026

Rose of Tralee, 20-year-old apprentice electrician from Laois, Katelyn Cummins took time out of her busy schedule to attend the Midlands Career Expo 2026 at the Mullingar Park Hotel last Saturday. Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Katelyn was full of excitement for her next appearance on Dancing with the Stars on Sunday. She urged everyone to “vote for me”.

Katelyn said she was delighted to attend the Career Expo and said she’d had “a great day”. As an apprentice electrician and Rose of Tralee, she hoped that she was “making a positive impact” on women.

“I started out as an apprentice too,” Jim Bourke, former Mullingar Chamber of Commerce president and father of the current president James Bourke, told Katelyn. He was an apprentice mechanic and, 62 years on, now runs one of the largest and most successful car dealerships in the midlands – Mullingar Autos.

Jim left school when he was 14 and had qualified as a mechanic by 19. “Ger Hickey (another successful local businessman) was with me. There was no room for us in the Vocational School after we were 14 so we had to look for an apprenticeship. I started with Joe Martin of Martin Brothers, Harbour Street,” Jim recalled.

After he qualified, Jim went to Dublin to further his qualifications on the assembly line and attended night classes in computers and English. He went on to start his own business as a mechanic and subsequently began selling cars. Mullingar Autos now employs 42 staff and has a turnover of €47 million a year.

“I still enjoy the motor trade as much as ever after 62 years and, thankfully, I still have good health,” he remarked.

Dovida looking for caregivers

Dovida, the home care service, was among the companies that exhibited at this year’s Midlands Career Expo. Ciaralee Carey from Ballinagore and Liam Moran from The Downs were on hand to explain what is involved.

They pointed out that Dovida was looking for care givers in Westmeath, Longford and Offaly. We are looking for people to give care in the home, rather than in a nursing home, and to provide live-in care for eight weeks at a time, they explained, adding that it is great to be able to give people the opportunity to be cared for in their own homes. The carer might be the only caller a person has in the day, they added.

Dovida were at the Expo looking for caregivers and clients, families that might need their help. Both Ciaralee and Liam reported a good response on the day.

‘Favourite day in calendar’

There were more than 40 stands at this year’s Midlands Career Expo hosted by Mullingar Chamber of Commerce in the Park Hotel last Saturday.

James Bourke, president of the Chamber, declared that this was one of his favourite days on the Chamber’s calendar, a chance to show the wonderful businesses that are operating. He looked forward to seeing employers and job seekers connecting at the Expo.

Mr Bourke remarked that a number of local clubs had stands at the Expo. Among them were Mullingar Shamrocks GAA, Lakeside Wheelers, Mullingar Town Band and others displaying the facilities available locally. “Our mission is to develop this area as a place to live, work and raise a family,” he stated.

He said he was delighted to have diverse speakers at this year’s Expo - the Rose of Tralee, Katelyn Cummins, an apprentice electrician, speaking to young people about apprenticeships, and Longford man Andrew Lynch from IMR, who spoke about AI in the workplace. Other speakers included Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, TD, and Robert Troy, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Finance.

IMR: ‘We’re here; we’re local’

Peter Purcell of Irish Manufacturing Research, based in the Science Park in Mullingar, was on hand at the Midlands Career Expo last Saturday to explain what they do. “We are just letting people know that we are here, we’re local and we are an applied research centre,” he told the Westmeath Examiner.

“We are trying to demystify new technologies and to help businesses understand them,” he remarked. IMR is funded by Enterprise Ireland and provides subsidised research. “If you have a manufacturing business and want to become more productive or invest in new technology, we can help. We can demystify it and de-risk it by subsidising it,” he said.

IMR also offers training services.

They are 12 years in existence and eight years in Mullingar. They have 180 employees, about 100 of them in Mullingar.

Trend Technologies also had a stand at the exhibition and their representatives were actively encouraging those looking for work in the sector to sign up. “We have a couple of pages full already,” Eoin Lynam of Trend Technologies reported.

So many opportunities

Speaking at the Midlands Career Expo in the Park Hotel last Saturday morning, Deputy Robert Troy, Minister of State at the Department of Finance, said it was “uplifting to see so many stands and job opportunities here today”. He congratulated the Chamber of Commerce on putting the show together and on the support they give to businesses in the region.

Deputy Troy remarked that apprenticeships used to be associated with the building trade but now there are many more opportunities in so many professions. He assured the gathering that the government supports apprenticeships.

“We are very fortunate to have a strong economy at the moment,” the deputy remarked, pointing out that the country has the highest employment rates on record – 2.8 million, compared to 1.8 million in 2012. “That is an additional one million jobs in a short space of time, thanks to Government support and the innovation and commitment of businesses,” he said.

Deputy Troy went on to say that it was great to see local businesses such as Writech and Quality Tractor Parts going international. He said the government would continue to support job creation in Mullingar and the midlands where there is a strong labour force.

The minister of state spoke of the quality of life opportunities in the midlands. “We have good infrastructure, good schools, a good quality of life in which to live, work and raise a family,” he remarked.

Strong army presence

There was a strong army presence at the Midlands Career Expo held in the Park Hotel, Mullingar, last Saturday. Captain Robert Duncan and Lieutenant Jeffrey Flood, both from Mullingar, were on hand to explain what it means to be a soldier.

Captain Duncan has “a day job” as a civil engineer but is also a member of the Reserve Defence Force. How do you become a Reserve soldier – “You do two weeks basic training, another two weeks advanced training and then you are a first class Private,” Robert explained.

“Joining the Reserves is like joining a football club. You train once a week and do military camps in the Glen of Imaal, and then you aid the Civil Power and add depth to their strength,” he said.

Robert joined the Reserves in 1989 “for a few pound and a pair of boots”. “The challenge, camaraderie and craic kept me,” he said.

Lieutenant Flood from Lakepoint, Mullingar, was attracted to the army by the many diverse opportunities it offered. “It offers third level education schemes, you get real world experience and you get to see a bit of the world,” he remarked.

Jeffrey acknowledged that the initial training is tough, but it opens up a “huge amount of career opportunities in IT, engineering, trades, education”. It also provides you with accommodation, food, clothes and dental and health care, and is open to anyone aged between 18 and 39 years, he said.

To find out more about the Reserves and the regular Army visit military.ie.

Mullingar Arts Centre

Mullingar Arts Centre had a vibrant and colourful stand at this year’s Midlands Career Expo, manned by an equally vibrant and colourful Sophie Savage. “We have classes six days a week in drama, dance and singing and most of our stage schools are full,” she declared.

Sophie stressed that stage school builds confidence in young people “which is now more important than ever”.

She also had several brochures on display outlining what is coming up at the arts centre, which has been going from strength to strength since it opened in 1999 in the refurbished County Hall, built originally in 1913 on the site of the old Mullingar Gaol.

Mullingar Toastmasters

There were lots visitors to the Mullingar Toastmasters stand at the Midlands Career Expo held in the Park Hotel, Mullingar, last weekend, including many of the original members from 30 years ago, according to president Philip Howlin.

People come to Toastmasters for fun, community and leadership, Philip explained. It is a safe, positive environment designed to help people engage, he said, adding that Mullingar Toastmasters now has a lovely blend of several nationalities.