Pages Past: retirement after 43 years at Dept of Ag

Westmeath Examiner September 10 2016

Castlepollard firm supplied Olympic seats

The recently completed Olympic Games in Brazil were still in the news and a story carried in the Westmeath Examiner revealed that a little known fact about the preparations for the games was that it was a Westmeath firm that was responsible for making the seating for many of the venues at which events were hosted. Mergon International in Castlepollard made 130,000 seats which were transported to Brazil for the Olympics.

The company had also produced seats for stadia hosting the World Cup Games in 2014, the item reported.

Mergon, headquartered in Castlepollard also had plants in the US and the Czech Republic, the item stated, going on to explain that the expert workforce at Castlepollard manufactured a range of automotive products which were sold as components for use by leading car manufacturers.

The company was also active in the healthcare and industrial packaging sectors.

Independent MEP Marian Harkin had recently visited the firm and was impressed with what she saw, describing the company as a heartening example of how a company in a rural area with vision and a focused workforce could serve its customers across the world and in the process become a multinational organisation.

Westmeath Examiner September 9 2006

Jetskis banned from local lakes

The lakes in Westmeath were set to become more peaceful places on foot of a decision by the county council to pass a controversial motion completely banning the use of jet skis on lakes under its control.

However, reported journalist Linda O’Reilly, powerboats were not yet affected by the council’s determination to make the lakes safer.

Jet skis, she continued, were now completely banned on Loughs Owel and Lough Ennell; Lough Lene and Lough Derravaragh; Lough Sewdy in Ballymore, and the part of Lock Sheelin that is in Co Westmeath.

The new laws were due to come into effect within the following 30 days and after that anyone using a jet ski on the lakes would become liable for an on-the-spot fine of €150 or up to €1000 if convicted in court.

The decision was taken after the council presented a report to the members following a recent public consultation process on the draft bylaws for the lakes. In all, 1857 individuals and organisations had made submissions and lodged petitions in respect of the proposed ban, the majority of which favoured it.

Westmeath Examiner September 14 1996

Chamber wanted new hotel and swiming pool

The need for a hotel with up to 100 beds and the possibility of putting Mullingar forward as a prospective location for a 50 meter swimming pool were among the ideas put forward at the quarterly meeting of the Chamber of Commerce. The president, Rose Wright, suggested that a hotel to cater for international visitors, conferences and so forth was needed, along with more parking facilities.

She said the need for more parking was evident over the summer months and that she would be interested in seeing anyone with proposals on these initiatives submit them to the Chamber. Mrs Wright went on to say that Mullingar would be an ideal location for a 50 meter swimming pool because of its central location and close proximity to Dublin.

The article went on to state that the Chamber of Commerce’s tourism subcommittee had a number of tourism projects on the go including the publication of tourist brochures, guides, maps and a local video.

She also added that the Chamber’s retail subcommittee was actively involved with the County Council in discussions about changes to the Mullingar streetscape and improvement on traffic management in the town as well as on upgrades to the Mullingar Christmas lighting.

Westmeath Examiner September 13 1986

Shamrocks and The Downs set for final

Mullingar Shamrocks and The Downs were poised to meet the following weekend in the final of the Westmeath Senior Football Championships.

It was the first time for this pairing to feature in the final and there was much excitement over the event which was to be the centrepiece of a three-match programme.

Profiled in the pen pictures of the teams for the two sides were, for The Downs, Senan McGuire, Michael Murtagh, Jimmy Tuite, Peter Murtagh, Anthony Rowan, Paul Colgan, Seamus Conroy, Camillus Walsh, Patrick Walsh, Paul Rowan, Noel Cleary, Noel Egerton, John Murray, Eugene McCormack, Stephen Ready, with, listed as subs, Sean Carroll, Jim Moore, Aidan McGuire, James Hughes, Peter Smith, Patrick Nolan, Alo Egerton, Thomas Maunsell, Seamus McHugh and Thomas Kelly.

On the team for Mullingar Shamrocks were Stephen Fagan, Kevin Daly, Mark Kelly, Richard McKenna, Peter Smith, John Corroon, Gerry Nohilly, Tom Ormsby, Sean Hynes, Paddy Dunne, Michael Fagan, Peter Faulkner, Patsy Fagan, Denis Corroon and Michael Reilly. The subs were Tom Hunt, Michael Green, Niall Devine, John Fagan, Michael Clarke, Larry Keena, Noel Dempsey, JP Crowley, Pierce Corroon, Ken Crowley, Finian Coughlan and Tom McGuire.

Westmeath Examiner September 11, 1976

Westmeath family on Norwegian TV

The Drumm family of Gigginstown, Collinstown, were set to feature in a big way in a programme going out on Norwegian television. The station had selected one family from each of the European countries to participate and the Drumm family was chosen to represent Ireland.

The report in the issue of September 11, 1976 stated that Mr and Mrs James Drumm, their children, Julia, Fiona, Olive, Paul, Pamela, Thomas and Ronan had been filmed at work and at play by the television crew. The director and his team of six spent a week in the area and among the dimensions of the family’s life that were captured were the participation of Julie Drumm in the National Community Games at Butlin’s where she got to the semi-final stages. They also filmed the family at Mass in Killulagh Church and at Delvin Show on Sunday and also having a picnic.

The crew also joined the younger members at school. Thomas was filmed playing handball in the Delvin Alley and Fiona was filmed in the Convent of Mercy, Navan, where she was a boarder. The crew was due to film Mr Drumm at Delvin Mart as well.

Westmeath Examiner September 10, 1966

Tobacco factory close to opening

The front page story trumpeted the fact that the Mullingar tobacco factory was due to open in 1967.

“The work of erecting the Douwe Egbert tobacco factory on the Dublin Road Mullingar is well underway and members of the company have been making the journey between Holland and Ireland periodically since the project was mooted,” the report opened explaining that a Westmeath Examiner journalist had just spoken with representatives of the firm about the progress to date and plans for the future.

The item revealed that the first group of employees was due to move into the factory in January or February of 1967 when part of the building would be completed and it was expected that towards the end of that year production would be well underway with about 100 people employed.

Stated the writer: The product is entirely for export and the factory is of the ‘bond’ status. It is in fact the first all-bonded factory in Ireland. This being so there are certain additional requirements sought by the revenue commissioners and all these are embodied in the design including those which specify quality control.”