Matilda’s grandmother read at first ever fleadh in Mullingar

“I’m the seventh daughter, of a seventh daughter, of a seventh daughter,” says Matilda from Kildare, who was offering palm, tarot and crystal ball readings in the town park during the fleadh. “Funny enough, the first fleadh that was ever here, my grandmother was at it, and my grandaunt was with her. They were both doing readings.

“This is my grandmother’s crystal ball that I have with me here today, so we go back three generations. The seventh son of a seventh son is a healer, but the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter is a foreteller. It’s been in our background forever,” she said.

“At the age of four I started seeing stuff, but then I was blocked by my mother and grandmother, because I was too young. At the age of 12 I started doing readings, and then when I got married I stopped doing readings, and then I came back to it, and worked all over, Ireland, America, the UK.

“I do it because I feel it’s something have to do. I love my job. I was here at the fleadh last year, and I’m back again this year. We’ve always done the fleadhanna and the carnivals.

“There’s great positivity in Mullingar. I loved it last year and it reminded me of when I was a child. I’ve been to a lot of them, but I feel here in Mullingar they just did it right, it was like something from years ago. Sometimes in other towns, it’s all spread out, and there’s stages all over the place and you don’t know what’s happening where. But I find here in Mullingar, it’s all centred, and everything has been run really well.”