On 2nd October 1848 the first train pulled into Mullingar Station heralding an entirely new way to travel and conduct commerce for the inhabitants of Mullingar and its environs. Over the next 175 years, trains became an integral part of the town’s transport network with the rest of the country while creating employment and trade. […]
It was up, up and away for our Crafternoon at Aidan Heavey Library last week. The children made hot air balloons! They turned out beautifully and each child made their own unique creation with different decorations and colours on the balloon. We were delighted to welcome our first cat to the group. Despite being tired […]
Moate Library welcomed some special guests for a sleepover in the library recently. Find out what happened in this short video Find out what's happening in your local library by subscribing to our News and Events newsletter, check out our events listings, or follow us on social media : Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok.
This August we are delighted to welcome artist Emma Cassidy to Westmeath Libraries for workshops on Irish Crochet Lace. To whet your appetite before these events Emma has kindly written the following introduction to Irish Crochet Lace. Workshops funded by Westmeath's Heritage Office for Heritage Week 2023. A brief explanation of Irish Crochet Lace, it’s […]
Adolphus Cooke of Cookesborough (1792-1876) – Eccentric : Adolphus Cooke was probably the greatest eccentric Westmeath has yet produced. The illegitimate son of Robert Cooke, he was educated in England and served under Wellington in Spain and Portugal before traveling through Africa. Robert Cooke died in 1835; as his two legitimate sons had predeceased him, […]
Article by Caroline Barry Kilbeggan Library is delighted to announce that Westcountry Willows will be hosting a Basket Making workshop in the library on August 15th, 12pm-4pm to celebrate Heritage Week. - Please note this event is now booked out.Workshops funded by Westmeath's Heritage Office for Heritage Week 2023. The variety of form and functional use of traditional wickerwork […]
Collecting memories is an integral part of the heritage and history of Westmeath. With thanks to Creative Ireland funding Westmeath Heritage offered a training course to assist individuals and communities in their collection of oral histories. with the assistance of Tomás Mac Conmara, participants were given insights in how to conduct and preserve recordings and […]
On the 9th of May 2023 we celebrated 50 years of Ireland in the EU with a number of events, including a get together of the European Reading Group for "Understanding our European Family through history". The Mullingar European History Reading Group has been meeting for over 5 years now, getting together to read about […]
Celebrate Poetry Day Ireland with us by sharing poems, memories, or attending our poetry launch
To mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Laurence Ginnell we are sharing part of the Laurence Ginnell Commemorative Committee exhibition from 2016. Find out more about Laurence Ginnell by reading one of our posts below, or search our catalogue for a book to borrow from your local library