MULLINGAR
, the chief town of Westmeath, is a raucous, wheeling-and-dealing provincial capital, constantly choked with traffic - the sort of thing most people come to Ireland to escape. While it's the centre of a rich cattle-rearing area and its preoccupations essentially rural, Mullingar is a far cry from the sleepy towns further west, and you get the impression that this big trading centre is on a short lead from Dublin. In 1951 Mullingar hosted a traditional music festival which evolved into the annual celebration of Irish music, the
Fleadh Cheoil
(Festival of Music), which only took place once again in the town, in 1963, and now moves from town to town throughout the country. You're unlikely to be bowled over by the beauty of the place, but Mullingar is a good base for exploring the county and a convenient stopover on the journey west.
One of the town's few points of interest is the
cathedral
, an uninspiring Neoclassical structure whose tapering twin towers, which look like melting candles, are visible from the south of town. Inside, behind the side altars of St Patrick and St Anne, are two well-known mosaics by the Russian artist Boris Anrep. To get into the
Ecclesiastical Museum
- whose contents include many wooden penal crosses and the vestments of St Oliver Plunkett - ask for the key at the parochial house, on the right (June-Sept Wed, Sat & Sun 3-4pm; guided tours £1/?1.27).
