Around Tullamore

By Aiden Corkery

Haven't a clue where to grab some grub during the Ploughing Championships? Unsure where the best pubs are located? In this unique guide to Tullamore, I will tell you all you need to know about the midlands town.

Christy Maye is in no doubt as to what makes Tullamore so special. The well-known owner of the Bridge House Hotel in the centre of town comes to his conclusion immediately.

"It's the people that make Tullamore special," he says. "You'll find them the most friendly and genuine people you could meet. I really mean that."

According to Christy, the people of Tullamore raise more money for the People In Need charity appeal than anyone else in the country - as good an indication of their generous character as any.

But Tullamore's advantage as a host town doesn't just stop at the locals' warm welcome. As anyone studying a map of Ireland will see, the town is one of the most accessible in the country.

"Being in the heart of Ireland, Tullamore is an ideal location for these events. It has great access in terms of both roads and train services to the town," he says.

The recent upgrading of the N6 motorway to Dublin has also meant that the town is now more accessible than ever. It's come at a good time, as the hosting of this year's Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann and Ploughing Championships has put the town under the national spotlight like never before.

"The Fleadh was a wonderful occasion. We had 250,000 people on the streets of the town, or about 80,000 people every day," he says. "When you look around at all these boybands that can't even play an instrument, it was phenomenal to see young 16- and 17-year-olds playing music on the streets in their thousands."

The success of the Fleadh and the upcoming Ploughing Championships has helped make up for the disappointment of seeing the Tullamore Show cancelled at the last moment, which Christy explained was sadly unavoidable.

"If Noah was here, he would have drowned due to the deluge that last hit us for three or four hours," he explains. "Thankfully, our sponsors have been phenomenal about it."

Another event long associated with Tullamore is the annual Queen of the Land pageant that takes place in November. Event chairman Nigel Larkin agrees that the town is perfectly placed for hosting such events.

"We are right in the centre of Ireland so no one can complain about anything being staged in Tullamore!" he says. "It's a really accessible town, so it's always a popular choice."

Vintners' chairman Paul Bell agrees and believes that, with its wide streets and large squares, Tullamore is a perfect location for the forthcoming championships.

"Everywhere is within walking distance in the town. We have 27 pubs and three hotels and, after the success of the Fleadh Cheoil, we're confident we'll be able to deal with the large crowds," he says.

Christy Maye agrees. But is the owner of the town's biggest hotel not worried about the prospect of dirty wellies ruining his hotel's carpets?

"The more wellies we see, the happier we will be!" he laughs.

The Ploughing Championships is in safe hands in Tullamore.

Food

With well over 20 restaurants in Tullamore, there should be little problem finding sustenance at the end of a hard day's Ploughing.

Better still, there's a wide range of restaurants on offer that should suit every type of budget and palate. There are also four Féile Bia restaurants in the town: the Bridge House, the Tullamore Court, Loughrey's Bar and Supermacs.

Budget

A number of very reasonably priced takeaways are located throughout Tullamore, including Sorrento's on High Street, the Roma Grill and Abrakebabra's on Church Street and Supermacs on William Street in the very centre of town. There's also the Tasty Takeaway on High Street which offers fish and chips for a very reasonable €6.70.

Tullamore also features a number of inexpensive Chinese restaurants, including the Canton Regent on William Street, with starters from €3 to €6 and main courses from €7 to €10, including rice and chips. New Amber House on High Street also offers starters from between €3 and €5 and main courses from €7 to €8.50, including rice or chips.

Mid-Range

The popular Wolf Trap Bar opens at 10am and offers breakfast - something that's sure to be popular with the Ploughing fraternity. It has a bar menu that offers soup for €3.95, fresh fish for €10, sandwiches for €5.95, toasted paninis for €6.45 and fries for €1.55. The Wolf Trap also has a restaurant where the prices are slightly higher, including soup for €4.50, other starters for €7.50. Main courses come in around the €20 mark, including 10oz sirloin for €25.50, lamb shank for €23.50 and half ducking for €24.95. Loughrey's Bar on High Street also opens from 8.30am and sounds like a good bet for breakfast.

The extensive Bridge House Hotel is planning to run no less than four restaurants for the duration of the Ploughing. Its bar menu offers good value, with carvery dishes on offer for around the €8.50 to €10 mark. This includes tasty chicken vol-au-vents, which come with the usual veg, mash and baked potatoes. Upstairs, the hotel's Conservatory Restaurant offers soup for €3.95, starters such as chicken wings or salad for between €5 and €7 and main courses such as grilled whiting for €12.50, lasagne for €12.50 and sirloin steak for €20.50.

Yaadgar Indian restaurant is located on a lane off William Street and offers set three-course menus for between €22 and €25, or starters from €3 to €6 and main courses from €13 to €15, not including rice or chips.

Siroccos Italian restaurant on Patrick Street looks very inviting and offers starters for between €3.75 and €9 and main courses for between €15 and €24.

Upmarket

If you fancy treating yourself, a number of very nice restaurants are located on Harbour Street, including Jamie's Restaurant, where this reporter enjoyed Clonakilty pudding for starters, followed by a great fillet steak, a glass of house red and a coffee for €39. A particularly nice touch was the breaded mushrooms that were placed on the table immediately after ordering. Booking ahead is recommended during the Ploughing Festival, however. Just down from Jamie's is Anatolia Restaurant, which also has a very good reputation locally.

Pubs

Attending the Ploughing Championships can leave a person with a serious thirst, but thankfully Tullamore is not short of watering holes.

The Journal's own pub spy took on the burdensome task of assessing a number of the town's public houses and came to the consensus that a pint of plain should cost you €3.80, while a pint of lager comes in at about €4.20. Bottles of lager generally cost around €4.40.

The head of the town's vintners association Paul Bell, of the Brewery Tap, said the association had made a concerted effort to ensure that no bar owners hiked up their prices during the recent Fleadh and said he was confident this would remain the case for the Ploughing Championships.

"The vintners would have been very strong on working together to make sure that no one cashed in during the Fleadh," he said.

The focal point for the town's social life is without doubt the Bridge House, which has a massive main bar that is extremely popular, if a little on the dark side. Other popular bars in town are the Wolf Trap and Eugene Kelly's on William Street, De Brún's Bar on Patrick Street, the Brewery Tap on O'Connor Square and Loughrey's on High Street.

De Brún's boasts that it has no less than six plasma screens, making it ideal for watching sport, while both the Wolf Trap and Loughreys are very popular with younger people. As always, though, it's worth straying from the centre of town, as a number of lovely, cosy bars can be found off the main streets, including Bob Smyth's on Patrick Street.

As expected, a number of pubs are planning on putting on live music during the Ploughing, including the Brewery Tap which is offering trad and folk music every night from Monday to Thursday, while the Bridge House will be holding ballad sessions from local musicians every night. Eugene Kelly's has long been known for its trad sessions on Thursday nights but will also have live music every night of the Ploughing.

On Monday night there is the cheekily titled Get Your Hits Out, while Tuesday will feature Cajun and country music and Wednesday will feature further live music. Meanwhile, Joe Lee's on Church Street will also have trad and ballad music on Tuesday and Wednesday night.

But if by chance you're still not tired after all that, both the Bridge House and Loughrey's run nightclubs, known as Core and Soda, respectively. By the time you leave them, it'll nearly be time to get up for the Ploughing again!

5 Things you didn't know about Tullamore

1. Tullamore was the location of the world's first-ever aviation disaster. In May 1875, the townsfolk of Tullamore had gathered for one of the pioneering hot-air balloon flights in Ireland. But disaster struck when the balloon collided with a chimney and burst into flames, starting a fire that burnt down most of the town centre. Since then, a phoenix has appeared on the town's coat of arms, representing the town's rise out of the ashes.
2. Tullamore, Co Offaly, is not the only town of that name. There is another Tullamore in the middle of New South Wales, Australia, with a population of about 700 people. Unsurprisingly, the town stages its own Irish festival every year and is also featured in the popular Australian song, I've Been Everywhere.
3. The famous Tullamore Dew whiskey is no longer manufactured in Tullamore. First manufactured in the town in 1829, its name was derived from the initials of one of its first owners, Daniel E Williams. Following some difficult years, the Tullamore distillery closed in 1959, and the company was sold to Powers Whiskey. The whiskey is now manufactured in Midleton by Cantrell and Cochrane (C&C), who sell more than 2.5 million bottles of the alcohol in more than 80 countries every year.
4. Charleville Castle on the edge of Tullamore is said to be haunted by the ghost of a young girl who died after falling from a staircase. Located on an ancient druidic site, the castle was built to house the town's former owners, the Earls of Charleville, and was designed by the same architect who created the GPO in Dublin, Francis Johnston.
5. anal from Dublin. Begun in 1756 as a way of connecting Dublin with the River Shannon, the canal reached Tullamore in 1798. For six years, Tullamore acted as the canal's terminus, while the builders dithered over which route to follow to the Shannon. Eventually, a route following the Brosna Valley was chosen, and the canal reached the Shannon in 1804. The canal proved a huge boost to Tullamore's economy, allowing for produce, such as whiskey, to be easily transported to the capital and beyond.