With his departure from Mullingar’s business community imminent, the Westmeath Topic is calling on Westmeath County Council to officially recognise Millie Walsh as one of Westmeath’s greatest ambassadors, and for his contribution to local life in the county to be acknowledged in the form of an Address of Recognition.
The Council’s highest accolade, an Address of Recognition is exclusively reserved for those who have made a significant impact to the landscape of the county, with past recipients including singer Joe Dolan, writer Leo Daly, soprano Ailish Tynan and Olympic silver medalist John Joe Nevin.
A veteran Mullingar businessman, Millie Walsh is set to bow out from local business life on 30 July, after almost four decades in situ at Maxol’s Dublin Bridge location.
Cllr. Ken Glynn, the newly-elected Mayor for Mullingar, has backed Topic’s call for official recognition of Millie Walsh, describing his contribution to the fabric of Mullingar’s business community as “second to none”.
“Millie’s contribution to the business life of Mullingar has been second to none,” Cllr Glynn told Topic this week. “He’s been a fantastic advocate for the town for decades and this deserves to be acknowledged with an official Address of Recognition.”
MOVIE
A father to Regina, Wayne and Koreen, Millie’s life was captured in full in 2023, when a fifty-minute documentary showcasing the life story of one of Mullingar’s most famous sons hit the silver screens.
“Millie’s Maxol Magic” was co-directed by Mullingar duo Ethan Scally and Conor English, who have seconded Cllr Glynn’s call for official recognition of Millie as one of Mullingar’s greatest citizens.
“What Millie has given Mullingar over the past four decades has been unreal and it deserves to be recognised and honoured, both for him and his family,” Ethan Scally told Topic this week.
“There are very few people who have been working in a job for over 35 years and who are still putting a smile on their faces or making them laugh. I don’t know of anyone who has been doing that except for Millie.
“People like him are an extremely rare breed. I’ve never encountered anyone who makes a small but joyous impact on people’s lives as Millie. It’s small and subtle on a on a micro level, but the effect that has on the whole community is tremendous.”
“I’ve heard stories of Mullingar characters from generations gone by, but I don’t know them. I can only picture them from the stories I’ve been told. I can’t get a real sense or depth from it. In making “Millie’s Maxol Magic”, we chronicled the life story of Millie Walsh, who has made such a difference to our community. If we didn’t capture that, all we would have are verbal stories. Eventually that would get diluted and it would vanish. In sixty years time, we hope people will be able to look back and say: ‘this was Millie Walsh. This was the fella up there on Dublin Bridge shouting ‘up ya boya!’”
With Westmeath County Council’s summer recess commencing next week, Cllr Glynn is hopeful that a date for Millie Walsh’s Address of Recognition will be be announced in the coming weeks, ahead of the commencement of the new Council term getting underway in September.
