Thursday, February 13, 2025

Town’s reputation battered again – Shocking violence erupts on to street

Mullingar’s reputation as a town where people can come and enjoy a night out took a particularly severe blow on St. Patrick’s Night, 17 March, between 9 and 10pm when violence which erupted in a licensed premises in Dominick Street overflowed onto the street and shocked all who witnessed it. Business people on the street who lost business after having to close their doors were greatly annoyed by what occurred.

Up to 60 people from two travelling community families are believed to have been involved in the serious confrontation. Gardai confirmed that when they were called at about 9.35pm and arrived at The Stillery Pub (formerly the Porter House) a fight had broken out inside. “There was pandemonium inside,” they said.
Some of those who witnessed the scenes of mayhem on Dominick Street, with protaganists screaming and shouting, and grappling with each other, were visitors or tourists, and some of these indicated they were unlikely ever to return to Mullingar, after their experience. Ironically, they included people who had greatly enjoyed the St. Patrick’s day parade, and people among the hundreds who took part in the local Half Marathon race earlier.
One woman who came to town for the race and her little daughter were terrified and sought help from a taxi driver. He described how frightened they were, and asked why the people of Mullingar were being forced to endure this sort of thing.
The Gardai at the scene did their utmost to restore order but they faced a difficult task, with so many men and women involved. The trouble on the street, continued as womenfolk tried to keep the men from resuming hostilities, lasted for up to 45 minutes. During the violence, all traffic came to a standstill, including a bus with passengers, and other vehicles, and local business premises had to close their doors.
PUNCHING AND
FIGHTING
The Gardaí said they are unsure what actually started the trouble, but when they arrived, glasses were being thrown inside the premises, there was “punching and fighting and blood everywhere”.
Gardaí managed after a time to separate the feuding families and get the members of one of the family groups out onto the street, leaving members of the other family inside the bar. Most of the street scenes came about as those outside then attempted to regain access to the bar. Some tried to enter through the rear entrance on Grove Street, but Gardaí acted quickly to prevent this.
On the street, as members of one family attempted to get back into the pub to continue the fighting, a total of five men, believed to be local, from the same family, were arrested for Public Order offences.
GARDAI ASSAULTED
During the row inside the pub and in the fracas on the street three Gardaí were assaulted. Two Gardaí were injured, one of them received injuries to his eye and nose and required stitches in a cut above his left eye, the second received minor injuries.
A number of the travelling community received significant injuries and members of one family were transported to Tullamore Hospital, while members of the other family were brought to Mullingar Hospital. None of these injuries were life threatening.
At least 14 Gardaí attended the scene, with some of coming in from outside areas and the Traffic Corps. One ambulance attended the scene.
Inside the bar there was extensive damage, with broken glass everywhere and stools and furniture smashed.
Gardaí are continuing their investigations into all the incidents both inside and outside the pub and files have been prepared and sent forward to the DPP.
Gardaí are also continuing to monitor CCTV cameras in the area in their ongoing investigations into the incidents.
BOMB SCARE SEQUEL?
Three days later on Friday, 20 March, Gardaí in Mullingar received an anonymous phone call at 11pm stating that a pipe bomb had been placed inside The Stillery Pub (formerly known as The Porter House) in Dominick Street, Mullingar, and the bomb was due to explode at 11.30pm. The pub was immediately evacuated, but no bomb or device was found and the area was declared safe at 12 midnight, the Gardai told us.
LOCAL REACTIONS
Residents in one local hotel could not make their way up the town with fighting blocking the street. Will these visitors want to return to Mullingar?
Eye witnesses also described how they were horrified to see people emerging from the licensed premises with blood stained clothes as they continued to fight on the street.
Some female members of the travelling community were trying to prevent their men from entering the premises, and this caused further rows, all at the same time and Gardaí attempted to arrest those involved. Business premises in the area closed their doors, afraid that those involved in the fighting would enter their premises. Eventually, Gardaí got the situation under control and as it calmed down, those who had been kept inside the pub began to emerge from the licensed premises. Some were covered in blood or had blood stained clothes. One had a bandage around his head.
Gardaí were trying to clear the area and restore peace and members of the travelling community who emerged from the public house left the scene in cars driven by family members.

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