Mulian Rescues His Mother

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Mulian Rescues His Mother
Mulian and his mother Madame Liu (19th century)
Traditional Chinese	《目連救母》
Simplified Chinese	《目连救母》
Literal meaning	Moggallāna Rescues His Mother
[show]Transcriptions

Mulian Rescues His Mother or Mulian Saves His Mother From Hell is a popular Chinese Buddhist tale originating in the third century CE, inspired by tales from India of Maudgalyayana, who is named Mulian in Chinese stories. Mulian, a virtuous monk, seeks the help of the Buddha to rescue his mother, who has been condemned to the lowest and most painful purgatory in karmic retribution for her transgressions. Mulian cannot rescue her by his individual effort, however, but is instructed by the Buddha to offer food and gifts to monks and monasteries on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, which established the Ghost Festival (Chinese: 鬼 節; pinyin: guǐjié). The monk's devotion to his mother reassured Chinese that Buddhism did not undermine the Confucian value of filial piety and helped to make Buddhism into a Chinese religion.

The story developed many variations and appeared in many forms. Tang dynasty texts discovered early in the twentieth century at Dunhuang in Gansu revealed rich stories in the form of chuanqi ('transmissions of the strange') or bianwen ('transformation tales'). Mulian and his mother appeared onstage in operas, especially folk-opera, and have been the subject of films and television series. The story became a standard part of Buddhist funeral services, especially in the countryside, until the end of the twentieth century. The legend spread quickly to other parts of East Asia, and was one of the earliest to be written down in the literature of Korea, Vietnam, and Japan.^[1]
A version of the legend substituting Mulian (Pali: Moggallāna) with his friend, Sāriputta, is recorded in the Theravāda Petavatthu and is the basis of the custom of offering foods to the hungry ghosts and the Ghost Festival in the cultures of Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Laos.^[2]

Contents

• 1 The stages of the story
  • 1.1 Indian myth becomes Chinese legend
  • 1.2 Tang dynasty tales of karmic punishment and redemption
• 2 Operas
• 3 Mulian in the twentieth century
• 4 Film and television adaptations
• 5 Translations
• 6 References
  • 6.1 Citations
  • 6.2 Bibliography
• 7 Further reading
• 8 External links

The stages of the story

Mulian Intercedes With Buddha to Save His Mother

Indian myth becomes Chinese legend

The Indian ancient classic epic, the Mahabarata, includes the story of an ascetic who sees his ancestors hanging upside down in purgatory because he has not married and provided them with heirs.^[3] The Petavatthu, a Theravadan scripture in the Pali Canon, contains an account of the disciple Sāriputta rescuing his mother from her torment in hell as an act of filial piety. It claims to represent conversations that occurred during the lifetime of the Buddha but probably dates to the 3rd century BC.^[4]
The apocryphal Mahayana scripture known as the Yulanpen or Ullambana Sutra retells this story, but changes the protagonist to the disciple Moggallāna, known in Chinese as "Mulian". Mulian asks the Buddha how he can relieve the suffering his mother is enduring in her present incarnation as a hungry ghost. Prior to his enlightenment, both of his parents had died. His clairvoyance had found his father's new incarnation in the heavenly realms but his mother had been greedy with money he had left her, refusing to help the monks who passed by, and she had been reborn into Avīci, the Realm of the Hungry Ghosts or Pretas. These had ravenous appetites but could not eat, either because food burst into flames upon their touch or because their throats were too thin and fragile. Mulian is informed that a tray of food offered to the community of monks and nuns at the time of their return from the summer retreat (i.e., on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month) will prompt them to offer prayers that will benefit 7 generations of his ancestors.^[5]
Buddhist tradition held that this was an authentic record of a conversation in the 5th century BC that had been translated from Sanskrit to Chinese by Dharmaraksa under the Jin at some point between AD 266 and 313.^[6][7] The earliest attested celebration of the festival appears in much later sources, such as the 7th-century Record of the Seasons of Jingchu, and more recent scholarship finds that the sutra was a forgery^[8] composed in China in the mid-6th century.^[6] Particularly Chinese phrases include the phrasing "divine eyes" used to describe Moggallāna's clairvoyance.^{[citation needed]} The tale is possibly based on a Central Asian original^[8] contained in the 4th-century Zengyi Ahan Jing translated into Chinese by the Kabuli monk Gautama Samghadeva during his residence in Chang'an.^[7]
The tale was part of an ongoing process of reconciling Buddhism with Chinese ideas of filial piety.^[9]

Tang dynasty tales of karmic punishment and redemption

In the Tang dynasty, Mulian was a popular topic of sutra lectures by monks. They often used pictures and songs to amuse their illiterate audiences, enriching the Mulian story with many variations and making it thoroughly Chinese. The story-tellers shaped their stories to meet the charge that Buddhism undermined filial piety because it took believers away from their families and prevented them from attending to their ancestors. The written versions of these stories were bianwen, of which a large number were preserved in the library cave at Dunhuang, an oasis in Central Asia, and not rediscovered until the twentieth century.^[10]

Tortures of Chinese Buddhist Hell (including those who take money intended for temples ^[11]

The fullest and most important of these Dunhuang texts is "Maudgalyāyana: Transformation Text on Mahamaudgalyāyana Rescuing His Mother from the Underworld, With Pictures, One Scroll, With Preface." ^[12] In this text, Mulian's original name is "Radish", or "Turnip," typical Chinese nicknames, and his mother is Liu Qingti.^[13]
Before Radish became a Buddhist, he went abroad on business and gave his mother money for feeding monks and beggars. She stingily hides it away, and soon after Radish returns, dies and the Jade Emperor judges that she should be turned over to Yama, ruler of the underworld, and dropped to the lowest order of hell for her selfish deception. Mulian becomes a Buddhist and uses his new powers to travel to heaven. There his father informs him that his mother is suffering extremely in the Avīci Hell, the cruelest of the purgatories. Mulian descends and meets ox-headed devils who force sinners to cross the river to hell and to embrace hot copper pillars that burn away their chests. But by the time Mulian locates his mother she has been nailed down with forty-nine iron spikes. He seeks Buddha's help and is given a rod to smash prison walls and release the prisoners of hell to a higher reincarnation, but his mother is not released. Mulian's mother is reborn as a hungry ghost who can never eat her fill because her neck is too thin. Mulian tries to send her food by placing it on the ancestral altar, but the food bursts into flame just as it reaches her mouth. To rescue her from this torture, the Buddha instructs Mulian and all filial sons to provide a grand feast of "yülan bowls" on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the time when monks emerge from their summer retreat.^[14] When his mother is reincarnated once gain, this time as a black dog, Mulian recites sutras for seven days and seven nights, and his mother is reborn as a human again. In the end she is reborn again and can attain the joys of heaven.^[15]
Filial emotion is vivid in this version. Mulian's mother calls him "my filial and obedient son," while Mulian "chokes and sobs with his tears falling like rain." As in the Yulanpen Sutra, she only can be redeemed by group action of all the monks, not any one monk. Mulian, a good Chinese son, exclaims that the most important thing is "the affection of one's parents and their kindness most profound." As Guo puts it, by the late Tang, "the Buddhist embrace of filial piety seems to have been taken for granted..." and the way was opened for further synthesis in later dynasties".^[13]
The stories sometimes use earthy characterization.^{[further explanation needed]} When Mulian's mother is reincarnated as a black dog, Mulian seeks her out and she concedes that she is better off than she had been as a hungry ghost. As a dog, she says:

"I can go or stay, sit or lie as I choose. If I am hungry I can always eat human excrement in the privy; if I am thirsty, I can always quench my thirst in the gutter. In the morning I hear my master invoking the protection of the Tree Treasures [Buddha, the Religion, and the Community]; in the evening I hear his wife reciting the noble scriptures. To be a dog and have to accept the whole realm of impurities is a small price to pay for never so much as hearing the word 'Hell' said in my ear."^[16]

In another version, "The Mulian Legend," Mulian's mother, Liu Qingti, had been pious but after her husband died took up sacrificing animals to eat meat, resorted to violence, and cursed. When she dies, the Jade Emperor judges that she should be sent to the underworld. Yama, ruler of the underworld, dispatches demons to take her, and she lies to them and to her son, saying that she has not eaten meat or done wrong things. The demons then take her away.^[17]
Later variations use Mulian's story for different purposes.^{[further explanation needed]} In the thirteenth century Blood Bowl Sutra, for instance, Mulian's mother must swim in a bloody pool and drink blood to punish her for letting her menstrual blood flow into public waters which the Buddha drank it when his followers used it to make him a cup of tea.^[18]

Operas

The folk opera "Mulian Rescues his Mother" has been called "the greatest of all Chinese religious operas," often performed for the Ghost Festival on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month. The performance "presented the mysteries of death and rebirth in scenes whose impact on audiences must have been overwhelming" and which taught the audience religious and moral values, though not always in orthodox form.^[17]
In the Ming dynasty, Zheng Zhizhen (Chinese: 鄭之珍) (1518–1595), a native of the Huizhou, Anhui, village of Qingxi, Zhenyuan County, wrote the opera Mulian jiu mu xing xiao xi wen (Mulian rescues his mother).^[19] According to local legend, Zheng was blind when he wrote the opera and was restored to full sight by a grateful Guanyin (the legend also has it that when Zheng later wrote a love story he went blind again). Zheng's opera places emphasis on Confucian family values.^[20]

Mulian in the twentieth century

On the mainland, after declining in popularity after the 1920s, the Mulian opera revived when it was listed as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006. But even supporters in the People's Republic see the future as under threat from high-tech television and films. There are several further challenges. In the past, the opera was passed on orally through family troupes which kept their skills to themselves. However, these troupes no longer exist. The opera is difficult to perform. The ghost roles involve acrobatic skills which require years of training. Since it is a genre that has a small audience, performers require government support. Some observers point to signs for hope, however. While traditional village audiences have dwindled, some film stars and celebrities have taken up the art. Local authorities in Huangshan City, Anhui province, have also promoted performances as a tourist attraction.^[21]
Anthropologists report that in Taiwan the Mulian story was used in funerals at least until the late decades of the twentieth century.^[22] Seaman interprets the legend as reflecting attitudes toward women in village Taiwan. Since "because of their polluting nature, women cannot approach the deities who could help them to overcome the ties of karmic retribution caused by their sexuality," but "need men to act on their behalf..." ^[23]

Film and television adaptations

Among the many film and television adaptations is a 1957 version, starring popular actor Ivy Ling Po.^{[citation needed]}

Translations

• Mair, Victor, ed. (2011), "A local drama from Shaoxing", The Columbia Anthology of Chinese Folk and Popular Literature, translated by Berezkin, Rostislav, New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 303–9
• Ma, Y. W.; Lau, Joseph, eds. (1985), "Maudgalyayana Rescues His Mother From Hell" (PDF), Traditional Chinese Stories, Dunhuang Bianwen Manuscript P2319, translated by Eoyang, Eugene (reprinted, illustrated and annoted as Minford, John & Joseph S. M. Lau (2000). "The Quest of Mulian". From Antiquity to the Tang Dynasty. Classical Chinese Literature: An Anthology of Translations. I. New York; Hong Kong: Columbia University Press; Chinese University Press. ISBN 0-231-09676-3. ed.), Columbia University Press, ISBN 0-231-04058-X
• Mair, Victor H., ed. (1983), "Maudgalyāyana: Transformation Text on Mahamaudgalyāyana Rescuing His Mother from the Underworld", Tun-Huang Popular Narratives, Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, pp. 87–122, ISBN 0-521-24761-6
• Waley, Arthur (1960), "Mu Lien Rescues His Mother from Hell", Ballads and Stories from Tun-Huang, translated by Waley, Arthur, London: Allen and unwin, pp. 216–235 Translation of "Maudgalyāyana: Transformation Text on Mahamaudgalyāyana Rescuing His Mother from the Underworld, With Pictures, One Scroll, WIth Preface."
• Johnson, David (2000), "Mulian Rescues His Mother", in DeBary, Wm. Theodore, From 1600 through the Twentieth Century, Sources of Chinese Tradition, II, New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 93–104, ISBN 0-231-51799-8 Excerpts.
• Whitfield, Susan (1999). "The Nun's Tale". Life Along the Silk Road. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 155–73. ISBN 978-0-520-23214-3. A popularized retelling of the Mulian story by an imagined Tang dynasty nun.

References

Citations

1. 
   

Teiser (1988), pp. 8–9.

How Did Moggallana and Sariputta Rescue their Mothers from the Hungry Ghost Realm?

Waley (1960), p. 216.

Langer (2007), p. 276.

Bandō (2005).

Bandō (2005), p. 17.

Teiser (1988), p. 114.

Mair (1989), p. 17.

Guo (2005), pp. 91–6.

Guo (2005), p. 94-96.

Traditional woodblock print, reproduced in Williams, C.A.S. (1941), Chinese Symbolism and Art Motifs, reprinted Dover, 1976, Shanghai: Kelly & Walsh, p. 455

Waley (1960), pp. 216–35.

Guo (2005), pp. 94–6.

Teiser (1988), pp. 6–7.

Mair (1989), pp. 17–8.

Waley (1960), p. 232.

Johnson (2000), pp. 94–5.

Cole (2013), pp. 129–30.

Mulian Rescues His Mother 目蓮救母行孝戲文 World Digital Library.

Guo (2005), p. 89.

Mulian Opera 'Ghost Drama' Revival Women of China March 24, 2011.

Oxfeld, Ellen (2004). ""When You Drink Water, Think of Its Source": Morality, Status, and Reinvention in Rural Chinese Funerals". The Journal of Asian Studies. 63 (4): 961–990. doi:10.1017/S0021911804002384.

23. Seaman, Gary, "The Sexual Politics of Karmic Retribution", The Anthropology of Taiwanese Society, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, pp. 391–4, ISBN 0-8047-1043-0

Bibliography

• Bandō, Shōjun, ed. (2005), "The Ullambana Sutra (Taishō Vol. 16, No. 685)", Apocryphal Scriptures (PDF), Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai English Tripitaka Series, Berkeley: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, pp. 17–44, ISBN 1-886439-29-X, archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-10.
• Langer, Rita (2007), Buddhist Rituals of Death and Rebirth: Contemporary Sri Lankan Practice and Its Origins, Abingdon: Routledge.
• Mair, Victor H. (1989), T'ang Transformation Texts, Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
• Teiser, Stephen F. (1988), The Ghost Festival in Medieval China, Princeton: Princeton University Press, ISBN 0-691-02677-7.

Further reading

• Cole, Alan (2013), "The Passion of Mulian's Mother: Narrative Blood and Maternal Sacrifices in Chinese Buddhism]", in Wilson, Liz, Family in Buddhism, Albany: SUNY Press, p. 119-, ISBN 1-4384-4753-1
• Cole, Alan (1998). Mothers and Sons in Chinese Buddhism, Stanford University Press
• Grant, Beata; Idema, W. L. (2011). Escape from Blood Pond Hell: The Tales of Mulian and Woman Huang. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-99119-1.
• Guo, Qitao (2005). Ritual Opera and Mercantile Lineage: The Confucian Transformation of Popular Culture in Late Imperial Huizhou. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-5032-7.
• Johnson, David G.; Grant, Beata (1989). Ritual Opera, Operatic Ritual : "Mu-Lien Rescues His Mother" in Chinese Popular Culture. Chinese Popular Culture Project. Berkeley, CA: University of California, distributed by IEAS Publications. ISBN 0-9624327-0-9.
• Ladwig, Patrice (2012), "Feeding the dead: ghosts, materiality and merit", in Williams, Paul; Ladwig, Patrice, Buddhist funeral cultures of Southeast Asia and China, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 1-107-00388-1

External links

• Mulian saves his mother Series of images, with extensive links to other images of Tang dynasty scroll paintings of hells and purgatories in the series Narratives Informing Chinese Notions of Hell at Reed College.
• 蒙古文绘本 "目连救母经" (Mongolian Depictions of Mulian Rescues His Mother).
• Mulian Saves His Mother (YouTube 4 min 40 seconds) East Asia gallery interactive of the [www.acm.org.sg Asian Civilisations Museum] Singapore. Worship and opera performances in Singapore.
• Mu Lian Jiu Mu 目连救母 (YouTube 6 min 4 seconds) Singapore Opera recorded February 27, 2013. The scene in which Mulian meets his mother.
• Mulian Saves His Mother (YouTube 1 min 53 seconds). Nanyin performance by Siong Leng Musical Association at the Poh Ern Shih Temple, Singapore. Mulian fights demons.

Mullingar

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This article is about the town in Ireland. For other uses, see Mullingar (disambiguation).

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Mullingar An Muileann gCearr
Town
The Cathedral of Christ the King, May 2007
Mullingar Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°31′21″N 7°20′16″WCoordinates: 53°31′21″N 7°20′16″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	Westmeath
Government
• Dáil Éireann	Longford–Westmeath
• Local authority	Westmeath County Council
Elevation	101 m (331 ft)
Population (2016)
• Total	20,928
Time zone	WET (UTC±0)
• Summer (DST)	IST (UTC+1)
Eircode routing key	N91
Telephone area code	+353(0)44
Irish Grid Reference	N425523
Website	Official website

[show]Historical population

Mullingar (/ˌmʊl.ɪnˈɡɑːr/; Irish: An Muileann gCearr, meaning "the left-handed mill") is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the 3rd most populous town in the midlands region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census.^[6]

The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act (Henry VIII 34) of 1543, proclaimed Westmeath (which then included Longford which separated in 1586) a county, separating it from Meath. Mullingar became the administrative centre for County Westmeath. The town was originally named Maelblatha, and takes its modern name from a mill noted in the legend of Colman of Mullingar.^[7]
Traditionally a market town serving the large agricultural hinterland, Mullingar remains a significant commercial location. It had a tradition of cattle-trading until 2003, when its cattle market was closed for development of a mixed commercial and residential scheme called Market Point. However, in 2014 the local County Council have allowed an annual Christmas Market to take place on Mount Street.
Mullingar has a number of neighbouring lakes, Lough Owel, Lough Ennell and Lough Derravaragh, which attract anglers.^{[citation needed]} Lough Derravaragh is also known for its connection with the Irish legend of the Children of Lir. The town of Mullingar is linked to Lough Ennell via Lacy's Canal and the River Brosna. Another nearby waterway is the Royal Canal, which loops around Mullingar.

Contents

• 1 Local government and politics
• 2 Tourism
• 3 Economy
• 4 Transport
  • 4.1 Road
  • 4.2 Waterway
  • 4.3 Railways
• 5 Healthcare
• 6 Education
• 7 Culture
  • 7.1 Media
  • 7.2 Music
  • 7.3 In popular culture
• 8 Sport
  • 8.1 Athletics
  • 8.2 GAA
  • 8.3 Football
  • 8.4 Rugby
  • 8.5 Australian Rules Football
  • 8.6 Snooker
  • 8.7 Tennis and badminton
  • 8.8 Greyhound racing
  • 8.9 Golf
  • 8.10 Basketball
  • 8.11 Cricket
  • 8.12 Hockey
  • 8.13 Swimming
  • 8.14 Cycling
  • 8.15 Equestrian
  • 8.16 Boxing
• 9 Notable people
• 10 Climate
• 11 See also
• 12 Notes
• 13 References
• 14 Further reading
• 15 External links

Local government and politics

Westmeath County Council is the local authority for Westmeath. The county council comprises two constituencies or “municipal districts”. Mullingar town is in the Mullingar Municipal District which comprises thirteen members.^[8] The current mayor is Councillor Ken Glynn.
The town is part of the Longford–Westmeath constituency for elections to Dáil Éireann.
There is a Chamber of Commerce in Mullingar, and Mullingar is one of the three towns that forms the Midlands Gateway ^[9] region, along with Athlone and Tullamore, set up as part of the Government’s National Spatial Strategy 2002–2020.

Tourism

Christ the King Cathedral at sunset

Mullingar's main tourist attractions are its lakes – Lough Owel, Lough Derravaragh and Lough Ennell – which are visited by anglers. Also nearby is Belvedere House and Gardens. The town has several hotels. The Greville Arms Hotel has latterly begun creating a mini-museum,^{[citation needed]} and also holds the two Brit awards presented to Niall Horan.^{[citation needed]} James Joyce's connection with the hotel is marked on the premises. In the rooftop garden, there stands a large granite monument which formerly stood at Dominick Street. It was presented to the town by Lord Greville.
Mullingar's most notable building^{[citation needed]} is the cathedral of Christ the King Mullingar, the cathedral of the Diocese of Meath. The Cathedral was dedicated on the day World War II broke out.
Columb Barracks, which closed in March 2012, was a military base which housed the 4th Field Artillery Regiment and the HQ of the 54 Reserve Field Artillery Regiment (Army Reserve). The 1916 Centenary Monument Green Bridge Mullingar was unveiled by Cllr Billy Collentine MCC on Easter Monday 2017. Mullingar Tidy Towns were the organisation that built this monument in memory of the 1916 Easter Rising.^{[citation needed]}

1916 Monument

Economy

Among Mullingar's exports are items of pewterware produced by Mullingar Pewter.^[10] Also associated with Mullingar is Genesis Fine Art, which produces gift items. The "Pilgrims" sculpture on Mullingar's Austin Friars Street, at which location there once stood an Augustinian Friary, was crafted by Genesis on foot of a commission by the Mullingar chapter of Soroptimists International.
Mullingar's commercial sector has expanded in recent years^[when?] from just a few shops on the town's main thoroughfares – Oliver Plunkett Street, Austin Friars Street, and Mount Street – to several major shopping areas. There is an out-of-town retail park at Lakepoint (about 1.6 km from the town centre), the Harbour Place Shopping Centre near the town centre, and a development at the Green – on the site of the former Avonmore and Penneys units.
The town has a mix of local retailers and chain stores, and branches of the major banks. The town also has one of the country's largest credit unions (St Colman's Credit Union)^{[citation needed]}.
A proposed development, named "Mullingar Central", was to have been located between Mount Street, the Railway station and Blackhall Street. Planning permission was granted for retail, commercial and residential units. Phase 1, which included tax offices, library, civic offices and County Council buildings was officially opened on 11 June 2009.^[11] Phase 2 did not, however proceed.^[12]

The Famine Memorial Fountain and a millstone, recalling the origin of the town's name

Castle Street is one of the town's high streets

Mullingar contains several industrial estates including Lough Sheever Corporate Park and Clonmore Industrial Estate and Mullingar Business Park. The Industrial Development Authority (IDA) also has a business park at Marlinstown. As of 2015, only one plot on the site has been acquired by an employer, Patterson Pumps, which is constructing a new plant to which it intends moving its entire Irish operation from its current location, at Mullingar Business Park.^{[citation needed]} Two of the town's manufacturing plants – Penn tennis balls and Tarkett^[13] – both closed in the early 2000s causing many job losses. Other local employers include the Midland Regional Hospital at Mullingar [1], P.E.M. ^[14] Trend Technologies,^[15] Taconic International,^[16] and Mullingar Pewter.^[10]

Engineering,
Iralco,^[17] an automotive component manufacturer, is located nearby in Collinstown. The town is home to a €25m Lidl warehouse and distribution centre. Mullingar is served by internet providers, and speeds of up to 240 Mbit/s are available in the town.^{[citation needed]} As of April 2015, eircom Wholesale announced that by mid-2017, it would be able to offer ISPs the opportunity to purchase access to Fibre to the Home (FTTH) technology in Mullingar, as well as Athlone and Kinnegad, which will allow for speeds of up to 1,000 Mbs.^{[needs update][citation needed]}
Mullingar has a Chamber of Commerce which represents almost 160 businesses from varying commercial sectors.^{[citation needed]}

Transport

Road

The Royal Canal

Mullingar lies near the national primary route N4, the main Dublin – Sligo road, 79 km (49 mi) from the capital. The N52 also connects Mullingar to the Galway-Dublin M6 motorway. The town is served by Bus Éireann services to Dublin, Athlone (where passengers can catch connecting buses), Sligo, Cavan, Tullamore and Ballina.
The town currently^[when?] suffers from heavy afternoon traffic partially caused by a lack of off-street parking problem.^{[original research?]} The town is bypassed and a ring road has been completed in a bid to further alleviate traffic.

Waterway

Ferry crossing at Downs, near Mullingar on the Royal Canal, 1961

In the 19th century the town was served for a time by the Royal Canal – however displaced first by the railway and then the car, it is no longer commercially used for the transport of goods or people.^{[citation needed]} The town of Mullingar is also linked to Lough Ennell via Lacy's Canal and the River Brosna.

Railways

Mullingar Station

The Midland Great Western Railway line to Mullingar from Dublin opened in stages from 1846 to 1848, arriving in Mullingar on 2 October 1848. This was to a temporary station, adjacent to the greyhound stadium. The original mainline ran from Dublin (Broadstone Station) to Galway via Mullingar, then via Moate to Athlone, the Mullingar to Galway section opening in August 1851. The present station opened with the branch line to Longford on 14 December 1855.
There were two secondary stations in Mullingar, Canal Crossing cattle bank was on the Sligo Line and on the Athlone Line, Newbrook racecourse had its own station. This was a two-platformed station with both platforms on the Down Line.
These days, the Dublin-Sligo railway line northwest to Longford and Sligo is the mainline, Galway is accessed from Heuston Station via Portarlington and the line between Mullingar and Athlone is currently disused. Mullingar station is served by national rail company Iarnród Éireann's Arrow commuter services to Dublin and InterCity trains to/from Sligo.
The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland have a secondary base in the town. There is a photo survey of the disused Athlone Line via Moate.

Healthcare

Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar

The Midland Regional Hospital at Mullingar serves the Longford-Westmeath area. An extension was built in the early 1990s to accommodate the ever-increasing population.^{[citation needed]} A change in government, however, halted investment and the extension lay as an empty shell until late 2006 when funding was finally secured to ensure its completion.^{[citation needed]} There are several other hospitals in the town: St Loman's, which provides psychiatric services to the Irish Midlands; St Mary's, a care centre for older people; and the St Francis Private Hospital.

Education

The town has several primary schools. Those run under the Catholic ethos are Presentation NS, St Mary's NS and St Colman's NS, as well as the Irish language primary school, Gaelscoil an Muileann. All Saints NS is a Church of Ireland School. Other schools serving the town are the Educate Together NS; Gaelscoil an Choilin, at Cullion, and Curraghmore NS, due to move (2015)^{[needs update]} onto a new building on a greenfield site on the Ardmore Road. Second level schools are Coláiste Mhuire, the town's oldest post-primary school, St Finian's College; Loreto College^[18] and Mullingar Community College.^[19] Coláiste Mhuire is primarily a boys school, however the repeat Leaving Certificate class is co-educational.^{[citation needed]} Just to the north of Mullingar on the old Longford Road is St Finian's College. Until 2003, St Finian's was an all-boys boarding school; however, in 2003 the decision was made to phase out the boarding school by 2007, and to admit girls as well as boys.^{[citation needed]} Loreto College for girls is the largest secondary school in the town,^[20] while Mullingar Community College is a co-educational school for boys and girls.^[21] The Community College also runs evening courses for adults and awards the FETAC certificates.
Wilson's Hospital School, a co-educational boarding school, operates under the patronage of the Church of Ireland (Anglican Communion). It is located in the nearby village of Multyfarnham. It serves day-students from the Mullingar area.

Culture

Earl Street, Mullingar, in the late 19th century

Media

Two print newspapers serve the community: the Westmeath Examiner^[22] and the Westmeath Topic.

Music

The Mullingar Town Band was founded in 1879 by Father Polland as a Holy Family Confraternity Band.^[23] The local military barracks supplied some of the early members, who themselves were serving members of the British Regimental bands stationed in Mullingar. The Mullingar Confraternity Band remained under the auspices of the Confraternity until the 1940s, when it was handed over to a committee and continued under the title of Mullingar Brass and Reed Band. The band has a dual role as a concert band and a marching band (the latter known as the Celtic Crusaders).^{[citation needed]} In 2015 the Celtic Crusaders were Irish Marching Band Association League champions, after securing one first and two second-place results in the IMBA League.^{[citation needed]}
First opened in 1989, "The Stables" is a music venue in Mullingar which hosts a variety of music and has featured well-known performers.^{[citation needed]} Critic and writer Ronan Casey has described it as an "essential" stop for national touring acts.^[24]
Niall Horan, born and raised in Mullingar, is a member of the boy band One Direction. Horan has won four Brit Awards and four MTV Video Music Awards with One Direction. Niall Breslin, from the band The Blizzards, is also from Mullingar. The Academic are another local band.

In popular culture

In Doubt, a 2008 film adaptation of the John Patrick Shanley stage play, starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, the town is referenced in dialogue between the main character, Sister Aloysius (Streep), and the school caretaker.
Mullingar featured on Three Men in a Boat on BBC 2 on 30 December 2009, in an episode called "Three Men Go to Ireland". Dara Ó Briain, Rory McGrath and Griff Rhys Jones were greeted by a large crowd on the Market Square and spent a night at the Mullingar Greyhound Stadium during this episode where Dara O'Briain's dog Snip Nua raced.
The Furey Brothers also sang "The Reason I Left Mullingar", a song written in 1980 by Pat Cooskey.^[25]
The song "Ode in Praise of The City of Mullingar", was written by William J Macquorn Rankine.^[26]
Mullingar is mentioned in the song "The Rocky Road to Dublin" by The Dubliners. It is one of the few songs in the 2009 film, Sherlock Holmes that was not composed for the film.^[27]
The town is also associated with Irish author James Joyce, who was an occasional visitor to Mullingar during his youth. Joyce's father, John, was a civil servant posted from Dublin to compile an electoral register of Mullingar and the surrounding townlands. He often stayed in the Greville Arms Hotel. James referred to Mullingar in three of his novels, mentioning it twelve times in Ulysses,^[28] in chapter 14 of Stephen Hero,^[29] and three times in Finnegans Wake.^{[30][31][32][33][note 1]}
Mullingar was mentioned at the end of the song "Horse Outside" by the Rubberbandits, in which the bridesmaid was promised a horse-back ride out to Mullingar.
Pat of Mullingar is an Irish rebel song.
Outside Mullingar, a play by John Patrick Shanley. Starred 'Will and Grace' star Debra Messing.
Mullingar is mentioned several times in The Hostage, a play by Irish playwright Brendan Behan, in the context of the Civil War.
A short video was compiled for Mullingar man Niall Horan's song 'this town' showing an illustrated outline of Mullingar.

Sport

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Athletics

Mullingar has a tradition in athletics with the club Mullingar Harriers producing many international athletes and several Olympians. Bobby Begley was Irish Team Manager when Eamonn Coughlan won the 5,000 meters World Championship in Helsinki.

GAA

There are seven G.A.A. football clubs in the Mullingar area: Mullingar Shamrocks,^[34] St. Loman's Mullingar, Ballymore GAA , Raharney GAA, St. Mary's GAA and The Downs^[35] are the senior teams. Shandonagh fields an intermediate team. St Oliver Plunkett's^[36] and Cullion respectively facilitate both senior and intermediate hurling players. The Westmeath GAA team plays its home games at Cusack Park. Mullingar also supports women's teams including Mullingar Shamrocks and St Lomans Mullingar

Football

Mullingar has three adult football teams: Mullingar Athletic (who play in Gainstown) and Mullingar Town (who have their grounds in D'Alton Park). The third, set up in 2009, are known as Hibernian Celtic AFC, they were originally formed in 1948, but ceased in 1986. They play their home games in the Raithin community pitch in which they share with Grange Utd, an under 18 side formed in 2009. Outside the town there are Rathowen Utd, Raharney FC, Rochfortbridge and Coralstown FC. All teams play in the CCFL league system.^{[citation needed]}

Rugby

Mullingar rugby football club is located in Cullionbeg, and has had a degree of success in the 1990s with two towns cup final appearances. The club also made it to the 1989 towns cup final. The club has a pick of up to 50 players with three senior teams in very competitive leagues. The 3rd team won the Anderson Cup.^[when?]

Australian Rules Football

There has been an Australian Rules Football team, the Midland Tigers – based in the town since 2000.^[37] Over the years the club have provided numerous International Players for the Irish Warriors,^{[citation needed]} the national team for the sport in Ireland and they compete annually in the Aussieproperty.com Premiership.^{[citation needed]}

Champions Board

Snooker

Westmeath Snooker Ranking events at Junior, Intermediate and Senior levels are hosted by St Mary's Snooker Club Mullingar and is a member of the Republic of Ireland Billiards & Snooker Association.^{[citation needed]} The club's "Handicap Cup" is the longest running snooker event in the midlands running since 1963.^{[citation needed]} The four ranking events are the Midland Open, St Marys Open Classic, Westmeath Championships & the Mullingar Open Snooker Championship at all levels. St.Mary's Snooker Club team won the Peter McNally Memorial Cup 1997 in Edenderry Snooker Club defeating Kildare in the final of the tournament in memory of Peter McNally, an Irish International Snooker player that was fatally injured in a car accident.

View of clubhouse and top courts

Tennis and badminton

The Mullingar Tennis and Badminton Club is located in the heart of the town and includes eight outdoor tennis courts and a hall containing two badminton courts^[38] The committee consists of eight members and president John Murphy.^[39] The club was founded in 1892 by members of the Uisneach Badminton Club. It now has eight courts, a practice wall, coaching service, changing room facilitates, kitchen, meeting room, tabletennis table and balcony's.^[40]

Greyhound racing

Greyhound Track,
Lynn, Mullingar

When programmed, greyhound track racing occurs upon the Lynn Greyhound track on Thursday and Saturday evenings. For television broadcasting purposes, races are interlaced with those from Shelbourne Dublin. The track featured on the BBC 'Three Men Go to Ireland' show where Dara O'Briain's dog Snip Nua raced.

Golf

Mullingar Golf Club, view from carpark

The club was created in 1953, and has now developed to be 6685 yards.^[41] Mullingar golf club hosts every August bank holiday weekend a leading amateur golf competition, i.e. The Mullingar Scratch Cup. This competition has been won by Hughie Myres, Des Smyth, Pádraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley, Nick Grant. The 2006 winner was Rory McIlroy. Mullingar player Gerry Purcell is former An Post Golf Society Irish Champion on two occasions.

Basketball

The Mullingar Monarchs were formed in 2001, training from the CBS gym in the town centre. Recently^[when?] however the Monarchs have switched training locations to Rochfortbridge. While the club took 2 years to get off the ground they are now one of the most decorated in the Midland League,^{[citation needed]} securing one treble and two double titles.^{[citation needed]} The team have also played in the National League Division 1, one step away from the superleague.
The Mullingar Dragons were formed in 2007 and play in the North Eastern Basketball League. In July 2008 a Women's team was added to the already established Men's team.

Cricket

The Cricket club is based on the St. Finian's ground in Mullingar. The club fields three men's teams in Leinster and Midland Cup and league competitions. First IX – Leinster Division 4 Second IX – Leinster Division 9 Third IX – Leinster Division 14.

Hockey

Mullingar Hockey Club has 4 adult teams and the club play its matches in the Loreto College, on the Longford road, not far from the hospital. The men's side of the club are in its 26th year,^[when?] and has between 40 and 50 members, with their 1st team currently^[when?] in Leinster League Division 4, the 2nd team play in Division 7. The Ladies side of the club were re-formed three years ago,^[when?] after a break of five years and also have two teams. The matches are played every Saturday (an odd Sunday game does occur) and are open to the public.^{[citation needed]} There are three coaches at the club and several high level umpires.

Swimming

The Mullingar Jets Swimming Club is based in the town swimming pool located in Mullingar Town Park.

Cycling

Lakeside Wheelers Mullingar Cycling club has leisure and touring cyclist members of all ages and abilities.^{[citation needed]} The Club's main touring activities are short, medium and longer distance cycles on Saturday and Sunday morning and in the summer months on Monday and Wednesday evenings.^{[citation needed]} Lakeside Wheelers Cycling Club was formed over 20 years ago,^[when?] having previously been known as Mullingar Cycling Club. The club is affiliated to Cycling Ireland, the governing body covering cycling in Ireland. The club has grown over the last number of years increasing its membership from 40 members in 2003 to the current high of over 450 members.^{[citation needed]} There is also a growing mountain bike section of the club.^{[citation needed]}

Equestrian

Mullingar is also the home of one of Ireland's international riding centres. Mullingar Equestrian Centre ( 5 minutes outside the town) regularly hosts competitions. Also they are available for lessons, and on Friday evenings during the year there are competitions for riders to compete in. Other schools in the area include Ladestown House Riding Stables and Catherinestown Riding School. Studs include Tally Ho Stud, Cleaboy Stud, and Charlestown Stud.

Boxing

Two-time Olympian boxer John Joe Nevin is from Mullingar. He won a silver medal in the bantamweight competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Notable people

• John Alexander, Victoria Cross recipient
• Niall Breslin (Bressie) and The Blizzards, musicians
• Emmet Cahill, singer for Celtic Thunder
• Breon Corcoran, chief executive officer (CEO) of Betfair^[42]
• Joe Dolan, singer
• J. P. Donleavy, author
• Wellington Guernsey, 19th-century composer and writer
• Josephine Hart, Baroness Saatchi, author and wife of Lord Saatchi
• Niall Horan, singer-songwriter and member of One Direction
• Thomas Kavanagh, recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Aidan Keena, footballer
• Tina Kellegher, actress
• Terry McMahon, actor, writer and filmmaker ^[43]
• Joseph Murphy, Irish equestrian Olympian 2012
• John Joe Nevin, boxer
• Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair
• Declan Power, defence and security analyst and author
• Mai Shanley Fitzgerald (Born 1963), Former Miss USA 1984. Her father Patrick Thomas Shanley came from nearby Gurteen, Mullingar.
• Connor Smith, footballer for Watford defender
• Ailish Tynan (born 1975), operatic soprano^[44]

Climate

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).^[45]

[hide]Climate data for Mullingar (1979–2008, extremes 1943–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	13.8 (56.8)	15.4 (59.7)	20.5 (68.9)	22.6 (72.7)	25.5 (77.9)	29.8 (85.6)	29.7 (85.5)	29.5 (85.1)	25.5 (77.9)	22.9 (73.2)	17.3 (63.1)	14.6 (58.3)	29.8 (85.6)
Average high °C (°F)	7.4 (45.3)	7.9 (46.2)	9.8 (49.6)	12.1 (53.8)	14.9 (58.8)	17.3 (63.1)	19.2 (66.6)	18.9 (66)	16.7 (62.1)	13.2 (55.8)	9.9 (49.8)	7.9 (46.2)	12.9 (55.2)
Daily mean °C (°F)	4.5 (40.1)	4.7 (40.5)	6.3 (43.3)	8.1 (46.6)	10.6 (51.1)	13.2 (55.8)	15.2 (59.4)	14.8 (58.6)	12.8 (55)	9.7 (49.5)	6.7 (44.1)	5.0 (41)	9.3 (48.7)
Average low °C (°F)	1.5 (34.7)	1.5 (34.7)	2.8 (37)	4.1 (39.4)	6.3 (43.3)	9.2 (48.6)	11.1 (52)	10.8 (51.4)	8.9 (48)	6.2 (43.2)	3.5 (38.3)	2.2 (36)	5.7 (42.3)
Record low °C (°F)	−14.9 (5.2)	−12.2 (10)	−9.2 (15.4)	−4.4 (24.1)	−2.6 (27.3)	0.2 (32.4)	3.4 (38.1)	2.1 (35.8)	−0.1 (31.8)	−4.4 (24.1)	−6.9 (19.6)	−14.1 (6.6)	−14.9 (5.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	91.7 (3.61)	72.0 (2.835)	78.3 (3.083)	62.1 (2.445)	68.7 (2.705)	70.5 (2.776)	61.8 (2.433)	80.8 (3.181)	73.8 (2.906)	102.1 (4.02)	82.4 (3.244)	97.1 (3.823)	941.3 (37.059)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	19	17	20	15	16	16	16	17	17	19	18	19	209
Average snowy days	5.0	4.4	3.5	1.6	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	2.7	17.8
Average relative humidity (%)	83.4	77.8	72.8	68.1	67.1	69.1	69.9	70.6	72.1	77.0	82.2	85.9	74.7
Mean monthly sunshine hours	55.8	70.6	99.2	147.0	179.8	150.0	142.6	142.6	117.0	99.2	66.0	49.6	1,319.4
Mean daily sunshine hours	1.8	2.5	3.2	4.9	5.8	5.0	4.6	4.6	3.9	3.2	2.2	1.6	3.6
Source: Met Éireann[46][47][48]

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland
• Market Houses in Ireland

Notes

1. 
   

1. Mullingar appears in Ulysses in the Calypso episode; in Lotus Eaters; twice in Hades; in Lestrygonians; in Nausicaa; twice in Oxen of the Sun; in Circe; in Eumaeus; and twice in Ithaca. The town is also mentioned three times in Finnegans Wake in Book 1, Section 6, page 138, line 19; in Book 2, Section 2, page 286, line 21; and in Book 2, Section 3, page 345, line 34. Mullingar does not appear in Dubliners nor in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

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Further reading