2025: The Year In Quotes
A look back at some of the stories of 2025, through quotes which appeared in the Westmeath Independent.
RAPID RISE
"Six months ago I was talking about local elections, and now I'm about to be a Minister in Dáil Eireann," - Kevin 'Boxer' Moran reflected on a rapid change in his political rank in January as he prepared to be sworn in as Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW.
UNREAL STORM
"I can remember quite a few storms but the amount of trees down from this one is unreal," - Cllr Tony Ward on the aftermath of Storm Éowyn in January.
HEMMED IN
"It was the worst storm that our hotel has experienced... we had people trapped in the hotel who couldn't leave because of the massive tree across the road, and there were people on the other side of the tree who were trying to get down to the hotel," - Tim Hayes, managing director of the Hodson Bay Hotel, on Storm Éowyn.
EUROVISION ENTRY
"I'm extremely lucky. I can't believe a song written by a woman from Kilbeggan is going to Eurovision!" - Kilbeggan songer-songwriter Larissa Tormey after the song she co-wrote, Laika Party, was chosen as Ireland's 2025 Eurovision entry.
US TWIN
"Today, I proudly signed a twinning agreement with Athlone, Ireland, strengthening the cultural, educational, and economic ties between our two cities. This partnership honours our shared history and paves the way for future collaboration," - The Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, Brett Smiley, as it signed a formal twinning agreement with Athlone in March.
IRISH RIVIERA
"(Athlone) is accessible to Dublin, it's accessible to the west. It has fantastic amenities. It's got the Shannon - it's effectively the Irish Riviera - so it's got everything going for it," - Alanna Homes Development Director Thomas Freeman enthuses about the town where work on the company's 576-home Plovers Wood housing development got underway in 2025.
SIBLINGS' TRANSPLANT
“I never had to go back to the hospital for anything to do with my kidneys. It's as good as the day it was put in,” - Sean Fitzpatrick on a life-saving kidney transplant he received from his brother Seamus in 1975, the 50th anniversary of which was celebrated in Mount Temple in March.
WAR-LIKE ENVIRONMENT
"We came into an environment that was very much war-like... The infrastructure in Southern Lebanon when we arrived was completely destroyed. There was no electricity. No water. Villages and towns were essentially abandoned,” - Athlone resident Lt Col Shane Rockett speaking in April about the situation facing Irish peacekeeping troops in Southern Lebanon.
COMMUNITY ACTION
"We don't want it to become a commuter village where people are just living here and there is nothing for them. Since the group has started there seems to be a little more bonding with people," - Anna Connaughton, PRO of the Tubberclair Local Action Group set up to help meet the needs of those living in the Glasson/Tubberclair area.
ATM AWOL
"It's an absolutely crazy situation that a fine town the size of Moate hasn't got an ATM. It's ludicrous and unfair on the local residents and the population of the wider area,” - Cllr Frankie Keena was one of the local councillors calling for the return of a 24-hour ATM in Moate last year.
LOOKING BACK
"It was a privilege, very rewarding and I would say no regrets. It lived up to my expectations really. I'm happy, at the same time, to draw a line," - Athlone GP Dr Mark McCormick reflecting on his career as he retired last year having served patients in the Athlone area for almost 40 years.
HOUSING CRISIS
"Calls, emails, texts, messages, it's all housing, housing, housing. It's very frustrating. I feel helpless as a public representative. I can't help but feel it's a broken system," - Athlone councillor Aengus O'Rourke speaking last June about Ireland's housing crisis.
MOVING ON
"It will absolutely break my heart, but it's time for me to move on. There will be nobody coming behind me, and it is one of the most wonderful places in the world to work and live in... The only reason why I'm going is because I'm exhausted, and it's time to move on," - Miriam Grogan on her decision last to put her landmark family business, Grogan's of Glasson, up for sale.
GREEN CITY
"It's an idea for Ireland, a blueprint for the next generation... I think we do have the political people to deliver something like this, I have no doubt whatsoever," - Developer Sean Mulryan, of Ballymore, on his ambitious plans to turn Athlone into a modern green city by 2040.
FUN TOWN
"I want this to be fun, not just for me, but for everybody... I look forward to the long-term and hopefully everyone has patience and is excited about the future," - American businessman Nick Giannotti, the new chairman and self-described 'controlling member' of Athlone Town AFC in an interview with the Westmeath Independent in August.
PORTIUNCULA PROTEST
"This is not just political, it's personal. It's about our mothers, the guardians of our future, our families. It's about rural families, and they demand the same standard of care as families in Dublin, Galway, or anywhere else in Ireland," - Cllr Evelyn Parsons at an August protest against the downgrading of maternity services in Portiuncula Hospital.
CALLOWS FLOODING
"We have had the driest year in living memory and yet we have had cattle stranded by rising water levels and farmers along the Callows have been forced to bring their livestock indoors... The whole thing is a disaster and absolutely nothing is being done to address our problems," - Banagher farmer Michael Silke on persistent flooding along the Shannon Callows.
HIGH COURT WIN
"This is not just a win for us as councillors or as citizens - it is a victory for the people of Athlone, for due process, and for the fundamental principle that no Minister and no Government is above the law," - Part of a joint statement by four Athlone councillors who successfully brought a High Court challenge against the development of a temporary accommodation centre for male asylum seekers in Lissywollen.