Profile
Ruth Illingworth is a Mullingar-based historian, lecturer, writer, broadcaster and tour guide with a deep knowledge of the history of Mullingar, Westmeath and the wider Irish midlands.
A history graduate of NUI Maynooth, she teaches Irish history to visiting American students and regularly lectures to historical societies across the midlands and throughout Ireland.
Ruth is President of the Westmeath Historical and Archaeological Society and is widely recognised for her work in promoting and preserving local history.
She provides guided historic and literary tours of Mullingar and works with local schools on history projects, helping young people connect with the stories, places and people of their own area.
She has written and published several history books on Mullingar and Westmeath, contributing significantly to public understanding of the county’s heritage.
Through her teaching, writing and tours, Ruth brings local history vividly to life.
At the Festival
- Date: 5th July 2026
- Time: 11.30AM
- Venue: Market Square, Mullingar
The Mullingar Literary Walk will explore the town’s rich literary heritage, beginning at Market Square, where Ira Aldridge staged Shakespeare productions and William Carleton once lived and taught. The route continues along Mount Street, highlighting James Joyce’s possible stay in Mullingar, the Joyce mural, and former local landmarks connected to his time in the town.
The walk then visits the Courthouse, where Joyce and his father worked on electoral registers, before moving to the Arts Centre and County Buildings, both linked to major cultural figures and Patricia Gibney’s crime novels. From there, the tour continues to the History Mural, Dominick Street and Mary Street, recalling Leo Daly and Pat Layde.
At Bishopsgate Street, the walk takes in the Cathedral of Christ the King, Coláiste Mhuire and St Mary’s Hall, with links to Anna Akhmatova, Patricia Gibney, Patrick Pearse and local theatre history. The route also includes Friars Mill Road, childhood home of Josephine Hart, and Pearse Street, with its Ulysses connection to Millie Bloom.
The tour concludes at the historic Greville Arms Hotel, associated with both James Joyce and William Carleton.