Westmeath is situated in the very heart of the Midlands; it is the most central county in Ireland and is otherwise known as the " Lake County". Westmeath is rich in heritage and boasts an abundance of lakes, beloved by trout fishermen, in particular. Westmeath is one of the most beautiful counties in Ireland and features a host of interesting towns from Athlone, with its famous Athlone Castle, to Killbegan, famous for its whiskey distilling and Mullingar, the only town in Ireland, aside from Dublin, beloved by James Joyce. Westmeath lies on the East –West Corridor of the M4/M6 that links Dublin and the east to Galway and Sligo and other western tourist resorts.
Westmeath’s population growth has been stronger than the national average. The county town of Mullingar has a population approaching twenty thousand when the outlying districts are taken into account. Along with, Moate, Kilbeggan, and Castlepollard they are important commercial and marketing centres. After the Great Famine, the population of Westmeath declined dramatically. It stabilized in the middle of the last century, and has continued to grow. Westmeath's proximity to Dublin, with good motorway facilities and frequent rail service, has made commuting popular.
Tourism in Westmeath is generally centred on its many water amenities. The county lakes include Lough Derravaragh, Lough Ennell, Lough Lene, Lough Owel and Lough Ree. Both the Grand Canal, and the Royal Canal flow through Westmeath, and the the River Shannon (Ireland's key tourism waterway) has a modern inland harbour in Athlone and is the largest berthing point on the River Shannon, bringing much tourist revenue to Athlone. Athlone is located close to the geographical centre of Ireland, on the border of two counties, Roscommon and Westmeath. Although the River Shannon, which runs through the town, forms the historic border between County Roscommon and County Westmeath, much of the town is designated as belonging to Westmeath, although most growth has taken place in the Roscommon side.
Golf, fishing and cruising are the main leisure pursuits in Westmeath. Athlone is the largest town in Westmeath and offers much in good hotels, restaurants and pubs. Mullingar similarly offers great choice in this regard.
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