My home town is called Mullingar or An Muileann gCearr in Irish (which means "the left-handed mill" or "the Wry-Mill") it is in the centre of Ireland. It is a town that is constantly growing in population size because of its convenient location. The town centre population 15,700 people but including the rural areas it is 500,000 people.
I live in the countryside about 10kms away from Mullingar. It is a very rural area but there is a small village close by.
Mullingar is situated in Westmeath County. Westmeath is famous for having a lot of lakes such as Lough Owel and Lough Ennell, which attract many anglers, as well as Lough Derravaragh. Lough Derravaragh is best known for its connection with the Irish legend of the Children of Lir. Having being turned into swans, the four children of King Lir spent three hundred years on Lough Derravaragh before moving to other locations around Ireland. Lough Lene has a reputation for its clear water, historic ringforts, and wind-surfing.
There is a famous singer from Mullingar called Joe Dolan (http://www.joedolan.com/) who is very popular with older members of Irish society, and a new young band called The Blizzards( http://www.theblizzards.ie/) who are very popular amonst young people.
I think that Mullingar is a very nice place to visit if you would like to spend time outside and especially if you like water sports.