21/01/2025
A meeting of the Midlands’ Branch of the RMATUI
on
Tuesday 21st January 2025 at 11.00 a.m.
in the
Creggan Court Hotel,
Kilmartin’s N6 Centre,
Dublin Road,
Athlone,
Co. Westmeath
N37 YW25
Intended Agenda : -
11.00 – 11.30 a.m., Tea/coffee/biscuits
11.30 – 12.00 noon Educational Talk on Photography
12.00 – 12.30 approx Branch Business
- Minutes of last meeting,
- Matters arising
- National Management Business – if any
- A.O.B.
12.30 approx Branch A.G.M.
Financial Report
General Report
Election of Branch Officers – please send in nominations
Seán Ó Cluaid
Branch Honorary Secretary/Treasurer
seanocluaid@gmail.com
14 – 01 – 2025
EXPLANATIONS
I had been hoping to have the meeting in the Shamrock Hotel as the National A.G.M. is held there and we had our last Branch Meeting there. Some of the Hotels in Athlone are housing Ukrainian refugees and some are not doing any other business. This leaves the hotels doing general business very busy and the Shamrock Hotel couldn’t fit us in this month. A few days were lost in waiting for an answer.
Creggan Court could give only the 21st January.
The Shamrock Lodge is a little difficult to find, with a lot of twists and turns even when one knows where it is. The Creggan Court Hotel should be easier to find.
DIRECTIONS TO THE CREGGAN COURT HOTEL.
FROM MOATE.
If you come from the Moate direction, just stay on the original Dublin – Galway Road. As you approach Athlone you will meet a large roundabout which is at Kilmartin’s N6 Centre. Turn in left at the large roundabout and left again at a mini-roundabout.
FROM BIRR ETC.,
You join the original Moate Road, so just follow as above.
FROM CLARA and could be from TULLAMORE
You join the Dublin Road on the east side of Moate so follow through as above.
FROM ANYWHERE ELSE OUTSIDE OF ATHLONE
I suggest that you get on to the M6/N6 and come to EXIT 8 which is labelled to BIRR and Athlone East. There is curved dual carriageway down to the roundabout at the Kilmartin N6 Centre. The road into the Kilmartin Centre is the third exit – should be fairly clear, but there can be confusion over what lane to use when coming down the dual carriageway. I use the right hand lane on the basis that the exit into the Kilmartin Centre is more than “straight-on” i.e., more than the 12 o’clock position – but be careful as you may find others using the left hand lane and hence coming up on the inside to go into Kilmartin’s.
NOTE : - The stretch of road between Junction 8 and 13 is NOT motorway. There was a by-pass of Athlone which was thus the N6, the motorway (M6) came along later and joined on to the by-pass at each end. Many people are caught speeding because that section is a 100 km/hr limit. The dual carriageway from the N6/M6 to the Kilmartin Centre is part of the old by-pass.
PARKING There is parking on both sides of the road along the hotel, a small amount at the gable end of the hotel, a few around the back of the hotel, the whole shopping complex parking and the NCT Centre has recently increased parking (at the other gable end of the hotel)