Horizon Ballroom

From the late 1950’s until it closed, the Horizon was THE concert venue in the Midlands and catered for all tastes of music. Just about every major UK and Irish bands played there at one stage or another and international stars Johnny Cash, Chubby Checker, The John Barry Seven, Aker Bilk, Roy Orbison and, of course our very own Joe Dolan. Tuesday nights at the venue became legendary and were widely regarded as the biggest and busiest Tuesday night one could find.

Local acts also got a look in with late night music at the venue being an integral part of the social scene in Westmeath. All that changed with the advent of disco and the construction of the Grange estates in the early eighties. Although the Horizon fought back following trends (anyone remember the Roller Skate discos?) the live music scene in Ireland was in a dark period of decline. The Horizon finally succumbed to that decline and closed its doors, for the last time in the early eighties.

The ballroom, known to generations of couples in the midlands as one of the original “ballrooms of romance”, was operated as a dance hall by former Taoiseach Mr Albert Reynolds and his brother Jim. The site is now a Lidl Store.