Brian Farrell
Brian Farrell is a former Lecturer and Associate Professor of Politics at National Unversity of Ireland (UCD). He excelled as a broadcaster and presented many current affairs programmes on television as well as the results programmes for many general elections. On retirement from UCD he bacame Director General of the Institute for European Affairs. He is President of Dublin Business School.

Catherine Cotter
Catherine Cotter is an Arts Advisor and a Children's Literature Consultant. She has served on the Boards of 'Children's Books Ireland' and the 'Irish Writers Centre'. She has acted as an arts advisor to the Multi Denominational Primary Schools sector both for Literature and the performing arts. She worked with Poetry Ireland on the pilot scheme to set up and develop poetry residencies in Primary Schools.

Caroline Barry
Caroline Barry is the Westmeath based author of the best-selling fantasy titles The Rocket Girl (Bright Sparks), Isadora Elzbeth (1999) (The Attic Press). She is the project MAnager of Alternative Entertainments and gives creative writing and drama workshops.

Desmond Egan
Desmond Egan is a native of Athlone, and has published over 15 books of poetry and other writings besides. In 1983 he received the National Poetry Foundation of USA Award and, among others, the Bologna Literary Award in Italy, 1998. He lives in Kildare and is a full time writer. Each year with the help of his wife Viv, he organises the Gerard Manley Hopkins summer school. is a native of Athlone, and has published over 15 books of poetry and other writings besides. In 1983 he received the National Poetry Foundation of USA Award and, among others, the Bologna Literary Award in Italy, 1998. He lives in Kildare and is a full time writer. Each year with the help of his wife Viv, he organises the Gerard Manley Hopkins summer school.

Gearoid O'Brien
Gearoid O'Brien is librarian of the Aidan Heavey Library, Athlone who has written widely on local history. His most recent book is 'Athlone in old photographs' (Dublin: Gill & Mcmillan, 2002). He has contributed a regular weekly column on local history to The Westmeath Independent for the past sixteen years.

Iain Duggan
Iain Duggan is a Waterford-born poet and a Franciscan priest. He ministered in Athlone for twelve years, up to 1993. Founder of the 'Ariel Press', Wexford, his collections include 'The Sleeping Place' (1998), 'Beautiful Country' (1999), 'Getting to Perugia' (2002) and 'Face the Music' (2005).

Jimmy Casey
Jimmy Casey is the retired principal of Newtowncashel National School. He has written on many aspects of Longford history. He was the co-author of a book on the Primary Schools of County Longford and has written a history of Newtowncashel which was called "Cashel of the Hills". He lives in Lanesborough.

John Donohoe
John Donohoe grew up in Dublin and graduated in Theology and Psychology at Trinity College Dublin. He later took a masters degree in Clinical Psychotherapy at University College Dublin. Having practised in Clinical Psychology for a number of years he settled in Athlone in 1997 and in 1998 opened Na Linte Booksellers. This antiquarian bookshop has become an integral part of the arts landscape in the Midlands. In 1984 he read Ulick O'Connor's The Celtic Dawn and was struck by the persona of George Russell who used the pen-name AE. From then on he has collected the writings, drawings and paintings of this most fascinating of figures in the literary, artistic and political history of Ireland. His collection is regarded as the most extensive AE collection in Ireland.

Ruth Illingworth
Ruth Illingworth is a lecturer, writer, broadcaster and tour guide. A graduate of the NUI, she is a lecturer at MAynooth University, where she teaches Irish History to visiting American students.

Ruth contributes articles on the history to the 'Westmeath Examiner' and to local history publications. She has also contributed to history programmes on BBC and RTE television, and broadcasts on local radion. She is writing a history of Mullingar, which will be published in 2007, and is also working on a history of the Unitarian Church in Ireland.

Ruth is President of the Mullingar Archaeological and Historical Society, and does guided tours of Old Mullingar.

Since 2004, she has been a member of Mullingar Town Council.

Sean Cahill
Sean Cahill is a retired National School principal, living in Ballyleague. He is a regular contributor to the Lough Ree Summer School and had been widely published. He has co-authored several books with Jimmy Casey the most recent being "Tell me Shawn O'Farrell", The life and work of John Keegan Casey 1846 - 1870.