Athlone

Athlone is a town in County Westmeath, almost dead-centre of Ireland and bisected by the River Shannon. The promenade on the River Shannon is popular among anglers, birdwatchers and swimmers. The lakeshore is accessed from Coosan Point and Hodson Bay. The town is also home to Lough Ree Yacht Club.

Its location on the River Shannon has made it strategically important for over 1000 years, with the castle its main heritage. It's grown on both river banks into a large industrial town and transport hub, with a population in 2022 of 23,000.

Understand
Inland travel in ancient Ireland was impeded by bogs, but you could travel north-south along the Shannon, and east-west along the eskers, the line of gravel ridges deposited by glaciers. The main east-west route was some 20 km further south, crossing the Shannon at Clonmacnoise, which grew into a great monastic centre. Probably because that area was flood-prone, the Normans when they arrived in the 12th century preferred to cross the Shannon here at Luan's ford (Baile Átha Luain, hence "Athlone"). They built a bridge, and a fortified town and castle on the west bank. Later rulers continued to see the need for a garrison, as any coup or revolt here would strike at the very heart of Ireland.

The river formed the boundary between the Gaelic kingdoms of Connacht to the west and of Meath to the east. But half the fun of being Norman was in subduing the Gaels, and carving up their territory into shires or counties which could be re-awarded to loyal henchmen. Meath was subsumed into the kingdom of Leinster and eventually its western part was hived off as County Westmeath. The west bank became County Roscommon, but the boundary was re-drawn so that all of Athlone fell within Westmeath.

The west bank retains its higgledy-piggledy medieval street pattern but most buildings of that era were smashed in the two sieges of 1690/91, when after the Battle of the Boyne the Jacobites made a stand against the oncoming Williamites. The town was re-built in the 18th and 19th century, the railway arrived, and Athlone's central location made it an attractive base for state agencies, industry (healthcare and IT nowadays being leading employers) and the army. The castle was rebuilt, since you never just knew where Napoleon might attack next, and now contains the TIC, open Tu-Sa 9AM-5PM.
 * Athlone Tourism website

By plane


Athlone is about 90 minutes' drive from Dublin, Shannon or Knock Airport. Dublin is generally the best choice because of its wide range of flights and good onward transport. Two bus lines compete on the route from Dublin airport and city centre to Athlone and Galway, see below.

By train
Trains from Dublin Heuston run hourly and take 1 hr 20 min to Athlone via Portarlington, Tullamore and Clara. From Athlone they either continue west via Athenry to Galway, or northwest to Roscommon, Castlebar and Westport, with connections to Ballina. A walk-up single from Dublin is €15, see Irish Rail for timetables, fares and online tickets.

is 500 m north of town centre. The ticket office is open M-F 15 min before trains, and there are ticket machines and toilets.

By bus
Aircoach 706 runs every hour or two from Dublin Airport via Dublin Aston Quay and Maynooth, taking two hours to Athlone, and continuing west via Ballinasloe to Galway.

City Link competes on the route from the airport. Their Bus 763 runs every couple of hours daily via Dublin Aston Quay and Heuston station, Lucan, Enfield, Kinnegad, Kilbeggan and Moate to Athlone, where the stop is outside B&Q. It continues west to Ballinasloe, Aughrim, Loughrea and Galway.

Bus Éireann axed the Galway Bus X20 in 2021. Their Bus 72 runs three times a day from Limerick via Nenagh, Birr, Cloghane and Ferbane to Athlone.

Bus 70 runs twice M-Sa from Mullingar via Kilbeggan and Moate to Athlone.

Bus 73 trundles across the midlands from Waterford via Thomastown, Kilkenny, Carlow, Portlaoise and Tullamore to Athlone. There are two M-Sa and one on Sunday.

Bus 65 runs once a day from Monaghan via Clones, Cavan Town, Longford and Ballymahon to Athlone. Bus 466 makes another two runs between Longford, Ballymahon and Athlone.

Bus 440 runs from Westport via Castlebar, Knock airport and village, and Roscommon to Athlone. There are four M-Sa and two on Sunday.

By road
From Dublin follow N4 / M4, which becomes M6 at Kinnegad, and takes 90 min to Athlone. It continues west to Galway, another hour.

Get around
The centre of Athlone is small enough to get around on foot. There are taxi ranks at the train station and on Church St.

Bus Éireann A1 and A2 run across town from Monksland in the west via the bus and railway station, town centre, Golden Island Shopping Centre and Athlone Institute of Technology, to Creggan Court in the east. They run every 15 min M-Sa and every 30 min on Sundays and public holidays. They follow the same route, except the A1 goes via Retreat Road and A2 via Ballymahon Rd. Cash fare as of June 2021 is €2 adult and €1.20 child; by TFI Leap Card it's €1.40 adult and 84c child.

Flagline Bus Ath1 plies between Golden Island Shopping Centre and Athlone Institute of Technology, every 15 min M-Sa for €1 single cash fare.

Route maps, including stop locations, are shown on the TFI route mapper.

See

 * Other churches worth a look are the Methodist church on Northgate, the Church of Ireland Athlone St Mary on Dublin Gate St, St Anthony's in the Franciscan Friary just south, St Mary's further east, and Corpus Christi west side in Connaught Gardens.
 * Other churches worth a look are the Methodist church on Northgate, the Church of Ireland Athlone St Mary on Dublin Gate St, St Anthony's in the Franciscan Friary just south, St Mary's further east, and Corpus Christi west side in Connaught Gardens.
 * Other churches worth a look are the Methodist church on Northgate, the Church of Ireland Athlone St Mary on Dublin Gate St, St Anthony's in the Franciscan Friary just south, St Mary's further east, and Corpus Christi west side in Connaught Gardens.
 * Other city architecture is grouped along Church St, Northgate St (where you can only peek into Court Devenish House and the abbey ruin) and Pearse St.
 * Railway architecture: the line to Galway sweeps across the Shannon north side of town on a fine bridge built in 1851. On the west bank is the original railway station, a wide classical stone building, nowadays offices.
 * John McCormack (1884-1945) of Athlone was a renowned tenor, singing opera, lieder and light pieces - in 1914 he was the first to record It's a Long Way to Tipperary. Among numerous accolades, he was made Count of the Papal Court in 1928 by Pope Pius XI. He's commemorated by a bust outside the Luan Gallery (which Google street view has pixillated to ensure his privacy) and since 2014 by a full-sized statue outside Civic Hall, his feet wound in coils of music that would ensnare a lesser man. He's buried in Deans Grange, Dublin.
 * Athlone Canal west side of town has been culverted and turned into a park. The shallows and rapids on the Shannon made it possible to ford but were a block to navigation. This short canal was cut in 1757 as a work-around; it served until the 1840s when the main Shannon was made navigable by a weir and locks.
 * is the headland where Lough Ree narrows into the Shannon flowing down through Athlone. With Killinure Point just north, it encloses three "inner lakes" — these sheltered waters are the main local base for water activities.
 * is the headland where Lough Ree narrows into the Shannon flowing down through Athlone. With Killinure Point just north, it encloses three "inner lakes" — these sheltered waters are the main local base for water activities.

Do

 * What's on? For events read Westmeath Independent or listen to ACR on 88.4 FM.
 * Theatres: Dean Crowe Theatre is on Chapel St a block west of the castle, Athlone Little Theatre is east side on St Mary's Place, and Tonnta Street Theatre is northeast on Grace Park Rd.
 * IMC Cinema is in Golden Island Shopping Centre.
 * Golf: Athlone GC is west shore of the lake at Hodson Bay. Mount Temple Golf and Country Club is 8 km east of town at Aghanasmore.
 * River cruises start from the west bank quay by the bridge, heading upstream to Lough Ree and downstream to Clonmacnoise. Operators include The River Run, Viking Tours and Shannon Princess.
 * Football: Athlone Town AFC play soccer in the League of Ireland First Division, the Republic's second tier. The stadium (capacity 5000) is in Lissywollen 1 km northeast of town centre. The playing season is Mar-Nov and matches are usually Friday evening.
 * Water sports on Lough Ree: Coosan Point 3 km north of town is the closest spot.
 * Greenway: the railway from Dublin to Galway originally ran via Mullingar, then west to Athlone along a branch that was abandoned and turned into a hiking and cycling trail. The trail starts northeast of the railway station along Ballymahon Rd and is 12 km to Moate, then 16 km to Castletown, then 11 km into Mullingar. It's a firm paved surface.
 * Drama Festival is in early May.

Buy
Athlone is a major retail destination within the Midlands region of Ireland. The town centre extends from Church Street in the west to Seán Costello Street in the east.
 * Dublin Gate St east of the bridge is the main retail strip, with independents such as Burgess department stores, and Allen's a good option for giftware.
 * Athlone Town Centre is the 2-storey shopping centre east end of Dublin Gate St, at the corner with Gleeson St. This has M&S and other national chains.
 * Golden Island is the main retail park 500 m southeast of the centre. It has Tesco, Argos, Lifestyle Sports, and the cinema.
 * Arcadia is another retail park north side at junction 11 of N6.

Drink

 * Dublin Gate St east of the river has Gertie Browne, Pedlar Mac's, Malt House, Piano Bar, Carey's Tavern, Murphy's Law, Flannery's, and Dark Horse.
 * Dublin Gate St east of the river has Gertie Browne, Pedlar Mac's, Malt House, Piano Bar, Carey's Tavern, Murphy's Law, Flannery's, and Dark Horse.
 * Dublin Gate St east of the river has Gertie Browne, Pedlar Mac's, Malt House, Piano Bar, Carey's Tavern, Murphy's Law, Flannery's, and Dark Horse.

Connect
As of June 2021, Athlone and its approach roads have 5G from Eir and Vodafone, and 4G from Three.

Go next

 * Clonmacnoise is 15 km south of Athlone on the banks of the Shannon. It's one of the best monastic sites in Ireland, rivalled only by Glendalough.
 * Ballymahon northeast of Athlone is near Center Parcs.
 * Tullamore and nearby Kilbeggan have famous distilleries.
 * Roscommon has a crumbling castle and friary, and other medieval and prehistoric remains.
 * Birr is an attractive small town 50 km southeast of Athlone. Its "Leviathan" telescope put it at the leading edge of astronomy for 70 years.