Athlone & Clonmacnoise

A small town in the heart of Ireland on the River Shannon, with a centuries-old pub and a castle, surrounded by the early Christian site of Clonmacnoise, Lough Ree and the Midlands bogs.

Athlone sits right in the centre of Ireland, straddling the River Shannon. It is the largest town in County Westmeath, about 120 km from Dublin and 90 km from Galway, with easy rail and motorway connections. The Shannon divides the town into two halves: the west bank's "Left Bank" old quarter is home to Athlone Castle, the twin-towered, domed Church of Saints Peter and Paul, the Luan Gallery and Sean's Bar, which claims to be Ireland's oldest pub, while colourful little shops and traditional music pubs make it ideal for wandering on foot; the east bank is the main commercial district. The surrounding area is the lake and bogland country of the Irish Midlands. About 20 km south, Clonmacnoise is the country's most important early Christian monastic site and an absolute must-see; to the north, you can take a cruise or hire a boat on Lough Ree and the Shannon; to the east are the Old Rail Trail Greenway for cycling, the ancient Hill of Uisneach, Kilbeggan Distillery and Belvedere House; to the southeast, Clara Bog, Lough Boora Discovery Park and Birr Castle can be combined into a day's road trip. The climate is mild and wet. May–Sep, with long days and boat cruises running, is the best time to visit; in winter many sights have shorter opening hours. Public transport to the surrounding sights is scarce, so renting a car is recommended. Plan on 2–3 days: one for the old town and a Lough Ree cruise, one for Clonmacnoise and Birr Castle, and one for the bogs, the greenway or the country house. Don't miss an evening of traditional music at Sean's Bar.

Top sights

• Clonmacnoise – Ireland's most important early monastic site, founded in AD 544, with round towers, high crosses and church ruins on the banks of the Shann…
• Athlone Castle – A riverside castle built by the Normans in the 13th century, where multimedia displays recreate the 1691 siege of Athlone. It is the town's…
• Sean's Bar – Said to have opened in AD 900, 'Ireland's oldest pub', with wooden floors, a fireplace and traditional Irish music every night.
• SS Peter and Paul's Church – A twin-towered, domed Catholic church beside the castle, completed in 1937, and the most striking building on the Shannon skyline.
• Luan Gallery – A municipal contemporary art gallery on the banks of the Shannon, free to enter, with large windows facing the river.
• Lough Ree – The second-largest lake on the Shannon, where sightseeing boats from Athlone's quay take you past lake islands, monastic ruins and scenic s…
• Old Rail Trail Greenway – A nearly flat 40-kilometre cycling route along a former railway line from Athlone to Mullingar, passing fields, stone bridges and old stati…
• Hill of Uisneach – The legendary 'centre of Ireland,' a sacred site of the ancient Celts with the Catstone and other relics, which can only be visited on a gu…
• Clara Bog Nature Reserve – One of the best-preserved raised peat bogs in Western Europe, with a roughly 1-kilometre boardwalk loop and free admission.
• Belvedere House & Gardens – An 18th-century Palladian mansion on the shore of Lough Ennell, famous for the Jealous Wall, Ireland's largest ornamental mock ruin.
• Birr Castle Demesne – The family seat of the Earls of Rosse, whose grounds include the Leviathan of Parsonstown telescope, once the world's largest, and extensiv…
• Kilbeggan Distillery – Ireland's oldest licensed whiskey distillery, licensed in 1757, with a working waterwheel, steam engine and tastings for visitors.
• Lough Boora Discovery Park – A large park reclaimed from exhausted peat workings, with outdoor land-art sculptures, lakes and cycling trails; admission is free.
• Corlea Trackway – An Iron Age bog road built from oak in 148 BC, preserved in a climate-controlled exhibition hall and among the largest such sites in Europe.

Where to eat

• Thyme – An Athlone favourite that has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand for eight consecutive years, serving modern Irish cooking wi…
• Kin Khao Thai – A Thai restaurant in a yellow house near the castle, where a Thai chef team cooks family recipes with Northeastern Thai…
• Left Bank Bistro – A bright bistro in the old town on the west bank of the Shannon, convenient for lunch, with a menu ranging from Ireland…

Itineraries

• Classic Southern & Western Ireland Loop – A counter-clockwise road trip from Dublin around the southern half of the island, connecting Kilkenny, Kerry, Dingle, a…
• Northern Ireland & Northwest Loop – Head north from Dublin to Belfast and the Giant's Causeway, then loop back to Galway via Donegal and Mayo.