Ireland Travel: Athlone

The center of Ireland

Athlone, Ireland

When traveling to Ireland, most keep to the outer ring.  The sites along the coast are amazing. 

At least, that's what we've heard.  We haven't been there yet.  That's the next trip.

Instead, on our first trip to Ireland, we decide to head straight for the center.  We went to the heart of the country.

Sean's Bar

The draw was the world's oldest bar.  Started around 900 AD, Sean's Bar sits just off the Shannon River, a stone's throw from the Athlone Castle.  This long-standing bar has a time period from Vikings to the Irish fight for Independence.  

While we found the bar, we also found Athlone had so much to love.  The town is divided by both the River Shannon and history.  The Athlone Castle was an excellent place to tour.  As we looked out over the city, the Church of St. Peter and Paul sat on one side of the river, while the English Church of St. Mary sits across the way on the other.  The castle provided timelines and stories of the Irish's march towards freedom from the British Crown.  

St. Peter and Paul

As we spent time in the city, and learned of it's history, we also found the people of Athlone to be amazing.  They shared stories of their own connections to both Ireland and America's past.  Family members who had gone to America or fought the English.  Their freedom is just 100 years young, so their stories are current, and some still have first-hand knowledge of the transition.  

We found a Viking boat tour, which was an added bonus in the rain.  The food was excellent, and our Airbnb was incredible and in the perfect spot to walk the town.  We did prefer to be on the west side of the River Shannon, as the vibe was a lot busier.  We found the east side to be slightly more upscale and business centered.  But that's just our opinion!

Don't miss a trip across the center of Ireland.  If you travel from Galway to Dublin, Athlone is a stop about halfway and worth the time to see!

Take rain jackets.  Ireland was in a drought at the time and we still got wet!

We love these jackets!