Athlone

The Centre of Ireland

By Pat Morrissey

I’m Pat Morrissey and am a returned "biker" and of course have always dreamed of having a Goldwing motorcycle. I did not know how much of a whole new world of activity it opened for me with the enjoyment of meeting like-minded people. It is still a great thrill when a complete stranger will walk up to you, just as you dismount from the motorycle and start a conversation about bikes even if they know little about them, they just want to be close to the "Wing". My machine is a 1985 Interstate and would be a Plain Jane in the world of Wings but still…..

Although a Dubliner by birth my hometown is Athlone which is situated in the centre of Ireland. Athlone can be used for many things like living in or visiting or just passing through. There are a number of ways in which one could pass through Athlone, Road, and Rail or by River but the best way of getting to know the town is to stop and explore, even for a short visit.

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Above; Sean's Bar (oldest pub in Ireland?), St. Peter's, & Rly Bridge.

To use Athlone as a base for touring whether by motorcycle or otherwise makes excellent sense as almost any part of Ireland can be reached in a couple of hours by road and for "Wingers" this is the ideal situation. Traffic is light and the roads are reasonable with access to many circle routes where one can see a lot of the country without repeating journeys over the same roads. Accommodation is very good and very affordable with a range of Hotels and Bed & Breakfasts establishments. Camping is catered for in a small village called Ballykeeran just 3 miles to the north of town and at Hodson Bay on the Roscommon side. We took a trip to the 2000 Goldwing motorcycle Treffen in Stranorlar, leaving Athlone through Roscommon, Boyle, Sligo into Donegal and it took just 3 ½ hours we returned the same day having visited the site and watched the parade of Wings through the Stranorlar town centre.

Fishing is a passion with the locals and competitions are run during the season in which specimen fish are regularly caught. A permit is required but only cost approx. £12.00. Pike and all the other fresh water fish are waiting for someone to catch them and take them out of Lough Ree, which is the main body of water in the area. It is 17 miles long and 3 miles wide with plenty of boat hire available or indeed you can use the stands provided close to the town or from the banks themselves. Trout and salmon are on the increase and local fishing clubs will help anyone with a real interest in this sport.

Above; Aerial, Bypass & Swan photo's by Joe Relihan.

Athlone is steeped in the history of Ireland as it was, for a very long time, a strategic crossing point to the west. Ever since a man called Luan established a ford and a drinking establishment the place has been much in demand. Atha Luan in Gaelic translates to "The Ford of Luan" or more commonly now called Athlone in English. If you visit the Athlone Castle museum they have an excellent Audio Visual giving a quick and pleasant review of its place in history. The Siege of Athlone in 1691 is a well-documented example. Count John McCormack one of its more famous sons also features. A singing competition is held each year in March with valuable prizes for the winners.

Railway Bridge is a much-photographed feature on the Shannon and it celebrates its 150 anniversary in 2001. Built in England and shipped into Limerick and thence by barge to Athlone. The engineer in charge was G.W. Hemans whose mother Dorothy Hemans penned the immortal lines "The Boy stood on the Burning deck when all but he had fled". It spans 540 feet with a 120ft. opening central span. For its time it was an amazing feat of engineering. The entire job was completed in just eighteen months and included damming of the river just above the "Jolly Mariner" and the diversion of the Shannon down the old canal.

Above; Church Street (not always as traffic free as this shot suggests) & LaChateaux.

Eating out and drinking, in Athlone, is one of the more used pastimes in which almost everyone partakes and of course these activities are very well catered for by a large number of establishments. Sean’s Bar at the back of the Castle claims to be the oldest pub in Ireland and has on display a section of the "Clay & Wattle" wall with which it was originally built and to this day still sports sawdust on the floor with a turf fire in the hearth on a cold day. It is claimed that they are the survivors of the first "Pub" built on the site in 900 A.D. Eating out is covered by a huge range of eateries from Kilmartins N6 Service Stop, McDonalds, Chinese, Indian, and Italian to the Gordon Bleu of "La Chateaux" with a lot of smaller coffee shops and snackeries. If you really want to find an old pub try finding "Murray’s" of Malleragh just off the road to Ballymahon and there you will find yourself in a world set apart in time. The drink is good and the traditional music on Thursday night is a treat.

Above; Bust of John McCormack on the banks of the Shannon.

The Dean Crowe Theatre is one of the largest in provincial Ireland seating 400 and Athlone boasts of a "Little Theatre" as well so if this is your passion come to Athlone for the All Ireland Armature Drama Festival which is held each year and is a week long feast of the best in Ireland.

Above; Niamh is my daughter and she is with her daughters, Rosaleen front and Daniella on back.

Thanks to Joe Relihan who took the two aerial and the swan photo's. Also thanks to Steve Saunders for this opportunity to promote my part of the country on his web site. Click the Home button below to return to Steve's homepage.