22 Facts About Athlone

Athlone is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland.

Around 100 km west of Dublin, Athlone is near the geographical centre of Ireland, which is 8.

Athlone Castle, situated on the western bank of the River Shannon, is the geographical and historical centre of Athlone.

The following year, Brian met the High King of Ireland Mael Sechnaill mac Domnaill at Athlone, intending to engage him in a battle for the High Kingship – only to have Mael Sechnaill, abandoned by his kinsmen of the Northern Ui Neill, submit to Brian without a fight.

That same year, Colonel Richard Grace's Jacobite forces in Athlone repelled an attack by 10,000 men led by Commander Douglas.

Related searches

The most recently discovered account of the Siege of Athlone, written after the attack, on 5 July 1691, was found in 2004 in an archive in the Netherlands.

Athlone is a popular stop for pleasure craft along the River Shannon.

For craft to pass through Athlone, it is necessary to use a lock in the river, which is beside the weir and downstream of the current road bridge.

Many years state-owned bus operator Bus Eireann provided hourly services to Dublin and Galway from its bus station in Athlone located beside the railway station, but in July 2021 these routes, 20 and X20 Expressway, were cancelled indefinitely.

Such private bus companies that stop in Athlone include Citylink and a new Aircoach bus route which was established soon after Bus Eireann's decision, to cope with the demand.

RTE All-Ireland Drama Festival takes place annually in Athlone, bringing together nine amateur drama groups from across Ireland.

Athlone Literary Festival is an annual event which began in 1999, originally as a weekend celebration of the life and works of John Broderick, but which now features a great variety of speakers and debaters.

Athlone School of Music opened in 2005 and is a grant-aided project aimed at developing music education and services in the Midlands region.

In 1954, Athlone became the first branch of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland and the town had a large part in the organisation's creation.

Irish poet Aubrey Thomas de Vere wrote a poem The Ballad of Athlone which is an account of an incident in the 1691 siege.

Athlone is a major retail destination within the Midlands region of Ireland.

Athlone has a number of hotels, including chains such the Radisson Blu and Sheraton hotels, as well as a number of locally owned ones.

Athlone is the regional centre for a large number of state-run and semi-state-run organisations.

Athlone is a major Irish military centre, as the Custume Barracks, which lie on the west bank of the Shannon in the town, is the headquarters of the Western Command of the Irish Army.

Athlone Institute of Technology is a constituent institute of the Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest,.

Athlone hosted the European Triathlon Championships in 2010 when approximately 5,000 athletes participated in the event.

Athlone is home to Buccaneers RFC, whose club's grounds are at Dubarry Park.