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Athlone

April 23, 2023

For other uses, see Athlone (disambiguation).

Athlone (/æθˈloʊn/; Irish: Baile Átha Luain, meaning 'The town of Luan's ford')[2] is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of 21,349 in the 2016 census.[1]

Athlone
Baile Átha Luain
Town
From centre: the Church of Saints Peter and Paul sits on the bank of the River Shannon; Athlone Castle
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
Urbes Stant Legibus  (Latin)
"A city stands by its laws"
Athlone
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°25′25″N 07°56′33″W / 53.42361°N 7.94250°W / 53.42361; -7.94250Coordinates: 53°25′25″N 07°56′33″W / 53.42361°N 7.94250°W / 53.42361; -7.94250
CountryIreland
ProvinceLeinster, Connacht
CountyCounty Westmeath, County Roscommon
Government
 • Dáil constituencyLongford–Westmeath
Area
 • Total10.92 km2 (4.22 sq mi)
Elevation
56 m (184 ft)
Population
 (2016)[1]
 • Total21,349
 • Density2,000/km2 (5,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC±0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (IST)
Eircode routing key
N37
Telephone area code+353(0)90
Irish Grid ReferenceN033420
Websiteathlone.ie

Most of the town lies on the east bank of the river, within the townland of the same name; however, by the terms of the Local Government Act of 1898, six townlands on the west bank of the Shannon, formerly in County Roscommon, were incorporated into the town, and consequently, into the county of Westmeath.[3]

Around 100 km west of Dublin, Athlone is near the geographical centre of Ireland, which is 8.85 kilometres (5.50 mi) north-northwest of the town, in the area of Carnagh East in County Roscommon.[4]

History

Main article: History of Athlone

Athlone Castle, situated on the western bank of the River Shannon, is the geographical and historical centre of Athlone. Throughout its early history, the ford of Athlone was strategically important, as south of Athlone the Shannon is impassable until Clonmacnoise, where the Esker Riada meets the Shannon, while to the north the Shannon flows into Lough Ree. In 1001 Brian Bóru sailed his army up river from Kincora and through Lough Derg to attend a gathering in Athlone. The following year, Brian met the High King of Ireland Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill at Athlone, intending to engage him in a battle for the High Kingship – only to have Máel Sechnaill, abandoned by his kinsmen of the Northern Uí Néill, submit to Brian without a fight.

A bridge was built across the river in the 12th century, approximately 100 metres (330 ft) south of the current structure. In 1129, to protect the bridge, the High King Turloch Mór Ó Conor constructed a fort on the river's west bank, within Athlone. On a number of occasions both the fort and bridge were subject to attacks, and towards the end of the 12th century the Anglo-Normans constructed a motte-and-bailey fortification there. This earthen fort was followed by a stone structure built in 1210 by Justiciar John de Gray. The 12-sided donjon, or tower, dates from this time; however, the rest of the original castle was largely destroyed during the 1691 Siege of Athlone and subsequently rebuilt and enlarged.

Throughout the wars that wracked Ireland in the 17th century, Athlone contained the vital, main bridge over the River Shannon into Connacht. During the Irish Confederate Wars (1641–53), the town was held by Irish Confederate troops until it was taken in late 1650 by Charles Coote, who attacked the town from the west, having crossed into Connacht at Sligo.

Forty years later, during the pan-European War of the Grand Alliance (1688–97), the town was again of key strategic importance. In the Irish phase of the conflict (the Williamite War in Ireland of 1688–1691), Athlone was one of the Jacobite strongholds that defended the river-crossings into the Jacobite-held Province of Connacht following the Battle of the Boyne on 1 July 1690. That same year, Colonel Richard Grace's Jacobite forces in Athlone repelled an attack by 10,000 men led by Commander Douglas. In the following year's campaign, the Siege of Athlone saw a further assault by a larger allied force, during which the invading troops of King William and Queen Mary eventually overran the entire city. The defenders were forced to flee further west, toward the River Suck, at such speed that eyewitness accounts record that they "flung their cannons into the morass" as they fled. 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. The account was penned by the victorious commanding officer from the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, general lieutenant Godard van Reede, in letters written to his family in mainland Europe.[10] In the account, the commanding allied officer reported that half of Athlone's defenders retreated westward, towards the rest of their army, leaving almost 2,000 dead within the city walls and more than 100 taken prisoner, including dozens of officers.

Athlone was represented by a two-seat constituency in the Irish House of Commons prior to 1801, and by a one-seat constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons from 1801 to 1885.

In the 1970s the Republican Éire Nua programme proposed making Athlone the capital of a federal United Ireland.[11]

 
Athlone Castle, Church of Saints Peter and Paul and the River Shannon

Location and access

 
St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Athlone

With the two counties divided by the river, the part of the town that lies east of the Shannon is in the province of Leinster, the county of Westmeath, the barony of Brawny, and the civil parish of St Mary's.[12] Unusually, the barony is coterminous with a single civil parish. In terms of ecclesiastical boundaries, the eastern part of the town is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise and the parish of St Mary's.[13] There are several other churches in the town including a Church of Ireland (St. Mary's, Anglican), the St. Peter and St. Pauls, a Franciscan friary and a chapel of the Society of Saint Pius X.

However, seven townlands, or sections of the town, lie west of the Shannon: Athlone and Big Meadow, Bellaugh, Bogganfin, Canal and Banks, Doovoge, part of Monksland, and Ranelagh. Although surrounded by County Roscommon in the province of Connacht, they are designated as part of County Westmeath to preserve the integrity of the town. These townlands lie in St Peter's civil parish in the barony of Athlone South.[14] In terms of ecclesiastical boundaries, the townlands west of the Shannon are part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Elphin and the parish of Saints Peter and Paul.[15]

River

 
Pleasure cruisers exiting the Athlone canal by the weir on the Shannon. June 2013

Athlone is a popular stop for pleasure craft along the River Shannon. Lough Ree, the largest lake on the Shannon, is a short distance upstream from Athlone, and many boat companies are based out of the town. 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. The lock, weir, and bridge were all constructed by the Shannon navigation commissioners in the 1840s. Before then, boats used a canal, about a mile and a half long, to the west of the river. The canal was built by Thomas Omer for the Commissioners of Inland Navigation.[16] Work started in 1757 and involved the work of over 300 men. Omer built a single lock, 120' X 19' with a rise of 4.5', but there was also a guard lock, further upstream, with a single set of gates to protect the canal against floods. There were also two lay-bys, or harbours, one above the lock and another at the upstream end. The old canal is no longer navigable.

Rail

Athlone railway station opened on 3 October 1859,[17] with Irish Rail services travelling eastwards to Portarlington, Kildare and Dublin Heuston and westwards to the Westport/Ballina lines as well as to Athenry, Oranmore and Galway.

Connections from Athlone via a train transfer at Athenry railway station extend to Ennis and Limerick, while a transfer at Portarlington connects Limerick Junction and Limerick. There are trains from Portarlington to Mallow, and from Mallow to Cork, Killarney, Farranfore and Tralee. Travel between Athlone and Killdare enables connections to Carlow, Kilkenny and Waterford.

Bus

For many years state-owned bus operator Bus Éireann 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. The company cited "continuing losses [..] resulting from the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic" as the reason.[18] Bus Éireann services between Dublin and Belfast, Cork and Limerick were also cut following a "viability review" of 18 routes in September 2020.[18] It was noted that from July 2021 onwards, bus journeys between Athlone and Galway, Ballinasloe, Moate, Dublin city or Dublin airport would be operated by private companies only, with passengers being dropped off or picked up at the Arcadia Retail Park and Athlone Institute of Technology rather than the bus station. Such private bus companies that stop in Athlone include Citylink and a new Aircoach bus route (Galway-Athlone-Dublin) which was established soon after Bus Éireann's decision, to cope with the demand.[18]

There are also services to Limerick, Dundalk, Waterford, Cavan, Belfast, Longford and Roscommon. The town is also home to a number of privately operated services, including the Flagline bus company, which operates local bus routes as well as service to Tullamore.

Bus Éireann continues to operate a local Athlone bus service in and around the town. The local services are as follows: Route A1: Bus Station, Willow Park (Norwood Court) via Golden Island Shopping Centre, Dublin Road and Athlone Institute of Technology; and Route A2: Monksland (River Village); Garrycastle (Moydrum Road) via Galway Road, St. Peter's Avenue, Saint Anne's Terrace, the Batteries, Connaught Street, Northgate Street, Bus Station, Golden Island Shopping Centre, Dublin Road and Athlone Institute of Technology.

Road

The town is located alongside the N6 dual carriageway, which is effectively a section of the M6 motorway connecting Galway to Dublin. The N6 passes along the northern side of the town, crossing the River Shannon into County Roscommon. A number of national secondary roads connect Athlone with other towns and regions, namely the N55 to Ballymahon and Cavan, the N61 to Roscommon and the N62 to Birr, Roscrea, and Southern Ireland.

Culture

Theatres in Athlone include the Dean Crowe Theatre & Arts Centre and the Little Theatre.

RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival takes place annually in Athlone, bringing together nine amateur drama groups from across Ireland. The festival is supported by an active fringe which involves street theatre, art exhibitions, workshops and events for young people.

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.

Count John McCormack was born in Athlone, and for many years, an annual festival held in the town has celebrated this world-renowned tenor.

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

Abbey Road Artists' Studios launched in 2011 in a unique building constructed in 1841. The studios offer a dedicated space in Athlone for local and visiting artists. The artists' studios consist of four individual artists' studios as well as a large multi-purpose upstairs space suitable for a variety of community cultural events, including exhibitions, performances, workshops and seminars.[19] The Abbey Road artists' studios work closely with the Luan Art Gallery.

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.[20][21]

Literature

American crime writer James M. Cain refers to Athlone in his 1937 book, Serenade, in a passage where two characters discuss tenor John McCormack: "--There's the language he was born to. John McCormack comes from Dublin". "He does not. He comes from Athlone". "Didn't he live in Dublin?". "No Matter. They speak a fine brogue in Athlone, almost as fine as in Belfast". "It's a fine brogue, but it's not brogue. It's the English language as it was spoken before all the other countries of the world forgot how to speak it. There are two things a singer can't buy, beg or steal, and that no teacher, coach or conductor can give him. One is his voice, the other is the language that was born in his mouth. When McCormack was singing Handel he was singing English, and he sings it as no American and no Englishman will ever sing English".[22]

The Irish poet Aubrey Thomas de Vere wrote a poem The Ballad of Athlone which is an account of an incident in the 1691 siege.[23][24]

Tourism and amenities

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. 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. Located centrally is the Athlone Town Centre, a shopping centre built in 2007, containing 54 shops, cafés and a four-star hotel.[25][26]

The Golden Island Shopping Centre,[27] which opened in 1997, is also located in the town centre.

 
Golden Island Shopping Centre, opened 1997
 
View looking west from the town centre

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 Regional Sports Centre, developed by the former Town Council in 2002, is located on the outskirts of the town. The facility contains a swimming pool, gym and AstroTurf pitches.

Burgess Park stands near the centre of the town, on the banks of the River Shannon.

Sean's Bar, located on the west bank of the river, is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest pub in Ireland.[28]

Athlone Castle is open to the public as a museum.

The Luan Gallery was opened in 2012. It is the first purpose-built, modern visual art gallery in the Midlands. It was designed by Keith Williams, who also designed the Athlone Town Civic Centre. The gallery was opened by Jimmy Deenihan, the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The Luan Gallery opened with an exhibition from the Irish Museum of Modern Art, featuring the work of several national and international artists.[29][30]

Other attractions include the Glendeer Open Farm and the Viking Cruise of the Shannon. Baysports, a boat training and watersports centre with the world's largest floating inflatable water slide, is located a ten-minute drive from the town. There is a tourist office on Church Street.

There are many fine golf courses within easy reach of Athlone including Athlone Golf Club, Glasson Golf & Country Club and Mount Temple Golf Club.

Greenway

 
Bridge on the greenway
Main article: Athlone to Mullingar Cycleway

The Old Rail Trail greenway runs for 42 kilometres from Athlone to Mullingar, along the disused Athlone-Mullingar Railway.[31][32] It will eventually form part of the Dublin-Galway Greenway. A new cycle and pedestrian bridge over the River Shannon is planned to be built beside the Luan Gallery.[33]

Education and industry

 
Athlone on the Shannon

Athlone's major employers include Alkermes, a pharmaceutical company that succeeded Elan in Athlone; Bioclin Laboratories, another pharmaceutical company; Ericsson, a telecommunications business; Tyco Healthcare, a medical equipment supplier; Utah Medical, another medical equipment supplier; Pharmaplaz, another pharmaceutical company; Alienware, a computer hardware business; ICT Eurotel, a contact centre; and Athlone Extrusions, a polymer supplier.

Athlone is the regional centre for a large number of state-run and semi-state-run organisations. The Department of Education, State Examinations Commission, Revenue Commissioners, FÁS Midlands Region, Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland all have bases in the town. Athlone is also 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.

The Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) is a constituent institute of the Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest, (TUS).[34][35] Athlone forms part of the Midlands Gateway, an in-progress infrastructure initiative, along with Mullingar and Tullamore. The AIT has a campus size of 44 acres, and has new, purpose-built facilities include the Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Studies building, built in 2003; the Nursing and Health Science building, built in 2005; the Midlands Innovation and Research Centre, also built in 2005; the Engineering and Informatics building, built in 2010; and the Postgraduate Research Hub, also built in 2010.[36] RTÉ's Midlands studio and office are located at AIT.[37]

The Athlone Institute of Technology has memorandum of understanding with the Rio de Janeiro State University, one of the largest universities in the Brazilian city.[38] AIT also has agreements with the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, one of the largest Brazilian private universities.[39] The institute also founded agreements with two leading Beijing universities, the Capital University of Economics and Business and the Beijing Union University.[40][41] The agreements were signed by the Chinese Ambassador to Ireland and university representatives.[41] Other agreements exist between the AIT and TVTC, in Saudi Arabia, and a memorandum of understanding exists with the Georgia Institute of Technology.[42][43] Further agreements exist with the Bharati Vidyapeeth, one of the largest universities in India.[44]

There are four major secondary schools in the Athlone area, the Athlone Community College, a coeducational school; Our Lady's Bower School, a girls' school; Marist College, a boys' school; Coláiste Chiaráin, the new secondary school resulting from the amalgamation of St. Aloysius' College and St Joseph's College, Summerhill.

In June 2010, Taoiseach Brian Cowen announced his support of a proposed European and Chinese training hub in Athlone.[45] In May 2012, the project was granted permission by An Bord Pleanála. It was planned to comprise a total of nine exhibition halls, nine smaller independent exhibition buildings, one temporary exhibition space, several offices, administrative services, some living quarters, hotels, shops, restaurants, pubs, a school and railway station.[46] It was never built.[47]

Broadcasting

 
Athlone Town Centre shopping centre.

Between 1931 and 1975 the main radio transmission centre for Irish radio was located at Moydrum, Athlone (53°25′14″N 7°52′52″W / 53.42056°N 7.88111°W / 53.42056; -7.88111). The original call sign was 2RN, a wordplay on the song "Come back to Erin". The station subsequently became known as "Radio Athlone" and could clearly be heard throughout Europe, and as far away as Moscow. This changed as bandwidth allocations were accorded at the Helsinki Declaration.

The station originally operated at a power of 60 kW, which during the 1950s, was increased to 100 kW. For an antenna, a T-antenna was and is still used, which spins between two 100-metre tall guyed masts with square cross-sections and which are insulated against ground. Many old radio sets in Europe had the "Athlone" dial position marked near the end of their tuning scales.

In the late 1970s the station reopened on a new dial position of 612 kHz for "Radio 2", later known as RTÉ 2fm. Moydrum was also the location of Ireland's short-lived Shortwave international radio service, which was closed down in 1948 due to lack of money. Today, RTÉ's Midlands studios are located in Athlone, at St. Mary's Square. The local radio station is Midlands 103. Many also tune into the Shannonside station.[48]

A radio station, i102-104FM, was launched in 2008, geared to the 15–34 age group of the Midlands and Northeast.[49][50]

The Athlone Community Taskforce and several members of the Roscommon community radio station, RosFM, have begun broadcasting from the Athlone area under the banner of Athlone Community Radio. Their first broadcast was on 15 March 2008 and the broadcasts were originally set to run every Saturday and Sunday for the following 15 weeks, until their temporary licence expired. They received a 10-year licence on 14 January 2011 from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, and they currently broadcast on the frequency of 88.4 FM.[51][52]

Print

Local newspapers include the Westmeath Independent located on Sean Costello Street which was established in 1846 and the Athlone Topic.

Sport

 
The Athlone IT International Arena in Athlone

In addition to being home to the Athlone Regional Sports Centre, the town has a variety of sporting organisations. Namely, there is the Athlone Town Football Club, who play their home games at Athlone Town Stadium in Lissywollen, an arena with a 5,000 person capacity. The Athlone Town Football Club won the League of Ireland Championship in 1981 and 1983, as well as the FAI Cup in 1924. The team also qualified for the 1975–76 UEFA Cup, where they played 0–0 against AC Milan.

The newly opened, ten million Euro, Athlone IT International Arena, is now Ireland's first world-class indoor athletics arena, boasting a floor space of nearly 10,000 square metres.[53][54] The arena was opened by Taoiseach Enda Kenny, and has been admired by sporting legends such as Sonia O'Sullivan. It has also hailed by Senator Eamonn Coghlan as the "best news story in Irish athletics history".[55] The stadium hosts the annual AIT Grand Prix event, broadcast by TG4 on the Island of Ireland and internationally via Vinco and Runnerspace.

Athlone hosted the European Triathlon Championships in 2010 when approximately 5,000 athletes participated in the event. Alistair Brownlee of Great Britain won the event. Two years later he won a gold medal in the triathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Athlone is home to several Gaelic football teams, including Tubberclair GAA, Garrycastle GAA, and Athlone GAA, with St. Brigids (Roscommon) GAA and Clann na nGael GAA being located outside Athlone itself. Garrycastle GAA qualified for the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship for the first time in the club's history by beating Connacht Champions, St. Brigids GAA, in an all-Athlone semi-final. Garrycastle eventually lost the final to Crossmaglen Rangers in a replay of the final, the first match having ended in a draw by a scoreline of 1–12 to 0–15.

Athlone is also home to Buccaneers RFC, whose club's grounds are at Dubarry Park. Dubarry Park, with a 10,000 person capacity, is also home to the Connacht Eagles,[56] the team that represents Connacht in the British and Irish Cup[57] and in the All Ireland Inter-provincial Championship.

The European Capital of Sport awarded Athlone the title of European Town of Sport for 2013.[58]

People

Sister cities

Twin towns

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b "Sapmap Area: Settlements Athlone". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office (Ireland). from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  2. ^ P.W. Joyce. . Archived from the original on 9 May 2005.
  3. ^ Athlone West Unban 17 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine - LED
  4. ^ Frequently Asked Questions 28 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Ordnance Survey Ireland. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  5. ^ Census for post 1821 figures. 20 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Cso.ie.
  6. ^ . Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ NISRA – Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (c) 2013 17 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Nisranew.nisra.gov.uk (27 September 2010).
  8. ^ Lee, JJ (1981). "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses". In Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A. (eds.). Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
  9. ^ Mokyr, Joel; O Grada, Cormac (November 1984). "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700–1850". The Economic History Review. 37 (4): 473–488. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x. hdl:10197/1406. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012.
  10. ^ . 10 July 2004. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012.
  11. ^ Fagan, Jack (29 June 1972). "Sinn Fein (Kevin Street) Plan for New Ireland". The Irish Times. pp. 1, 7.
  12. ^ Placenames Database of Ireland[permanent dead link] - Barony of Brawny
  13. ^ Official website of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise 14 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine - St Mary's parish
  14. ^ Placenames Database of Ireland - Barony of Athlone South
  15. ^ Roman Catholic Diocese of Elphin 9 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine - parish of Saints Peter and Paul
  16. ^ Ruth Delany, The Shannon Navigation, Lilliput Press, Dublin 2008.
  17. ^ "www.railbrit.co.uk" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  18. ^ a b c Cusack, Adrian (26 July 2021). "Bus Éireann to end its Athlone services to Dublin and Galway this week". Westmeath Independent. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  19. ^ Abbey Road Artist's Studios Exhibition Space | Athlone Art and Heritage Ltd 2 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Athloneartandheritage.ie.
  20. ^ IWAI – Chronology 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Iwai.ie.
  21. ^ Michael Scott, architect: in (casual) conversation with Dorothy Walker Michael Scott, Dorothy Walker The Ritz Cinema, one of the finest provincial cinemas in the country, is located in a historic spot between the old and the new bridges in Athlone's very centre. To build a cinema in this particular position was a problem, particularly on account of its proximity to the Shannon. The building; had to be constructed on the filled-in bank of the river, and it was, therefore, essential that the structure, though as .light as possible, should be extremely strong and safe. .
  22. ^ James M. Cain (9 September 2010) [1937]. "6". Serenade. Orion. ISBN 978-1-4091-3240-0.
  23. ^ "The Ballad of Athlone". Ask About Ireland. from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  24. ^ "An Irishman's Diary". The Irish Times. from the original on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  25. ^ "Sheraton Athlone Hotel". Marriott International. from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  26. ^ "Athlone Towncentre - Stylish shopping in the heart of Ireland". Athlone Towncentre Shopping Centre. from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  27. ^ . Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
  28. ^ Flatley, Helen (5 March 2019). "This Irish Bar Holds the Record as the World's Oldest Pub – Take a Look Inside". The Vintage News. from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  29. ^ Kelly, Tom (28 November 2012). . Westmeath Independent. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016..
  30. ^ . www.athloneartandheritage.ie. Athlone Art and Heritage Ltd. Archived from the original on 1 December 2012.
  31. ^ "42km of Brilliant Biking".
  32. ^ "Westmeath County Council (WCC) Our Services".
  33. ^ Daly, Maria (9 October 2014). "Council confirm plans for new towncentre bridge as part of cycleway". Athlone Advertiser. from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  34. ^ "Home". AIT-LIT Consortium. from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  35. ^ Kelly Palenque, Brendan (5 May 2021). "Limerick IT and Athlone IT to merge to form new technological university". Independent.ie. from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  36. ^ Campus Developments 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Athlone Institute of Technology..
  37. ^ (Press release). Athlone Institute of Technology. 21 September 2012. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  38. ^ (Press release). Athlone Institute of Technology. 16 October 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2020..
  39. ^ (Press release). Athlone Institute of Technology. 20 November 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  40. ^ 2010 press releases 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Athlone Institute of Technology. (30 March 2010).
  41. ^ a b 2010 press releases 6 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Athlone Institute of Technology. (12 May 2010).
  42. ^ 2010 press releases 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Athlone Institute of Technology. (1 March 2010).
  43. ^ 2009 press releases 4 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Athlone Institute of Technology. (21 January 2009).
  44. ^ 2009 press releases 4 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Athlone Institute of Technology. (25 August 2009).
  45. ^ . Inside Ireland. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010.
  46. ^ "€175m Asian trade hub in Athlone would create up to 1,500 jobs". RTÉ News. 1 May 2012. from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  47. ^ "Whatever happened to... A massive Chinese business centre in Westmeath?". Fora.ie. from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  48. ^ . Shannonside FM. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014.
  49. ^ Siggins, Lorna (8 February 2008). "Digital radio receives an old-fashioned launch treatment". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 April 2020.(subscription required)
  50. ^ . Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. 7 January 2008. Archived from the original on 28 September 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  51. ^ . Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. Archived from the original on 2 April 2010.
  52. ^ "about us". Athlone Community Radio. from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  53. ^ Athletics: Athlone IT unveil €10m indoor 'field of dreams'. Independent.ie (25 January 2013).
  54. ^ 2013 press releases 4 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Athlone Institute of Technology. (15 February 2013).
  55. ^ 2013 press releases 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Athlone Institute of Technology. (23 January 2013).
  56. ^ Dubarry Park announced as the home of the Connacht Eagles | Connacht Rugby Website. Connachtrugby.ie (11 October 2012).
  57. ^ B&I Cup set to arrive in Connacht | Connacht Rugby Website. Connachtrugby.ie (11 May 2012).
  58. ^ Athlone chosen as a European Town of Sport 7 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Westmeath Independent. (11 September 2012).
  59. ^ . FAI Schools. 8 February 2011. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  60. ^ . Athlone Architectural Heritage Group. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011.
  61. ^ "Tackling things together... Robbie Henshaw and dad Tony". Irish Independent. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.

External links

  •   Media related to Athlone at Wikimedia Commons
  •   Athlone travel guide from Wikivoyage
  • Athlone.ie – Official Town Portal

April 23, 2023
athlone, other, uses, disambiguation, irish, baile, Átha, luain, meaning, town, luan, ford, town, border, county, roscommon, county, westmeath, ireland, located, river, shannon, near, southern, shore, lough, second, most, populous, town, midlands, region, with. For other uses see Athlone disambiguation Athlone ae 8 ˈ l oʊ n Irish Baile Atha Luain meaning The town of Luan s ford 2 is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath Ireland It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of 21 349 in the 2016 census 1 Athlone Baile Atha LuainTownFrom centre the Church of Saints Peter and Paul sits on the bank of the River Shannon Athlone CastleCoat of armsMotto s Urbes Stant Legibus Latin A city stands by its laws AthloneLocation in IrelandCoordinates 53 25 25 N 07 56 33 W 53 42361 N 7 94250 W 53 42361 7 94250 Coordinates 53 25 25 N 07 56 33 W 53 42361 N 7 94250 W 53 42361 7 94250CountryIrelandProvinceLeinster ConnachtCountyCounty Westmeath County RoscommonGovernment Dail constituencyLongford WestmeathArea Total10 92 km2 4 22 sq mi Elevation56 m 184 ft Population 2016 1 Total21 349 Density2 000 km2 5 100 sq mi Time zoneUTC 0 WET Summer DST UTC 1 IST Eircode routing keyN37Telephone area code 353 0 90Irish Grid ReferenceN033420Websiteathlone wbr ieMost of the town lies on the east bank of the river within the townland of the same name however by the terms of the Local Government Act of 1898 six townlands on the west bank of the Shannon formerly in County Roscommon were incorporated into the town and consequently into the county of Westmeath 3 Around 100 km west of Dublin Athlone is near the geographical centre of Ireland which is 8 85 kilometres 5 50 mi north northwest of the town in the area of Carnagh East in County Roscommon 4 Contents 1 History 2 Location and access 2 1 River 2 2 Rail 2 3 Bus 2 4 Road 3 Culture 4 Literature 5 Tourism and amenities 5 1 Greenway 6 Education and industry 7 Broadcasting 8 Print 9 Sport 10 People 11 Sister cities 12 Twin towns 13 See also 14 Notes and references 15 External linksHistory EditMain article History of Athlone Historical populationYearPop 18217 543 183111 406 51 2 18416 393 44 0 18516 199 3 0 18615 902 4 8 18716 565 11 2 18816 755 2 9 18916 742 0 2 19016 617 1 9 19117 472 12 9 19267 540 0 9 19367 257 3 8 19468 379 15 5 19519 015 7 6 195610 369 15 0 196110 767 3 8 196610 987 2 0 197111 611 5 7 198114 426 24 2 198615 571 7 9 199115 358 1 4 199615 544 1 2 200215 936 2 5 200617 544 10 1 201120 153 14 9 201621 349 5 9 5 6 7 8 9 Athlone Castle situated on the western bank of the River Shannon is the geographical and historical centre of Athlone Throughout its early history the ford of Athlone was strategically important as south of Athlone the Shannon is impassable until Clonmacnoise where the Esker Riada meets the Shannon while to the north the Shannon flows into Lough Ree In 1001 Brian Boru sailed his army up river from Kincora and through Lough Derg to attend a gathering in 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 A bridge was built across the river in the 12th century approximately 100 metres 330 ft south of the current structure In 1129 to protect the bridge the High King Turloch Mor o Conor constructed a fort on the river s west bank within Athlone On a number of occasions both the fort and bridge were subject to attacks and towards the end of the 12th century the Anglo Normans constructed a motte and bailey fortification there This earthen fort was followed by a stone structure built in 1210 by Justiciar John de Gray The 12 sided donjon or tower dates from this time however the rest of the original castle was largely destroyed during the 1691 Siege of Athlone and subsequently rebuilt and enlarged Throughout the wars that wracked Ireland in the 17th century Athlone contained the vital main bridge over the River Shannon into Connacht During the Irish Confederate Wars 1641 53 the town was held by Irish Confederate troops until it was taken in late 1650 by Charles Coote who attacked the town from the west having crossed into Connacht at Sligo Forty years later during the pan European War of the Grand Alliance 1688 97 the town was again of key strategic importance In the Irish phase of the conflict the Williamite War in Ireland of 1688 1691 Athlone was one of the Jacobite strongholds that defended the river crossings into the Jacobite held Province of Connacht following the Battle of the Boyne on 1 July 1690 That same year Colonel Richard Grace s Jacobite forces in Athlone repelled an attack by 10 000 men led by Commander Douglas In the following year s campaign the Siege of Athlone saw a further assault by a larger allied force during which the invading troops of King William and Queen Mary eventually overran the entire city The defenders were forced to flee further west toward the River Suck at such speed that eyewitness accounts record that they flung their cannons into the morass as they fled 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 The account was penned by the victorious commanding officer from the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands general lieutenant Godard van Reede in letters written to his family in mainland Europe 10 In the account the commanding allied officer reported that half of Athlone s defenders retreated westward towards the rest of their army leaving almost 2 000 dead within the city walls and more than 100 taken prisoner including dozens of officers Athlone was represented by a two seat constituency in the Irish House of Commons prior to 1801 and by a one seat constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons from 1801 to 1885 In the 1970s the Republican Eire Nua programme proposed making Athlone the capital of a federal United Ireland 11 Athlone Castle Church of Saints Peter and Paul and the River ShannonLocation and access Edit St Mary s Roman Catholic Church Athlone With the two counties divided by the river the part of the town that lies east of the Shannon is in the province of Leinster the county of Westmeath the barony of Brawny and the civil parish of St Mary s 12 Unusually the barony is coterminous with a single civil parish In terms of ecclesiastical boundaries the eastern part of the town is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise and the parish of St Mary s 13 There are several other churches in the town including a Church of Ireland St Mary s Anglican the St Peter and St Pauls a Franciscan friary and a chapel of the Society of Saint Pius X Church of Saints Peter and Paul Athlone However seven townlands or sections of the town lie west of the Shannon Athlone and Big Meadow Bellaugh Bogganfin Canal and Banks Doovoge part of Monksland and Ranelagh Although surrounded by County Roscommon in the province of Connacht they are designated as part of County Westmeath to preserve the integrity of the town These townlands lie in St Peter s civil parish in the barony of Athlone South 14 In terms of ecclesiastical boundaries the townlands west of the Shannon are part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Elphin and the parish of Saints Peter and Paul 15 River Edit Pleasure cruisers exiting the Athlone canal by the weir on the Shannon June 2013 Athlone is a popular stop for pleasure craft along the River Shannon Lough Ree the largest lake on the Shannon is a short distance upstream from Athlone and many boat companies are based out of the town 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 The lock weir and bridge were all constructed by the Shannon navigation commissioners in the 1840s Before then boats used a canal about a mile and a half long to the west of the river The canal was built by Thomas Omer for the Commissioners of Inland Navigation 16 Work started in 1757 and involved the work of over 300 men Omer built a single lock 120 X 19 with a rise of 4 5 but there was also a guard lock further upstream with a single set of gates to protect the canal against floods There were also two lay bys or harbours one above the lock and another at the upstream end The old canal is no longer navigable Rail Edit Athlone railway station opened on 3 October 1859 17 with Irish Rail services travelling eastwards to Portarlington Kildare and Dublin Heuston and westwards to the Westport Ballina lines as well as to Athenry Oranmore and Galway Connections from Athlone via a train transfer at Athenry railway station extend to Ennis and Limerick while a transfer at Portarlington connects Limerick Junction and Limerick There are trains from Portarlington to Mallow and from Mallow to Cork Killarney Farranfore and Tralee Travel between Athlone and Killdare enables connections to Carlow Kilkenny and Waterford Bus Edit For 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 The company cited continuing losses resulting from the severe impact of the COVID 19 pandemic as the reason 18 Bus Eireann services between Dublin and Belfast Cork and Limerick were also cut following a viability review of 18 routes in September 2020 18 It was noted that from July 2021 onwards bus journeys between Athlone and Galway Ballinasloe Moate Dublin city or Dublin airport would be operated by private companies only with passengers being dropped off or picked up at the Arcadia Retail Park and Athlone Institute of Technology rather than the bus station Such private bus companies that stop in Athlone include Citylink and a new Aircoach bus route Galway Athlone Dublin which was established soon after Bus Eireann s decision to cope with the demand 18 There are also services to Limerick Dundalk Waterford Cavan Belfast Longford and Roscommon The town is also home to a number of privately operated services including the Flagline bus company which operates local bus routes as well as service to Tullamore Bus Eireann continues to operate a local Athlone bus service in and around the town The local services are as follows Route A1 Bus Station Willow Park Norwood Court via Golden Island Shopping Centre Dublin Road and Athlone Institute of Technology and Route A2 Monksland River Village Garrycastle Moydrum Road via Galway Road St Peter s Avenue Saint Anne s Terrace the Batteries Connaught Street Northgate Street Bus Station Golden Island Shopping Centre Dublin Road and Athlone Institute of Technology Road Edit The town is located alongside the N6 dual carriageway which is effectively a section of the M6 motorway connecting Galway to Dublin The N6 passes along the northern side of the town crossing the River Shannon into County Roscommon A number of national secondary roads connect Athlone with other towns and regions namely the N55 to Ballymahon and Cavan the N61 to Roscommon and the N62 to Birr Roscrea and Southern Ireland Culture EditTheatres in Athlone include the Dean Crowe Theatre amp Arts Centre and the Little Theatre RTE All Ireland Drama Festival takes place annually in Athlone bringing together nine amateur drama groups from across Ireland The festival is supported by an active fringe which involves street theatre art exhibitions workshops and events for young people 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 Count John McCormack was born in Athlone and for many years an annual festival held in the town has celebrated this world renowned tenor Athlone School of Music opened in 2005 and is a grant aided project aimed at developing music education and services in the Midlands region Abbey Road Artists Studios launched in 2011 in a unique building constructed in 1841 The studios offer a dedicated space in Athlone for local and visiting artists The artists studios consist of four individual artists studios as well as a large multi purpose upstairs space suitable for a variety of community cultural events including exhibitions performances workshops and seminars 19 The Abbey Road artists studios work closely with the Luan Art Gallery 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 20 21 Literature EditAmerican crime writer James M Cain refers to Athlone in his 1937 book Serenade in a passage where two characters discuss tenor John McCormack There s the language he was born to John McCormack comes from Dublin He does not He comes from Athlone Didn t he live in Dublin No Matter They speak a fine brogue in Athlone almost as fine as in Belfast It s a fine brogue but it s not brogue It s the English language as it was spoken before all the other countries of the world forgot how to speak it There are two things a singer can t buy beg or steal and that no teacher coach or conductor can give him One is his voice the other is the language that was born in his mouth When McCormack was singing Handel he was singing English and he sings it as no American and no Englishman will ever sing English 22 The Irish poet Aubrey Thomas de Vere wrote a poem The Ballad of Athlone which is an account of an incident in the 1691 siege 23 24 Tourism and amenities EditThe 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 Athlone is a major retail destination within the Midlands region of Ireland The town centre extends from Church Street in the west to Sean Costello Street in the east Located centrally is the Athlone Town Centre a shopping centre built in 2007 containing 54 shops cafes and a four star hotel 25 26 The Golden Island Shopping Centre 27 which opened in 1997 is also located in the town centre Golden Island Shopping Centre opened 1997 View looking west from the town centre Athlone has a number of hotels including chains such the Radisson Blu and Sheraton hotels as well as a number of locally owned ones St Mary s Church Of Ireland Athlone Athlone Regional Sports Centre developed by the former Town Council in 2002 is located on the outskirts of the town The facility contains a swimming pool gym and AstroTurf pitches Burgess Park stands near the centre of the town on the banks of the River Shannon Sean s Bar located on the west bank of the river is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest pub in Ireland 28 Athlone Castle is open to the public as a museum The Luan Gallery was opened in 2012 It is the first purpose built modern visual art gallery in the Midlands It was designed by Keith Williams who also designed the Athlone Town Civic Centre The gallery was opened by Jimmy Deenihan the Minister for Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht The Luan Gallery opened with an exhibition from the Irish Museum of Modern Art featuring the work of several national and international artists 29 30 Other attractions include the Glendeer Open Farm and the Viking Cruise of the Shannon Baysports a boat training and watersports centre with the world s largest floating inflatable water slide is located a ten minute drive from the town There is a tourist office on Church Street There are many fine golf courses within easy reach of Athlone including Athlone Golf Club Glasson Golf amp Country Club and Mount Temple Golf Club Greenway Edit Bridge on the greenway Main article Athlone to Mullingar CyclewayThe Old Rail Trail greenway runs for 42 kilometres from Athlone to Mullingar along the disused Athlone Mullingar Railway 31 32 It will eventually form part of the Dublin Galway Greenway A new cycle and pedestrian bridge over the River Shannon is planned to be built beside the Luan Gallery 33 Education and industry Edit Athlone on the Shannon Athlone s major employers include Alkermes a pharmaceutical company that succeeded Elan in Athlone Bioclin Laboratories another pharmaceutical company Ericsson a telecommunications business Tyco Healthcare a medical equipment supplier Utah Medical another medical equipment supplier Pharmaplaz another pharmaceutical company Alienware a computer hardware business ICT Eurotel a contact centre and Athlone Extrusions a polymer supplier Athlone is the regional centre for a large number of state run and semi state run organisations The Department of Education State Examinations Commission Revenue Commissioners FAS Midlands Region Bus Eireann Iarnrod Eireann IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland all have bases in the town Athlone is also 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 The Athlone Institute of Technology AIT is a constituent institute of the Technological University of the Shannon Midlands Midwest TUS 34 35 Athlone forms part of the Midlands Gateway an in progress infrastructure initiative along with Mullingar and Tullamore The AIT has a campus size of 44 acres and has new purpose built facilities include the Hospitality Tourism and Leisure Studies building built in 2003 the Nursing and Health Science building built in 2005 the Midlands Innovation and Research Centre also built in 2005 the Engineering and Informatics building built in 2010 and the Postgraduate Research Hub also built in 2010 36 RTE s Midlands studio and office are located at AIT 37 The Athlone Institute of Technology has memorandum of understanding with the Rio de Janeiro State University one of the largest universities in the Brazilian city 38 AIT also has agreements with the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais one of the largest Brazilian private universities 39 The institute also founded agreements with two leading Beijing universities the Capital University of Economics and Business and the Beijing Union University 40 41 The agreements were signed by the Chinese Ambassador to Ireland and university representatives 41 Other agreements exist between the AIT and TVTC in Saudi Arabia and a memorandum of understanding exists with the Georgia Institute of Technology 42 43 Further agreements exist with the Bharati Vidyapeeth one of the largest universities in India 44 There are four major secondary schools in the Athlone area the Athlone Community College a coeducational school Our Lady s Bower School a girls school Marist College a boys school Colaiste Chiarain the new secondary school resulting from the amalgamation of St Aloysius College and St Joseph s College Summerhill In June 2010 Taoiseach Brian Cowen announced his support of a proposed European and Chinese training hub in Athlone 45 In May 2012 the project was granted permission by An Bord Pleanala It was planned to comprise a total of nine exhibition halls nine smaller independent exhibition buildings one temporary exhibition space several offices administrative services some living quarters hotels shops restaurants pubs a school and railway station 46 It was never built 47 Broadcasting Edit Athlone Town Centre shopping centre Between 1931 and 1975 the main radio transmission centre for Irish radio was located at Moydrum Athlone 53 25 14 N 7 52 52 W 53 42056 N 7 88111 W 53 42056 7 88111 The original call sign was 2RN a wordplay on the song Come back to Erin The station subsequently became known as Radio Athlone and could clearly be heard throughout Europe and as far away as Moscow This changed as bandwidth allocations were accorded at the Helsinki Declaration The station originally operated at a power of 60 kW which during the 1950s was increased to 100 kW For an antenna a T antenna was and is still used which spins between two 100 metre tall guyed masts with square cross sections and which are insulated against ground Many old radio sets in Europe had the Athlone dial position marked near the end of their tuning scales In the late 1970s the station reopened on a new dial position of 612 kHz for Radio 2 later known as RTE 2fm Moydrum was also the location of Ireland s short lived Shortwave international radio service which was closed down in 1948 due to lack of money Today RTE s Midlands studios are located in Athlone at St Mary s Square The local radio station is Midlands 103 Many also tune into the Shannonside station 48 A radio station i102 104FM was launched in 2008 geared to the 15 34 age group of the Midlands and Northeast 49 50 The Athlone Community Taskforce and several members of the Roscommon community radio station RosFM have begun broadcasting from the Athlone area under the banner of Athlone Community Radio Their first broadcast was on 15 March 2008 and the broadcasts were originally set to run every Saturday and Sunday for the following 15 weeks until their temporary licence expired They received a 10 year licence on 14 January 2011 from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and they currently broadcast on the frequency of 88 4 FM 51 52 Print EditLocal newspapers include the Westmeath Independent located on Sean Costello Street which was established in 1846 and the Athlone Topic Sport Edit The Athlone IT International Arena in Athlone In addition to being home to the Athlone Regional Sports Centre the town has a variety of sporting organisations Namely there is the Athlone Town Football Club who play their home games at Athlone Town Stadium in Lissywollen an arena with a 5 000 person capacity The Athlone Town Football Club won the League of Ireland Championship in 1981 and 1983 as well as the FAI Cup in 1924 The team also qualified for the 1975 76 UEFA Cup where they played 0 0 against AC Milan The newly opened ten million Euro Athlone IT International Arena is now Ireland s first world class indoor athletics arena boasting a floor space of nearly 10 000 square metres 53 54 The arena was opened by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and has been admired by sporting legends such as Sonia O Sullivan It has also hailed by Senator Eamonn Coghlan as the best news story in Irish athletics history 55 The stadium hosts the annual AIT Grand Prix event broadcast by TG4 on the Island of Ireland and internationally via Vinco and Runnerspace Athlone hosted the European Triathlon Championships in 2010 when approximately 5 000 athletes participated in the event Alistair Brownlee of Great Britain won the event Two years later he won a gold medal in the triathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London Athlone is home to several Gaelic football teams including Tubberclair GAA Garrycastle GAA and Athlone GAA with St Brigids Roscommon GAA and Clann na nGael GAA being located outside Athlone itself Garrycastle GAA qualified for the 2012 All Ireland Senior Club Football Championship for the first time in the club s history by beating Connacht Champions St Brigids GAA in an all Athlone semi final Garrycastle eventually lost the final to Crossmaglen Rangers in a replay of the final the first match having ended in a draw by a scoreline of 1 12 to 0 15 Athlone is also home to Buccaneers RFC whose club s grounds are at Dubarry Park Dubarry Park with a 10 000 person capacity is also home to the Connacht Eagles 56 the team that represents Connacht in the British and Irish Cup 57 and in the All Ireland Inter provincial Championship The European Capital of Sport awarded Athlone the title of European Town of Sport for 2013 58 IRA Memorial AthlonePeople EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Athlone news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Earls of Athlone Pat Barlow 1914 1986 professional footballer Robbie Benson b 1992 professional footballer 59 Paul Brock b 1989 accordionist John Broderick 1924 1989 Irish novelist 60 James J Browne former president of the National University of Ireland Galway 2008 2018 Jack Carty b 1992 Connaught and Ireland rugby union player Michael Joseph Curley 1879 1947 Catholic Archbishop and educationalist Stephen Donohoe b 1984 jockey and sailor Thomas Duffy 1806 1868 recipient of the Victoria Cross Lisa Dwan b 1977 actress Jimmy Elliott 1838 1883 Irish American world heavyweight boxing champion from 1865 to 1868 Thomas Flynn 1842 1892 an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross John Ellard Gore 1845 1910 astronomer one of the founding members of British Astronomical Association Robbie Henshaw b 1993 Irish rugby union player 61 Henry Kelly b 1946 journalist and television presenter born in Athlone Ralph Kenna b 1964 physicist born in Athlone Declan Lynch b 1961 novelist and playwright David Madigan b 1962 statistician John McCormack 1884 1945 tenor Nicky McFadden 1962 2014 Teachta Dala Sean McLoughlin b 1990 YouTube game commentator known by the name of Jacksepticeye Stefan Molyneux b 1966 far right podcaster and YouTuber T P O Connor 1848 1929 journalist and Member of Parliament Caroline O Donnell b 1974 architect and author Mary O Rourke b 1937 a politician of various ministry roles and an author Feargal O Rourke b 1964 accountant and taxation pioneer Richard Rothwell 1800 1868 a nineteenth century Irish portrait and genre painter Marcus Seoige b 1976 actor Brendan Shine b 1947 folk country singer George Thomas Stokes 1843 1898 ecclesiastical historian Sister cities Edit Athlone Victoria AustraliaTwin towns EditChateaubriant FranceSee also EditAthlone Pursuivant Corlea Trackway List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland List of market houses in the Republic of Ireland Midland Railway Action GroupNotes and references Edit a b Sapmap Area Settlements Athlone Census 2016 Central Statistics Office Ireland Archived from the original on 30 July 2017 Retrieved 7 July 2020 P W Joyce Local historians describe it as The Ford of the Moon Archived from the original on 9 May 2005 Athlone West Unban Archived 17 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine LED Frequently Asked Questions Archived 28 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Ordnance Survey Ireland Retrieved 30 January 2012 Census for post 1821 figures Archived 20 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine Cso ie Archived copy Archived from the original on 7 May 2016 Retrieved 18 February 2012 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link NISRA Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency c 2013 Archived 17 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Nisranew nisra gov uk 27 September 2010 Lee JJ 1981 On the accuracy of the Pre famine Irish censuses In Goldstrom J M Clarkson L A eds Irish Population Economy and Society Essays in Honour of the Late K H Connell Oxford England Clarendon Press Mokyr Joel O Grada Cormac November 1984 New Developments in Irish Population History 1700 1850 The Economic History Review 37 4 473 488 doi 10 1111 j 1468 0289 1984 tb00344 x hdl 10197 1406 Archived from the original on 4 December 2012 5 Jul 1691 From the Army Camp at Athloon sic letter from Godard van Reede general lieutenant of their majesties of England combined forces at land and at sea in Ireland 1690 1691 to his father a multimedia webcast of a live broadcast by Ballinasloe Community Radio 102 8 FM 10 July 2004 Archived from the original on 12 March 2012 Fagan Jack 29 June 1972 Sinn Fein Kevin Street Plan for New Ireland The Irish Times pp 1 7 Placenames Database of Ireland permanent dead link Barony of Brawny Official website of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Archived 14 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine St Mary s parish Placenames Database of Ireland Barony of Athlone South Roman Catholic Diocese of Elphin Archived 9 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine parish of Saints Peter and Paul Ruth Delany The Shannon Navigation Lilliput Press Dublin 2008 www railbrit co uk PDF Archived PDF from the original on 13 August 2012 Retrieved 13 August 2012 a b c Cusack Adrian 26 July 2021 Bus Eireann to end its Athlone services to Dublin and Galway this week Westmeath Independent Retrieved 11 May 2022 Abbey Road Artist s Studios Exhibition Space Athlone Art and Heritage Ltd Archived 2 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine Athloneartandheritage ie IWAI Chronology Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Iwai ie Michael Scott architect in casual conversation with Dorothy Walker Michael Scott Dorothy Walker The Ritz Cinema one of the finest provincial cinemas in the country is located in a historic spot between the old and the new bridges in Athlone s very centre To build a cinema in this particular position was a problem particularly on account of its proximity to the Shannon The building had to be constructed on the filled in bank of the river and it was therefore essential that the structure though as light as possible should be extremely strong and safe James M Cain 9 September 2010 1937 6 Serenade Orion ISBN 978 1 4091 3240 0 The Ballad of Athlone Ask About Ireland Archived from the original on 21 October 2016 Retrieved 1 March 2017 An Irishman s Diary The Irish Times Archived from the original on 2 March 2017 Retrieved 1 March 2017 Sheraton Athlone Hotel Marriott International Archived from the original on 16 August 2018 Retrieved 31 October 2018 Athlone Towncentre Stylish shopping in the heart of Ireland Athlone Towncentre Shopping Centre Archived from the original on 5 April 2015 Retrieved 7 May 2015 Golden Island Shopping Centre Archived from the original on 30 April 2009 Retrieved 15 June 2009 Flatley Helen 5 March 2019 This Irish Bar Holds the Record as the World s Oldest Pub Take a Look Inside The Vintage News Archived from the original on 9 June 2020 Retrieved 4 June 2020 Kelly Tom 28 November 2012 Athlone s new 3 4m art gallery to open tomorrow Westmeath Independent Archived from the original on 7 April 2016 Luan Gallery www athloneartandheritage ie Athlone Art and Heritage Ltd Archived from the original on 1 December 2012 42km of Brilliant Biking Westmeath County Council WCC Our Services Daly Maria 9 October 2014 Council confirm plans for new towncentre bridge as part of cycleway Athlone Advertiser Archived from the original on 14 October 2014 Retrieved 9 October 2014 Home AIT LIT Consortium Archived from the original on 5 May 2021 Retrieved 5 May 2021 Kelly Palenque Brendan 5 May 2021 Limerick IT and Athlone IT to merge to form new technological university Independent ie Archived from the original on 5 May 2021 Retrieved 5 May 2021 Campus Developments Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Athlone Institute of Technology 2012 press releases RTA midlands office to be re located to AIT Press release Athlone Institute of Technology 21 September 2012 Archived from the original on 6 March 2016 Retrieved 8 June 2020 2012 press releases AIT Signs MoU with Rio de Janeiro State University Press release Athlone Institute of Technology 16 October 2012 Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 8 June 2020 2011 press releases AIT Signs Agreement with Brazilian University Press release Athlone Institute of Technology 20 November 2011 Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 8 June 2020 2010 press releases Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Athlone Institute of Technology 30 March 2010 a b 2010 press releases Archived 6 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Athlone Institute of Technology 12 May 2010 2010 press releases Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Athlone Institute of Technology 1 March 2010 2009 press releases Archived 4 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine Athlone Institute of Technology 21 January 2009 2009 press releases Archived 4 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine Athlone Institute of Technology 25 August 2009 Euro China trading hub in Athlone proposed Inside Ireland Archived from the original on 26 November 2010 175m Asian trade hub in Athlone would create up to 1 500 jobs RTE News 1 May 2012 Archived from the original on 2 May 2012 Retrieved 2 May 2012 Whatever happened to A massive Chinese business centre in Westmeath Fora ie Archived from the original on 5 May 2021 Retrieved 5 May 2021 Shannonside Home Shannonside FM Archived from the original on 6 November 2014 Siggins Lorna 8 February 2008 Digital radio receives an old fashioned launch treatment The Irish Times Retrieved 27 April 2020 subscription required BCI signs contract with iRadio for new north west regional youth service Broadcasting Commission of Ireland 7 January 2008 Archived from the original on 28 September 2008 Retrieved 27 April 2020 BCI Licensing Radio Successful applicants for Temporary services Broadcasting Commission of Ireland Archived from the original on 2 April 2010 about us Athlone Community Radio Archived from the original on 15 July 2015 Retrieved 29 June 2015 Athletics Athlone IT unveil 10m indoor field of dreams Independent ie 25 January 2013 2013 press releases Archived 4 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine Athlone Institute of Technology 15 February 2013 2013 press releases Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Athlone Institute of Technology 23 January 2013 Dubarry Park announced as the home of the Connacht Eagles Connacht Rugby Website Connachtrugby ie 11 October 2012 B amp I Cup set to arrive in Connacht Connacht Rugby Website Connachtrugby ie 11 May 2012 Athlone chosen as a European Town of Sport Archived 7 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine Westmeath Independent 11 September 2012 Robbie Benson awarded FAI International Schools accolade FAI Schools 8 February 2011 Archived from the original on 27 September 2016 Retrieved 30 August 2016 John Broderick Athlone Architectural Heritage Group Archived from the original on 7 July 2011 Tackling things together Robbie Henshaw and dad Tony Irish Independent 17 August 2015 Retrieved 5 November 2015 External links Edit Media related to Athlone at Wikimedia Commons Athlone travel guide from Wikivoyage Athlone ie Official Town Portal Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Athlone amp oldid 1149365347, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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