Articles tagged ‘Places to Go’
Sean’s Bar, Athlone - Oldest Pub in Ireland
By Seán | August 4th, 2007 |
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There has been a pub awaiting weary travellers at the crossing of the river Shannon for over a thousand years.
But Sean’s Bar in Athlone isn’t just the oldest pub in Ireland. According to the lads at the Guinness Book of World Records, it’s the oldest pub in Europe. Excavations beneath the current pub have [...]
Remember that summer in Dublin?
By Seán | August 2nd, 2007 | Add a Comment »
Heya Niall - hailing from my home in the East Bay - WHASSSSUUUUUP??
Roscommon IRA statue
By Seán | July 25th, 2007 | Add a Comment »
Some time ago I wrote a post on Athlone’s IRA Statue. In my limited experience such a thing is quite rare, certainly at the centre of a major town like Athlone. Well, I was driving north through County Roscommon recently and came across the statue you see there to your left. I simply had to [...]
New Playground in Athlone
By Seán | July 25th, 2007 | Add a Comment »
As many a town centre parent will tell you, there’s not much for young children in the middle of Athlone.
Admittedly, there is a playground at Burgess Park on the southeast bank of the Shannon, but it consists of two slides and some monkey bars - pretty weak. To allow one’s child to swing, one [...]
Drumshanbo
By Seán | July 20th, 2007 | Add a Comment »
I have a good friend with a boat which sometimes functions as his primary residence. The other week he rang me up needing a lift back down to Athlone from a little place called Drumshanbo.
Drumshanbo is mostly known to river and boat folk as it is located where the river Shannon meets Lough Allen, the [...]
Ballyhoura Mountain Biking Park to open next week
By Seán | July 5th, 2007 | Add a Comment »
In February I posted a guide to mountain biking in Ireland wherein I mentioned Ireland’s first purpose-built mountain biking park was slated to open in summer of 2007.
Well, next week the long-awaited Ballyhoura site opens the first of three trails. This first trail is 16km of single-track, gentle climb stuff “not too technical” I was [...]
Athenry Priory
By Seán | July 2nd, 2007 | Add a Comment »
This is one of those grand old ruins you find almost everywhere in Ireland.
Just next to the river in Athenry town, County Galway are these noble old priory ruins. While one can read the plaques or take a tour to discover the priory was founded in 1241 AD for the Dominicans, making it the first [...]
Athlone Agri Show
By Seán | June 26th, 2007 | Add a Comment »
This Sunday I got up early and after we’d attended mass and fed the munchkin, jumped in the aul wagon and headed out to the annual Athlone Agri Show held on the grounds near Moydrum Castle of U2’s Unforgettable Fire fame.
It was my first time at the festival, which is not well-advertised to the tourist [...]
The Nanny Quinn’s
By Seán | June 18th, 2007 | Add a Comment »
One of the major perks of being a musician is the opportunity to travel the country and become acquainted with wonderful places otherwise off the beaten track. One such place is a pub somewhere between Mullingar and Kinnegad called The Nanny Quinn’s.
I was out with Amber Moon on the evening, lending some vocal and bodhran [...]
Athlone Viking Boat Tours
By Seán | June 10th, 2007 | Add a Comment »
Ever ride on an animal-headed viking ship?
It’s one of those things most tourists miss. I don’t mean the vikings - their blonde hair and nordic features blended into the indiginous Irish population centuries ago - I mean spending some time on the river Shannon.
If you’re spending any time at all in Athlone during the warmer [...]
