Athenry Castle

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Athenry Castle Welcome to the official page for Athenry Castle, an OPW managed heritage site. The oldest part of the castle is the hall-keep.

Athenry is one of the most notable medieval walled towns surviving in Ireland, owing its foundation to Meiler de Bermingham who built his castle there c.1250. It is a large rectangular building originally containing only a hall at first-floor level and dark storerooms at ground level. For extra strength the lower part of the wall slopes out to form what is called a batter. The only original entrance was at first-floor level and would have been reached by an external wooden stairs similar to the present reconstruction. This gave direct access to the hall, the official and ceremonial reception room of the castle, where the lord received guests and tenants and presided over the manor court. Heat was probably provided originally by a brazier in the centre of the hall, with the smoke exiting through a louver or opening in the roof directly above. The garderobe or toilet is located diagonally across from the main entrance to the hall. The fine carving on the exterior of the doorway and on the inner side of two of the window openings bears witness to the importance of the hall. The capitals in both cases are carved with floral motifs in local style, known as the "School of the West", transitional between Romanesque and Gothic. Dating from the late 12th and early 13th centuries, this style can be found at the abbeys of Cong, Ballintubber and Boyle. The battlements are original 13th century work with tall arrow loops or slits in the solid sections or merlons. In the 15th century, these parapets were incorporated into steeply pitched gables at the north and south ends, for a new roof at this level. Parts of the original enclosure wall of the castle survive. Access to ground floor of castle for visitors with disabilities

***Athenry Castle Halloween Art Competition 2026*** Happy and Scary Halloween from Athenry Castle. We are delighted to a...
12/10/2026

***Athenry Castle Halloween Art Competition 2026***
Happy and Scary Halloween from Athenry Castle. We are delighted to announce the details of our annual Halloween competition for 2026. There are brilliant board game prizes for various ages.
Skelly, the castle tour guide usually rattles around in the castle basement. On special scary occasions such as Halloween, he will happily cook up a magic potent in his cauldron in the Great Hall. His wife Pumpkin can be seen using her broom to sweep the castle and for flying to the shops for her magic ingredients.
Casper and Arachno, the castle twins invite all national schoolchildren to enter the Athenry Castle free drawing competition.
Please read the poster below for details and feel free to print off the black and white sketches in this post to use for your drawing.
We ask all entries to be into us by 4pm on Friday 23rd October 2026 so the winners can enjoy their prizes over the holiday period.
You can email to [email protected] or you can also pop in with your entry to the castle reception.

Athenry Historical Network Athenry News & Views Athenry Castle Galway Archaeological and Historical Society The Athenry Experience
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12/10/2026

We were delighted to welcome Sinéad Murphy to Athenry Castle to perform the 'Fields of Athenry' within the castle.
Sinéad is an Irish singer-songwriter hailing from Athenry, Co. Galway. After honing her craft at the Cork School of Music with a specialization in vocals and songwriting, she returned to the West of Ireland, becoming a staple of the local live music scene across Galway's top pubs and hotels. Currently gearing up for the release of her debut album in early 2027, Sinéad has already rolled out two standalone singles available across all major streaming platforms.

***FREE Wednesday***Wednesday 7th October has free admission to Athenry Castle and other selected office of Public Works...
05/10/2026

***FREE Wednesday***
Wednesday 7th October has free admission to Athenry Castle and other selected office of Public Works (OPW) sites. Check https://heritageireland.ie/ for details of all participating sites. Athenry being one of the best preserved medieval towns in Ireland is the perfect town to investigate our medieval past.
Sing the famous song in the castle or on the grounds. See the various wonderful renditions https://www.facebook.com/athenrycastle/reels/

There is ample parking and restaurants just a stroll away from the castle. We have the key for the Dominican Priory at reception for €€10.00 refundable deposit.

Galway Tour Company ATU Galway City Galway Archaeological and Historical Society Athenry Historical Network Athenry News & Views The Tuam Herald

****Athenry Castle for students****The heritage sites of Ireland are the perfect classroom for all students and teaches ...
05/09/2026

****Athenry Castle for students****
The heritage sites of Ireland are the perfect classroom for all students and teaches to immerse in the amazing history of Ireland.
National and secondary schools have FREE admission to Athenry Castle and other Office of Public (OPW) heritage sites. All students can avail of an annual card that gives access to all Heritage Ireland sites for €10.00.
The County Galway Castles of Athenry, Aughnanure and Portumna castles are the ideal field trips for history and heritage study.
Tours can be pre-booked by phone or email and our friendly and knowledgeable guides will be delighted to talk you and your class through 800 years of Irish history.
And the first Wednesday of every month has FREE admission to these three castles and other selected OPW sites so please check https://heritageireland.ie/ for all details of participating sites.

Galway Tour Company Galway Archaeological and Historical Society The Old Tuam Society The Tuam Herald The School of Irish Archaeology



Photos: Rodger Waters
Print: Courtesy Scott Hartney of Scott Hartney Art

****FREE Wednesday****Wednesday the 2nt September has free admission to Athenry Castle and other Office of Public (OPW) ...
31/08/2026

****FREE Wednesday****
Wednesday the 2nt September has free admission to Athenry Castle and other Office of Public (OPW) sites.
Please check https://heritageireland.ie/ for detail of all participating sites.
Athenry being one of the best preserved medieval towns in Ireland is well worth a visit when in the area. The town is just a few minutes off the M6 motorway and 30 km east of Galway City.
With ample parking and restaurants its the perfect place to relax while investigation its stunning medieval history.
At the castle reception we have the key of the Dominican Priory available for a small refundable deposit.

Galway Tour Company Galway Archaeological and Historical Society The Old Tuam Society Athenry Tourism ATHENRY AS WAS Athenry Historical Network

Walled Towns Day was an amazing day in Athenry and superbly organised by Galway Co. Council Heritage and Athenry Heritag...
20/08/2026

Walled Towns Day was an amazing day in Athenry and superbly organised by Galway Co. Council Heritage and Athenry Heritage Centre. The staff at Athenry Castle was delighted to welcome visiting medieval Reenactors from Canada and Cork who entertained the crowds with incredible realistic medieval fighting.


Photos and video: Rodger Waters

ATHENRY AS WAS Athenry Historical Network Medieval Irish Heritage Medieval Life and Combat Studies 1316 - Medieval Fight Club Knights of Munster

*Dominican Priory Athenry-Free Tour Sunday 16th August 12pm*Sunday August 16th there is a free tour of The Dominican Pri...
15/08/2026

*Dominican Priory Athenry-Free Tour Sunday 16th August 12pm*
Sunday August 16th there is a free tour of The Dominican Priory Athenry. We recently commemorated the 800th anniversary of the Dominican Order arrival in Ireland. The tour will point out the various old and not so old monuments and carvings. Monuments that have not been restored display all the various original features as they were. This tour will discuss how the Anglo-Normans and native Irish contributed to the building of the priory.

Galway Tour Company Galway Archaeological and Historical Society Galway County Heritage Office Irish Dominicans The Old Tuam Society

***FREE EVENT*** at Athenry Castle - Saturday 15th AugustWe are having various events within the castle including the an...
13/08/2026

***FREE EVENT*** at Athenry Castle - Saturday 15th August
We are having various events within the castle including the annual
'have a go' archery.
We are also delighted to have Sinéad Murphy performing within the castle grounds.
Sinéad is an Irish singer-songwriter hailing from Athenry, Co. Galway. After honing her craft at the Cork School of Music with a specialization in vocals and songwriting, she returned to the West of Ireland, becoming a staple of the local live music scene across Galway's top pubs and hotels. Currently gearing up for the release of her debut album in early 2027, Sinéad has already rolled out two standalone singles available across all major streaming platforms.
ATHENRY AS WAS Athenry Historical Network Athenry News & Views Athenry Tourism Galway Tour Company Galway Archaeological and Historical Society Galway Archers The Old Tuam Society

***Throwback Thursday***We really love getting these older pre-restoration photos as they are part of life in Athenry ov...
06/08/2026

***Throwback Thursday***
We really love getting these older pre-restoration photos as they are part of life in Athenry over the decades. These are amazing, particularly the one featuring the children. One of them was quite a mountaineer in climbing up to the recessed window on the first floor. In the various castle in the region, Portumna, Aughnanure and Roscommon castles we get people, usually guys who used these ruins as a playground and climbed every wall.
There is a FREE event at Athenry Castle on Saturday August 15th and the following day is Walled Towns Day which takes place in the park adjacent to the castle.
Medieval Irish Heritage ATHENRY AS WAS Athenry Historical Network Galway Tour Company Galway Archaeological and Historical Society Galway County Heritage Office


Photos: Gerry Ahern

FREE WEDNESDAY at Athenry Castle Wednesday the 5th of August has free admission at Athenry Castle and other selected Off...
03/08/2026

FREE WEDNESDAY at Athenry Castle

Wednesday the 5th of August has free admission at Athenry Castle and other selected Office of Public Works (OPW) sites.
Check out https://heritageireland.ie/ for details of all participating sites.
On Saturday the 15th August we host Paul Burke who has represented Ireland at archery and visitors can learn about medieval archery and 'have a go' archery themselves. the castle will have other events onsite and this Saturday has FREE ADMISSION.
Keep an eye on our page for information on all upcoming events and do check out the various wonderful renditions of 'The Fields of Athenry' at https://www.facebook.com/athenrycastle/reels/

ATHENRY AS WAS Athenry Historical Network Galway Tour Company The Old Tuam Society

Address

Athenry
GALWAY

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 6pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 6pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 6pm
Thursday 9:30am - 6pm
Friday 9:30am - 6pm
Saturday 9:30am - 6pm
Sunday 9:30am - 6pm

Telephone

+35391844797

Website

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