Athenry Castle

Beautiful restored ruins of a classic tower house with surrounding wall and yard. In the middle of Athenry, parking is very limited on busy days, but staff are super helpful and kind. Amazing piece of history, well worth the visit.

Beautifully restored and very grand in comparison with some local castles, fairly plain on the first couple of levels but the beautifully restored roof is a credit to the restoration team, a great history attached to the building , with walled outer surround, a few other local places of interest all within walking distance 👍😃.

Currently closed to the public, however, it was a lovely walk around the walls taking it all in.

Interesting castle we stopped at while in the area. Cost €5 to go inside and see three levels. The tour guide was great, and they showed a short film about the castle and area if you were interested.

Great bit of history we arrived to the reception and the lady on the desk with the blonde hair couldn’t of been more welcoming we had a long chat about the history of the castle & the local area and its links to Birmingham uk The lady was super knowledgeable about the castle and answered any questions we had The castle its self had been restored beautifully The only down side the short film wasn’t working on are visit but we still got all the information

A glimpse into history, a self-guided tour, a short film about this castle. many information booklets. The staff were informative and friendly. The old cemetery is about a block down the road, the remains of an old chapel. You can walk around the ruins of the building, but you cannot enter.

Friendly and very knowledgeable staff! Recommended many awesome places for our time in Ireland! This castle and town has tons of history and I love how preserved it is. They offer ans audio visual tour which gives a lot of information on the castle/town and the eras it was a major part of

A peek into history with friendly staff, a self guided tour, and stunning picfure opportunities. There is limited parking in front of the castle, otherwise plenty of street parking in the surrounding area. Front desk staff was informative and friendly. The cemetery is about a block down the road with the relics of an old chapel remaining. You can walk all around the building's ruins, but can't go in.

Located about 15 miles east of Galway off the M6, the Athenry Castle dates back to the 13th century. Stone walls, a keep and the restored hall are impressive and a fabulous opportunity to look back into medieval life. Check the doorways and arches and battlements and enjoy the castle's impressive artistry. The structure stands at a ford on the Clareen River. After the castle, walk the grounds. Impeccably maintained and there is free parking. Lots of opportunity for photo ops. The Priory down the street is also impressive. If you stop and listen carefully, maybe you can hear the voices of those who were here before? [Review 1966 of 2024 - 147 in Republic of Ireland - 22988 overall]

I could not get enough of Athenry Castle. I am from Chicago, where we have 150ish years of history. Ireland has thousands of years of history. Athenry Castle brought history classes to life for me. When I talked with locals, they said the castle has always been there for them so they take it for granted. I walked the grounds on more than one occasion and simply could not get enough of this seemingly ancient building with so much history and energy surrounding it. Athenry Castle is worth a stop, not just for the castle, but the town arch and fences which were all part of the original layout. You can also walk the grounds, check out the cemetery and let the kids burn off any energy in the playlot that is right there.

This preserved tower castle is in the historic village of Athenry (Ath-en-ri). Visit, not just for the castle, but for the village as well. There is a tourist map on the street, across from the Priory, showing points of interest in the town. The Castle and town were developed by the Normans in the late 12th century. Much of the Castle structure, floors, attics, are new while still preserving as much of the original construction as possible. The older construction gives a view of how these massive towers were constructed that is surprising. There is a video on the 2nd upper level (3rd floor) giving a history of this tower and town, as well as other sites around Ireland, that is very interesting. There is a gift shop located at the Castle ticket office ground floor, and a craft area above. This building is part of the original structures on site and most of it is open as part of the tour. Restrooms are located in the back. We got a quick overview of the property before taking ourselves on a tour of the properties and walking around town. The market square is just up the road from the Priory, and around the corner from the castle is the old stone 'north' gate. The priory, which you can see from the Castle, was built by the Normans and Irish together and for a brief time was an educational center (University). There are some very grand tombs here, as well as tombs of historical significance. Although the Castle is the main draw, you can easily spend a couple of hours here exploring the ruins and the town. There is a playground across the street from the Priory, and the town Market Square has a number of small restaurants and pubs. A nice family day out.

Great place to go visit! They were awesome showing us around and the history around the castle !

The island of Ireland is steeped with mesmerising medieval castles. Athenry's castle is a splendid example of our heritage. This three story castle was built in 1249 and is surrounded by defensive walls. It was restored in 1990 and and the interior contains an audio visual room which tells the story of the castle. This is a must see when you are in the Medieval town of Athenry. I have visited the castle 3 times and find it is a great place to bring my visiting friends :)

It's a castle and it's old with a fair bit of history. I love it :-)

I think they call this castle style a "keep?" Anyhow, it is quite a different style. It has been completely renovated on the inside so that you can see how it was used in its day. They provide a short movie on its history as well. We had a wonderful time. There's also a playground just outside, so it's a great stop with young children.