Experience the best of Athlone

Athlone stands on both banks of the River Shannon at the heart of Ireland, and the town straddles the border between Westmeath, in Leinster, and Roscommon, in Connacht. Athlone Castle, a thirteenth-century Norman fortress above the river, and the weir, lock and old bridges of the Shannon are the centrepieces. The tenor John McCormack was born in the town.

To the north, Lough Ree spreads out for boating and fishing, with islands bearing early monastic ruins. Clonmacnoise, a monastery founded by St Ciarán in the sixth century, with its high crosses and round towers, stands on the Shannon to the south. The Hill of Uisneach, an ancient ritual site, lies to the east, near Mullingar.

Pubs along the river serve Irish stew, seafood chowder and soda bread, and some host live traditional music. Boats cruise the Shannon in summer, and the wet meadows known as the Shannon Callows, south of town, flood each winter and draw whooper swans and other wildfowl.