Athlone Castle Visitor Centre

Over het museum

Athlone has been a crossing point on the River Shannon for centuries. A bridge and a timber castle are recorded here in 1129, and in 1210 a stone castle was begun on the site of an earlier Norman mound, on the orders of Bishop John de Gray, an adviser to King John. The first stone building collapsed about a year later.

From 1569 to 1672 the castle was the seat of the Presidency of Connacht. In 1691 it was at the centre of the Great Siege of Athlone during the Williamite wars, when bombardment destroyed the Connaught Tower. Afterwards the castle became part of a military barracks and served as a garrison stronghold for almost three hundred years.

The Old Athlone Society opened a small museum in the castle in 1967. When the army left in 1969, the keep passed to the Office of Public Works and became a national monument. The present visitor centre opened in February 2012 and presents the siege and the early history of the town through exhibitions, a collection display and a historical garden. It is currently closed for a redevelopment that includes a new layout and interpretation.

Hoogtepunten

• Exhibition on the Great Siege of Athlone in 1691
• Figures and stories of the people who lived through the siege
• Early settlement display with an early Christian stone slab
• Highlights from the museum collection
• Castle courtyard and historical garden

Vaste collectie

• The Siege of Athlone – Tells the story of the Williamite wars and the Great Siege of 1691.
• People of the Siege – Introduces some of the people caught up in the siege, including a sculpture of the Jacobite officer Marquis d’Usson.
• Early Settlement – Looks at the first settlers and the Anglo-Norman town around the castle, with an early Christian stone slab on display.

Opgericht

2012

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk: geen informatie
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
• Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

Accessible toilets are in the castle courtyard. Contact the centre for details of step-free access.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations

The museum has a family section with free craft projects, fact sheets and castle stories, and a dress-up area. Children must be supervised at all times.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The town marina on the east bank of the Shannon is a short walk away. The Old Rail Trail Greenway reaches Athlone from Mullingar.

Service & horeca

• Café: niet aanwezig
• Restaurant: niet aanwezig
• Garderobe: niet aanwezig

There is no café at the centre, but cafés and restaurants are close by in the town. There is no bag or luggage storage.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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