Athlone, Ireland Hotels, Vacations, Tourism

The Hill of Uisneach may be the traditional centre of Ireland, but the busy, thriving town of ATHLONE is a more convincing modern contender. Here, east meets west and north meets south at the midpoint of the River Shannon. This position is its greatest asset, with access by boat upstream to the islands and shores of Lough Ree , and downstream to the magnificent early Christian site of Clonmacnois . Not surprisingly, perhaps, given its position, Athlone has quite an interesting history attached, and at least one important legend. The name Áth Luain , the "Ford of Luan", came from (or may perhaps have … more »