Athenry Castle is a magnificent fortress built in the heart of the town of the same name. Open to visitors, the château is a veritable treasure trove of medieval architecture, and will delight you with its keep and magnificent reception hall…
Built in 1250 by Sir Meiler de Bermingham, Athenry Castle takes the form of a rectangular tower 3 storeys high, enclosed by an inverted-V roof.
During your visit, you’ll be treated to a small exhibition in the Visitor Center, outlining the history of the castle and the various stages in its construction. Then it’s on to Athenry Castle itself…
The tour begins with a visit to the château’s reception hall, a venue for festivities and ceremonies. In those days, people danced and feasted under the benevolent gaze of the lord… To get there, all you have to do is step outside onto a wooden structure leading directly to the second floor. An imposing carved wooden door guards the entrance to the room, and features magnificent floral carvings and stylized initials…
On entering, the room’s appearance is relatively straightforward: it’s a fairly narrow room with whitewashed walls. There’s a small brazier in the center of the room… The latter was undoubtedly used to warm up the room and the guests… Further up, you can see a narrow window cut into the roof to let out the residual smoke from this heating system… At the other end of the room, you can also discover the toilets of the time… Quite rustic, in fact!
Let’s move on to the oldest room in Athenry Castle: the keep. Grim and gloomy as can be! The dungeon is indeed quite dark and desolate: it’s quite cold, and the few loopholes are a reminder of just how appalling prison conditions were…
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Rates : 2,90€
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