Athenry (; ) is a town in
County Galway,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, which lies east of
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...
city. Some of the attractions of the medieval town are its town wall,
Athenry Castle
Athenry Castle is a tower house and National Monument located in Athenry, Ireland.
Location
Athenry Castle is located off Court Lane in the east part of Athenry, on the west bank of the River Clarin. It is sited on a natural rise and defended t ...
, its
priory
A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of ...
and its 13th century street-plan. The town is also well known by virtue of the song "
The Fields of Athenry
"The Fields of Athenry" is a song written in 1979 by Pete St. John in the style of an Irish folk ballad. Set during the Great Famine of the 1840s, the lyrics feature a fictional man from near Athenry in County Galway, who stole food for hi ...
".
History
![Athenry St Mary's Parish Church South Transept 2009 09 17](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Athenry_St_Mary%27s_Parish_Church_South_Transept_2009_09_17.jpg)
Athenry's name derives from the ford ('Áth') crossing the river Clarin just east of the settlement. Though other inaccurate explanations are still given, it was called 'Áth na Ríogh' ('Ford of the Kings') because it was the home area of the Cenél nDéigill, kings of the
Soghain
The Soghain were a people of ancient Ireland. The 17th-century scholar Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh identified them as part of a larger group called the Cruithin. Mac Fhirbhisigh stated that the Cruithin included "the Dál Araidhi ál nAraidi t ...
, whose leading lineage were the Ó Mainnín.
On some medieval maps of English origin the town is called Kingstown.
Originally, Soghain was surrounded by
Uí Maine to the east,
Aidhne
Aidhne (modern Irish: ), also known as Uí Fhiachrach Aidhni, Mag nAidni, later Maigh Aidhne ("Plain (of) Aidhne"), was the territory of the Uí Fhiachrach Aidhni, a túath (tribal kingdom) located in the south of what is now County Galway in ...
to the south, and
Maigh Seola to the west. However, after 1135, and by 1152,
Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair
Toirdhealbhach Mór Ua Conchobhair (old spelling: Tairrdelbach Mór Ua Conchobair; 1088 – 1156) anglicised Turlough Mór O'Conor, was King of Connacht (1106–1156) and High King of Ireland (ca. 1120–1156).
Family background and early life ...
forcibly incorporated it into the newly created
trícha cét
The tríocha céad, also known as trícha cét, meaning "thirty hundreds", was a unit of land-holding in eleventh and twelfth century Ireland.[Clann Taidg
Clann Taidg was the name of a medieval cantred located in what is now County Galway, Ireland.
It consisted of the parishes of Athenry, Monivea, Tiaquin, Kilkerrin, Moylough, Killererin, Ballynakill-Aghiart (in Killian), Kilmoylan, and possibl ...](_blank)
, ruled by lords such as
Fearghal Ó Taidg an Teaghlaigh
Fearghal Ó Taidg an Teaghlaigh, Chief of the Name, Marshal and bodyguard of King Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobair of Connacht and his successor, Aedh, died 1226.
Background
Ó Taidg was a descendant of King Tadg mac Cathal of Connacht (reigne ...
, who expelled the Ó Mainnín family. In the 1230s the Ó Taidg an Teaghlaigh family were in turn displaced by
Meyler de Bermingham
Meyler de Bermingham (d. before 1275) was an Anglo-Irish lord, founder of Athenry.
Ancestry
Meyler was a great-grandson of Robert de Bermingham who is said to have obtained a grant of Offaly from Strongbow or Henry II about 1172. Robert's son ...
.
The earliest remaining building in the town is
Athenry Castle
Athenry Castle is a tower house and National Monument located in Athenry, Ireland.
Location
Athenry Castle is located off Court Lane in the east part of Athenry, on the west bank of the River Clarin. It is sited on a natural rise and defended t ...
which was built sometime before 1240 by
Meyler de Bermingham
Meyler de Bermingham (d. before 1275) was an Anglo-Irish lord, founder of Athenry.
Ancestry
Meyler was a great-grandson of Robert de Bermingham who is said to have obtained a grant of Offaly from Strongbow or Henry II about 1172. Robert's son ...
. In 1241, the
Dominican Priory was founded, and became an important center for learning and teaching. It was ostensibly closed during the
Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...
but survived until being desecrated and burned during the Mac an Iarla wars of the 1560s–80s, and was finally vandalised by Cromwellians in the 1650s. The medieval walls around Athenry are among the most complete and best preserved in Ireland with 70% of original circuit still standing, along with some of the original towers and the original North gate. The remains of the Lorro Gate were partially unearthed in 2007 during the redevelopment of road works in the area.
In the centre of the town is the 'square'; markets were held from the 17th century onwards and where the town's late 15th century '
Market Cross' is still located. The monument which is of
Tabernacle
According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...
or
Lantern type is the only one of its kind in Ireland and the only medieval cross still standing in situ in the country. A Heritage centre now occupies the remains of the mid-13th century St Mary's
Collegiate Church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by ...
adjacent to the town Square. The original medieval church is largely destroyed but in 1828 a
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the secon ...
church was built into its chancel.
![Athenry Shield](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Athenry_Shield.jpg)
In 1791,
Jean Antoine Coquebert de Montbret visited the town, which he described as:
Moyode Castle is another tall 16th-century fortified
tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...
of the Dolphin family, which went to the Persse family. The castle is now restored and inhabited and is located from the town of Athenry.
In 1863, a late
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
shield was found in the vicinity of Athenry, and is now held in the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
's collection.
Economy and transport
Transport
By road, Athenry is served by the
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 and the western end of the A14 at ...
which links Galway city to
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
. By rail, it is served by the
Athenry railway station
Athenry railway station serves the town of Athenry in County Galway.
The station lies on the Dublin to Galway intercity service and Galway to Limerick and Galway to Athenry commuter services.
Passengers for Westport and Ballina travel to ...
, which opened on 1 August 1851 and lies on the Galway–Dublin main line of the
Irish rail network. The town is at the
junction
Junction may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film
* Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film
* Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille
* Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002
* Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...
of the Galway–Dublin line, and the partially complete the
Western Railway Corridor
The Western Railway Corridor is a term, used since , for a partly disused railway line running through the west of Ireland. Currently two sections of the line, from Limerick via Ennis to Athenry and from Collooney to Sligo, see regular servic ...
(
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
–
Sligo).
Industry
In December 2017, funding was announced for a "Food Innovation Hub" in Athenry, projected by its promoters to create 360 jobs within 3 years, and to cost in the region of €3.9m.
Sport
Athenry is home to the
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include t ...
St. Mary Club, who have won numerous
All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Club Championship, is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-coun ...
s.
Athenry Athletics Club has a juvenile and a senior section. The club has produced two
Olympic sprinters, Martina McCarthy and
Paul Hession
Paul Hession (born 27 January 1983 in Galway) is an Irish international track and field athlete who is the fastest Irishman in history over 200 metres. He specialises in the sprinting events, particularly the 200 metres. He has won silver and br ...
. McCarthy represented Ireland in the
women's 4 × 400 metres relay at the
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...
and Hession competed in the
men's 200 metres at the
2008 Summer Olympics.
Athenry is also home to Athenry F.C., founded in 1971. The club reached the 2006 final of the
FAI Junior Cup, and the following year it became the
Galway & District League champions for the first time, repeating the same achievement during the 2007–08, 2009–10, and 2014–15 seasons.
In 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2016, Athenry also won the
Connacht Junior Cup title.
Athenry is also home of the Athenry Golf Club and Athenry Judo Club.
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Athenry is
twinned with the town of
Quimperlé
Quimperlé (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.
Geography
Quimperlé is in the southeast of Finistère, 20 km to the west of Lorient and 44 km to the east of Quimper. Historically, it belo ...
in
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
(
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
) and, since 2013,
Renews-Cappahayden
Renews–Cappahayden is a small fishing town on the southern shore of Newfoundland, south of St. John's.
The town was incorporated in the mid-1960s by amalgamating the formerly independent villages of Renews and Cappahayden.
Renews–Cappaha ...
,
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises t ...
(
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
).
People
The following is a list of notable natives of Athenry:
See also
*
Battle of Maigh Mucruimhe
*
Baron Athenry
Baron Athenry is one of the oldest titles in the Peerage of Ireland, but the date of its creation is thoroughly uncertain; each of the first four Berminghams listed below is claimed by some writers to have been Lord Athenry, but the evidence is di ...
*
First Battle of Athenry
*
Second Battle of Athenry
The Second Battle of Athenry ( ) took place at Athenry ( gle, Áth na Ríogh) in Ireland on 10 August 1316 during the Bruce campaign in Ireland.
Overview
The collective number of both armies are unknown, and can only be estimated. Martyn bel ...
*
The Sack of Athenry
*
The Fields of Athenry
"The Fields of Athenry" is a song written in 1979 by Pete St. John in the style of an Irish folk ballad. Set during the Great Famine of the 1840s, the lyrics feature a fictional man from near Athenry in County Galway, who stole food for hi ...
*
Nevin (surname)
*
List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Galway)
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
Note
References
Further reading
External links
Athenry History ArchiveAthenry Community Council
{{Authority control
Towns and villages in County Galway