County Westmeath - Towns

From an unpretentious crossing point on the Shannon, the ford of Luan, Athlone, grew to be the largest town in Westmeath.; The possession of the ford of Athlone has been disputed from earliest times. In 1001 Brian Boru marched there with a great army; in 1129 King Turlough O' Conor erected a wattle bridge there and in 1199 the Normans occupied the town and in 1257 built the town walls, part of which can still be seen. After their defeat at the Boyne in 1690, the Irish withdrew to Athlone and made the Shannon their first line of defence; however, the town eventually fell to the Williamites under Ginkel.

At present Athlone is an important industrial and commercial centre. It is at the confluence of the major east-west and north-south routes and is well served by both bus and rail transport. With a population fast approaching 20,000 the town can boast a wide range of shops and services catering for all needs.

A new relief road and bridge, completed in 1991 at a cost of IR37m serves to relieve traffic congestion in the town and make it a joy to shop in. Athlone is an ideal base from which to visit the Irish midlands. In the rich hinterland one can sample the wild beauty of the Irish bogs the delights of the Shannon and Lough Ree as well as the great monastic site of Clonmacnoise and the beautiful Goldsmith Country.

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Ballymore is situated almost 5 miles from Mullingar on the R390. Mentioned in the annals as far back as the eight century, its importance in ancient times was due to the fact tha it lay on the trade route between royal 'Uisneagh' and Athlone. The remains of a fort dating from the Williamite campaign can be seen beside the lake, as well as Father Dalton's mass rock which was used during penal times.

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Castlepollard - Cionn Torc (Hill of the Boars), in a district of low hills east of Lough Derravaragh, is a good angling centre for the Westmeath lakelands and a base for exploring this part of the country.

Tullynally Castle , the residence of Lord Longford, is one mile west of the village. The gardens are open to the public during the summer season. A large castellated mansion, it is mentioned several times under its former name of Pakenham Hall in the memoirs of the eighteenth century novelist, Maria Edgeworth, whose father was a frequent guest there.

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Collinstown is about 10 miles from Mullingar. This is a very scenic village particularly in the summer with beautiful array of flowers. Further on from Collinstown is Lough Lene, like Lough Ennell this lake is also a holder of the European Blue Flag Award for cleanliness. An early christian hand-bell was found here in the last century, Lough Lene has important Viking connections.

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