Day 1: Athlone, the new and the very old

The Shannon river waterfront at Athlone, with the 11th century castle now serving as a welcome 
and historical/tourist center. The river tour boat at left has
 been done up as a viking vessel to commemorate their visits in ancient times.

Like many Irish towns, Athlone has many pubs throughout its winding streets.

The new and the very old in Athlone

From the Czech car-rental clerk to the Latvian hotel maid to the Afro-Caribbean business-store proprietor, the Irish don't sound as Irish as they did when I last visited.

The Irish pound has been replaced by the Euro, and Europe and the world has begun to settle, even in smaller towns like Athlone, my grandfather's home on the Shannon River. Many came in the 1990s as the Irish economy, dubbed the Celtic Tiger, boomed. While the economy shrank with recession, the networks and family ties to Eastern Europe remained and multi-cultural Ireland seems established.

http://european-immigration.com/ireland/ireland.htm

But the old ways, the very old ways, remain. Athlone is the home of Sean's bar, proclaimed by the Guinness Book of World records as the oldest pub in Ireland. The bar owners display some mud daub and wattle remains of the original pub they found behind an old wall. It dates from the year 900.

Sean's pub in  Athlone preserves part of its old wall
dating to the year 900.

Some of Sean's patrons have been visiting for much of
this century as well

In later history, the town was besieged by the Orangemen of King William in 1690. The staunch Catholics of the area defended it for the Stewarts until they were defeated  in 1691. Local commander Col. Richard Grace is buried on the grounds of St. Mary's church downtown.

Irish Catholic and Republican feelings go deep, as the town lost 21 of its men in the 1916-1921 uprising against the English that ultimately ended with the founding of the Irish Republic in 1922.

Irish Catholic and Republican sentiment runs deep in Athlone.

Guinness is strength indeed, as pub-goers enjoy a pint
from mid-afternoon onward.

Athlone is also the home of  one of the original Irish tenors, 
the world-renowned John McCormack.
The site is now occupied by a Chinese restaurant.