A movie demonstrating an interactive 3D model of Medieval Athenry which aims to reconstruct how Athenry would have look in the late 16th century, just before the attack by Red Hugh O'Donnell in 1597 who destroyed much of the town. This is only phase I of the project. Athenry today has one of the best preserved town walls of any Irish walled town. This work has been developed by Realsim on behalf of Athenry Community Council Trust, The Heritage Council and Galway County Council and has been funded by the Heritage Council and Galway County Council.

 A Beat To The Poets Heart  

On Friday 18th September, the heritage centre will celebrate Culture Night 2015 with an evening of poetry celebrating the 150th and 110th anniversaries of W.B Yeats and local renowned poet, Padraic Fallon. The event commences at 7:15pm in the Market Square of Athenry with the Rhythm Drum School and this will be followed by a candlelit walk into the heritage centre. 

After a brief opening ceremony, the programme will start with music by the Padraic Fallon String Quartet, followed by readings of the poets work by members of the local community.

The centre is also pleased to announce that Brain Fallon will attend the event and provide a short presentation about Padraic Fallon, his life, poetry and connections to Athenry.

The Culture Night evening commences at 7:30pm and lasts about one hour. Please note that spaces are limited, so please arrive early to avoid any disappointment.

Programme For the Evening

7:15pm:    Athenry Samba Drumming in the Square

7:30pm:    Welcome in the Heritage Centre

                The Fallon Quartet, First piece of music, Fania (Fairy Fanfair)

                Yeats Story (The Lazy Beauty and her Aunts)

                Fallon Quartet- Impulse

                Brian Fallons’ talk.

                Madelyn Brophy. Yeats in Athenry

                Maureen Lawless- A Visit West

                Aideen Rynne – A Bit of Brass

                Fallon Quartet – ‘Show time’

8:30pm     Ends

Please note that all times and running order are subject to change

                                                                       Athenry Heritage Centre

                                                                  Christmas Winter Wonderland

                                                       7^th-8^th, 14^th-15^th, 21^st-22^nd December 2013

                                                     Doors open 12:00pm Last admission 5:30pm

Experience the magic of Christmas in the award winning Athenry Heritage Centre with fun filled activities for all the boys and girls. Children will be thrilled with the craft activities and themed areas that sparkle with the Christmas spirit.

Take a stroll down Peppermint Lane and enjoy the scrumptious bakery activity. Meet Snow White in her magical garden cottage and make your very own herb basket. Then plant your spring bulbs and watch them grow!

Get creative with the fantastic Arts & Crafts activities and there’s face painting with our vey own Fairy Godmother.

Discover the toys in the Nutcracker Suite and meet Mrs. Claus by the enchanting Glass Slipper. Santa is waiting in his Nordic house with a gift for all the children.

Meet Santa and his Elves for a Christmas to remember in the ambient setting of St. Mary’s Church, the home of the Athenry Heritage Centre’s Winter Wonderland.

Admission to the centre is €15 per child, €10 under 3, €2 Adult

The Athenry Heritage Centre's Winter Wonderland is the ideal place to bring your children this Christmas. Enjoy the magic of this special time in the ambient settings of St. Mary's Church, Athenry. Use our Find Us page for directions.

Discover a world of festive cheer with Santa's Elves and let us bring you on a journey that can be enjoyed by the young and young at heart. 

Like the centre's Facebook page or follow us on Twitter for instant updates. 

The centre does not take reserve bookings for this event due to the size of the building. We recommend that all visitors arrive as early as possible to avoid any queues on the day. 

Athenry's Walled Towns Day Sunday 19th August 2012

Athenry celebrates National Walled Towns Day 2012 this Sunday 19^th August 2012. The opening ceremony commences at 1:30pm in Athenry castle and will be launched by Cllr Peter Roche, Deputy Mayor of the County of Galway. This free family event has a programme to suit all ages and promotes the rich cultural history of Athenry, the best preserved medieval town in Ireland.

The programme includes Knights combat training for children, Dig IT!  with archeologist Dr Jim McKeon, medieval craft demonstrations by Montague Heritage Services and traditional longbow making with Dave Hodson. The highlight of the day is the spectacular Battle Re-Enactments by Eireann Edge. Their presentations also include weapons displays traditional crafts of Wattle making, Stone carving and the medieval forge.

The Athenry Heritage Centre will host the Dog & String theatre company with their production of The Wishing Tree, shows commence at 2:00 and 4:00pm and discover new skills with the Ard RI Archery Club’s Have-A-Go archery in the grounds of the centre. There are prizes to be won with Athenry’s Walled Towns Colouring Competition and Face painting too.

This year’s event has a unique fundraising event with the Athenry Tourism groups Friend or Foe at the Northgate. Pay the Toll to pass and get a free copy of the Sunday Times. The programme is coordinated by Alan Burgess, Manager of the Athenry Heritage Centre and is supported by Galway County Council. Event information is also available through the centre’s Facebook page.          

All events are free to the Public and free copies of the Weekend Times Edition are available to all visitors on the day.

The programme is subject to change.

Full programme details are available here

DL Brochure_Walled Towns Day 2012.pdf