We are attending a wedding in Athlone and my intention was to head to Trim Castle the next day with the afternoon spent at the Irish National Stud Farm. Is it worth a detour to Clonmacnoise before heading to Trim? Thanks!
Posted by
64 posts
I can only say that I really enjoyed our time there. It is a very old site with an excellent view overlooking the Shannon River and was an ancient crossroads. It had a sacred feel, imo. The guided tour was informative without being too long and the Celtic crosses inside were memorable.
Posted by
RIchmond, BC,Canada
932 posts
I also really enjoyed Clonmacnoise. It is a very old site, and the walking tour is worth listening to. I got some great photos here. As a side note, I wandered into the castle at Athlone, also, and found it interesting. It's small, so doesn't take much time, but it held a strategic position on the river.
Posted by
Lakewood, CO
249 posts
I agree. Definitely worth the trip.
Posted by
Chicagoland
279 posts
Definitely worth it! We drove there from Kilkenny, ending on the single track road to the site (saw some peat being cut in a field!), and we had a great time wandering around. I got some really nice photos of the various chapels, the River Shannon, and the gravestones dotted around. Afterwards, we drove to Athlone and had dinner at the oldest pub in Ireland, complete with a one meter square section of the original 9th century wall that was found during renovations a few decades ago.
Posted by
Fairfax, Virginia
348 posts
It's worth it. Get there as early as possible as it can get crowded in summer, but worth the trip regardless.
Posted by
Massachusetts
404 posts
Agreed, definitely worth the trip. What time of you are going to be there? With respect to what the previous person wrote, we were there in mid-October, went on a Saturday afternoon, and had the place very nearly to ourselves.
Also, you are not at all far from Tullamore. The D.E.W. Heritage Center is pretty neat, especially if you like whiskey. We found it to be very enjoyable.