Athenry Castle is an early 13th century ‘keep with curtain wall castle’ situated over a strategic ford on the Clareen River. The keep was the first part of the structure to be built between 1237 and 1240 by Meiler de Bermingham, the Anglo-Irish founder of Athenry. The castle was constructed over three phases, first beginning life as a single story building, that was soon raised to two storeys. The doorways and windows on the 1st floor are richly decorated with foliage motifs, a style that as common in that has been termed the ‘School of the West’ architecture, similar design can be seen in the Dominican priory at Athenry and also Corcomroe Abbey in County Clare. The castle was attacked in 1316 which led to the construction of the curtain wall that surrounds the keep. The keep itself was extended to its current height during the 15th century. Lately the theory that the keep was built over three distinct phases has been challenged due to research carried out at the keep at Trim Castle. The Berminghams were the inhabitants of the castle until the later part of the 15th century when they moved to their town house near the market cross in the square at Athenry. A garrison remained at the castle but the beginning of the end was signalled during the Sack of Athenry in 1572 when according to the Annals of the Four Masters, “They destroyed the walls of the town of Athenry, and also its stone houses and its castle; and they so damaged the town that it was not easy to repair it for a long time after them.” The castle remained abandoned and in a state of disrepair for centuries before being restored by the OPW in 1991.
GPS: 53.30008, -8.74428