Viking Tours Athlone

Viking Tours Athlone operates river cruises from the quay beside Athlone Castle, taking visitors upstream through the town and out toward the southern reaches of Lough Ree on the River Shannon. The tours are delivered by costumed Viking guides who provide a mixture of history, legend and local commentary. The view of Athlone Castle from the water — a 13th-century Norman castle (the stone keep dates from 1210) on the west bank of the Shannon — is one of the finest castle-from-river perspectives in Ireland.

Athlone occupies the crossing point where the Shannon was fordable, making it one of the most strategically significant locations in medieval Ireland. The town changed hands repeatedly during the wars of the 17th century — most dramatically at the siege of Athlone in 1691, when Jacobite forces held the bridge against Williamite attack for two weeks before being overwhelmed. The Viking connection predates this: Norse trading settlements along the Shannon in the 9th–10th centuries made Athlone an important waypoint on the inland waterway network.

Athlone has developed a strong food and cultural scene in recent years — it is one of the better mid-Ireland towns for an overnight stop, with the Luan Gallery, Seán's Bar (reputedly the oldest pub in Ireland), and a cluster of good restaurants near the castle.