Athlone Castle – 800 Years of Irish History

 

It is more than 800 years since Lord John de Grey, Bishop of Norwich, erected a stone tower, on the site of the present Athlone Castle.   The castle has the distinction of being the oldest building in the town of Athlone.  It was purpose build by King John of England to defend the ancient ford - Athluain - in which Athlone town takes its name.  The castle is situated overlooking the River Shannon on the edge of the Connaught side of the town, albeit in the towncentre.

A wooden form of the building had been built by Turlough O’Connor, King of Connaught in the summer of the year 1129, and after the Normans arrived in Athlone around 1199, a raised motte and bailey castle was constructed.  The earth on which the tower was built was probably too fresh causing it to collapse.  It was soon re-built, and laid the foundation of the great castle that exists in Athlone town today.
The outer walls enclose a solid platform of earth about twenty-five feet above the level of the present roadway; this platform probably represents the motte of Norman times. 
In the Williamite (protestant) and Jacobite (catholic) War, the Castle played a key role in the defence of Athlone, and perhaps the most dramatic events in the life of the Castle occurred during two sieges in 1690 and in 1691. 
In June 1691 Athlone Castle came under fire by King William’s army, and it was estimated that almost 25,000 men arrived in Athlone under the command of the Dutch General, Gordard de Ginkel. 
General de Ginkel attacked the bastion in the town, and with a minimum resistance from the Jacobite Army, the Leinster side of town soon fell.  When King James’s Jacobite army were retreating back over the bridge, they broke down arches to hinder and prevent the progress of the advancing General de Ginkel and his army.  For the next ten days, the Williamite army held the Connaught side of Athlone by firing an estimated 12,000 plus cannonballs.
As a result of the siege, the castle was virtually reduced to rubble.  Eventually the Williamites moved across the Shannon in a surprise attack on the Jacobites and forced them out and took over the town.  The advance guard quickly set about repairing the arches of the bridge, setting a pontoon bridge in place to enable a sudden attack by the Williamites into the Connaught side of town.
The scene was of total massacre and up to 500 Jacobites were killed in the final assault and these bodies were added to over 1,000 who were killed in the long week bombardment.  After the siege the castle was rebuilt by the Williamites.
For many decades the English flag had been hoisted over Athlone Castle as the British military had declared an Army post at the Castle. However, obviously that changed in 1922 with the signing of the Treaty. 
Throughout the centuries Athlone Castle has withstood many and various attacks, but as recent as 1967, the most unbelievable assault came not from outsiders, but from the town’s own fathers.
Athlone Urban District council called for the castle to be knocked so that a Civic Centre consisting of a town hall, library and conference centre, could be built on the castle grounds.
This is when the Old Athlone historical society instantly set a campaign in train, to protect the castle.
The Westmeath Independent newspaper, also supported, and advocated the preservation of the Castle as a museum or tourist centre.  Bord Failte, Inland Waterways, and Roscommon County Council joined forces with the Old Athlone Society in the campaign.  Five hundred post-primary students from Athlone held a procession of protest in the town.
The eyes of the world were on Athlone, and the council’s proposal to demolish the town’s castle.  However despite the council’s vote to go ahead with the destruction, the voices of the people was heard loud and clear and the council eventually reversed their motion of demolishing the castle.
A Festival of Athlone was planned for the summer of 1967, and the Department of Defence granted permission to the Old Athlone Society to use the central keep of the castle as a temporary museum for the duration of the festival.  The museum was staffed by volunteers, and remained open throughout the summer, after the festival had ended. 
‘The museum was a resounding success with 1500 visitors during its first week of opening,” said historian, Gearoid O’Brien in the Westmeath Independent, 1996.  “Many hundreds of thousands of visitors have visited the castle museum and many have returned to view the various exhibits there.”
The castle is really the centrepoint of the town, and even today, with all the large commercial buildings and shopping centres in the town, the castle still stands out among them all.  It is the true centre of the town, because of its strategic position on the edge of the town bridge and overlooking the River Shannon. 
Athlone Castle has been the first port of call to tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world when they visit the Irish midlands.
The castle came into the twenty-first century, aided by new technology and media, and now the tourist can view in interactive fashion, the story of the Siege of Athlone, and many other different aspects of the castle, before the Siege, and up to the present day.