Athlone
The Shannon crossing is the town's whole reason: castle, old town pubs and boats at the centre of Ireland. Athlone stands on the River Shannon in County Westmeath, near the geographical centre of Ireland.
County Westmeath
Lakes fill the middle of the county: Ennell, Owel and Derravaragh, with the Shannon and Athlone on the western edge. Belvedere's house and gardens are the set piece.
County Westmeath facts
- Province: Leinster
- County town: Mullingar
- Setting: Inland
- Touring region: Ireland's Ancient East
- Best for: history, family, hiking, castles
- Places in the planner: 4
Lakes fill the heart of the midlands here: this is a county of water as much as land. Lough Ennell, Lough Owel and Lough Derravaragh spread across its centre, while Lough Ree and the River Shannon form its western edge at Athlone, the town that has guarded the Shannon crossing for centuries.
Mullingar, the county town, is a busy market and music town, while Belvedere House and Gardens on Lough Ennell is the county's best-known attraction. The Hill of Uisneach, the ancient ceremonial centre of Ireland, rises near the county's centre, and the Royal Canal and Old Rail Trail greenway give walkers and cyclists easy routes across the county. Athlone works particularly well as an overnight stop on a cross-country trip: Dublin to Galway breaks naturally here, with the Shannon, the castle and the Old Town's pubs and restaurants giving you a proper evening rather than just a place to sleep.
Top sights in Westmeath
Belvedere House and Gardens
A lakeside estate on Lough Ennell with a house, gardens and the famous Jealous Wall folly.
Athlone and the Shannon
A historic river town with a castle guarding the Shannon crossing.
Hill of Uisneach
An ancient ceremonial hill long considered the centre of Ireland.
Lough Ennell
A large trout lake south of Mullingar with shoreside walks and parkland.
Old Rail Trail Greenway
A cycling and walking trail along a former railway between Athlone and Mullingar.
Towns & cities in Westmeath
Mullingar
Cattle country made this market town, and its 1930s cathedral, noted for its mosaics, marks the centre. Mullingar is the county town of County Westmeath, in the lakeland midlands.
Moate
Market town on the main Galway road in the south of the county.
Castlepollard
Small town in north Westmeath near Lough Derravaragh.
Best time to visit
Spring to autumn is best for lakes, gardens and greenway cycling. Athlone and Mullingar work as year-round bases for the midlands.
Getting there
Mullingar is about an hour northwest of Dublin by motorway and rail. Dublin Airport is the nearest airport, and Athlone connects west toward Galway.
Places for your trip
- Athlone: The Shannon crossing is the town's whole reason: castle, old town pubs and boats at the centre of Ireland. Athlone stands on the River Shannon in County Westmeath, near the geographical centre of Ireland.
- Mullingar: Cattle country made this market town, and its 1930s cathedral, noted for its mosaics, marks the centre. Mullingar is the county town of County Westmeath, in the lakeland midlands.
- Belvedere House and Gardens: Belvedere House is an 18th-century hunting lodge on Lough Ennell near Mullingar.
- Fore Abbey: Fore Abbey in County Westmeath is a ruined Benedictine abbey near the village of Fore.
What's on
No anchor festival is based here, but the Irish year is full: next up nationally is TradFest (20–24 Jan 2027, Temple Bar, Dublin). See the full events calendar
Nearby counties
County Offaly
Clonmacnoise on the Shannon and Birr's telescope are the two great stops, with bog, canal and the Slieve Bloom foothills between them. A heritage county that rewards a planned day.
County Longford
A low-key midlands county of bogs, lakes and the Royal Canal, with an Iron Age bog road at Corlea as its remarkable sight. Goldsmith and Edgeworth give it literary roots.
County Meath
The Boyne Valley holds the deep past: Newgrange and Tara within a short drive of each other, and Trim's great Norman castle. Give the valley a full day.
Part of Ireland's Ancient East.