Athenry Heritage Centre in Athenry

Athenry Heritage Centre is located in Athenry (county of Galway)

Address: St. Mary’s Church, The Square, Athenry
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Phone: 091 844661
E-mail: athenryheritagecentre@gmail.com

As a key visitor attraction for the Galway East region, the Athenry Heritage Centre has become a focal point for the medieval town of Athenry. For the last 15 years, the centre has seen 50,000 visitors come through its doors with the high expectations of a unique visitor experience. The centre provides a range of services to a wide demographic of service users which includes international student groups, school tours, special needs organisations, active retirement organisations plus the domestic and international tourism markets. Visitors to the centre can discover the rich history of the town through interactive exhibits of weapons, armour, the market square, the torture dungeon and models of the walled town. The Athenry heritage Centre is also home to the towns original Mace and Seal; both made from brass, and are considered by most authorities to date from the 14th century. The ‘Medieval Experience’ is a key factor for many of the centre’s visitors especially to families with children as the centre has a range of medieval costumes to suit all ages. Not only is this a great photographic opportunity but it also engages the visitor as they become part of the living history of this medieval town. To complement the tour of the heritage centre, visitors can also experience the thrill of archery in the grounds of St. Mary’s Church. This exciting sport is accessible for all ages and abilities and is supervised by trained archery instructors. The grounds of the centre also contain the medieval maze, medicinal herb garden and the picnic area. As a community service project, the key of its success, are the tour guides that provide the service for visitors to enjoy. Their local knowledge and enthusiasm for presenting history in a fun and engaging way ensures that the culture and history of medieval Athenry is passed on to future generations. Since 1999, the heritage centre has received numerous awards for its services and developed the Walled Towns Day festival which attracts over 4000 people for this event. The centre also provides a variety of seasonal events for the local community and developed a successful birthday party activity, which is popular throughout the county. The town of Athenry contains many architectural features that are unique in the west, from its magnificent Norman castle, the Dominican Priory and the defensive walls and towers; the Athenry Heritage Centre is the ideal starting point to discover the best-preserved medieval town in Ireland.

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