Athlone, Westmeath

Athlone is the most central town of Ireland and is considered the heart of Ireland. There is a hydroelectric generation plant at Ardnacrusha belonging to the ESB.

1. Population (2011) : 20,138

It is on the border of counties Roscommon (province of Connacht) and Westmeath (province of Leinster).

The town was described by IDA Ireland as "the commercial capital of the Irish Midlands" and it is governed by an elected town council, which elects a Mayor.

Features:

2. Athlone Castle
   
   
   
   Source
3. St Peter and Paul Church
4. All Ireland RTE drama festival - workshops, theatre exhibitions, events
5. Athlone Literary Festival: Celebration of the life and works of John Broderick (1924–1989)
6. American crime writer James M. Cain references Athlone in his 1937 book Serenade!
7. A new radio station i102-104fm has recently been launched.

Tourism and amenities: Lough Ree, the largest lake on the Shannon, is a short distance upstream from Athlone to the North of the town, and is popular among anglers, birdwatchers, and swimmers. The town is also home to Lough Ree Yacht Club.

8. The Golden Island Shopping Centre (1997)
9. Athlone Town Centre comprises two internal streets, with 54 shops and a hotel, and is the largest shopping and leisure centre in Ireland, outside Dublin.
10. Athlone Regional Sports Centre is a facility (established May 2002) developed by the Town Council,this facility has a swimming pool, gym and astro turf pitches.
11. Sean's Bar, located on the west bank of the river, is listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest pub in Europe.
12. Companies and organisations: State Exams Commission, Élan, Biodin, Ericsson, Tyco Healthcare, Alcatel, The Department of Education, Revenue Commissioners, FÁS Midlands Region, Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann, IDA Ireland, and Enterprise Ireland all have bases in the town. Athlone is also a major Irish military centre, Custume Barracks on the West bank of the Shannon is the headquarters of the Western Command of the Irish Army.

Athlone hosted the European Triathlon Championships in 2010. Approximately 5,000 athletes participated in the event.

The town of Athlone is twinned with the a small village called Chateaubriant in France! Many students do language exchanges!