Athenry

Athenry (Áth an Rí - Ford of the Kings - in Irish) is an agricultural town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies 25 km to the east of Galway city. One of the attractions of the town is its medieval castle. It is also famous for the song The Fields of Athenry. Grid reference: .

The town derives its name from the fact that a ford (Áth) crossed the river Clare just east of the settlement. Because three kingdoms met at that point, it was called Áth an Rí, or the Ford of the Kings (Kingdoms). On some medieval maps of English origin the town is called Kingstown. The kingdoms were Hy-Many to the north-east, east and south-east; Aidhne to the south and south-west; Maigh Seola to the west and north-west.

Athenry lies on the Galway–Dublin main line of the Irish rail network, at the junction of that route with the disused Limerick–Sligo line (dubbed the Western Railway Corridor – see Irish railway history). There is currently a campaign (West on Track) to re-open passenger links with Sligo, Limerick and intermediate towns such as Gort and Tuam.

See also

• Battle of Maigh Mucruimhe
• First Battle of Athenry
• Second Battle of Athenry
• The Sack of Athenry
• Athenry in Easter 1916
• list of towns in the Republic of Ireland