Athlone sits in the geographical middle of Ireland, where the main road and rail line from Dublin to Galway crosses the River Shannon. The name comes from Áth Luain, "the ford of Luan" — the crossing point that made the town strategically important for as long as anyone has been fighting over Ireland. Today it is a pleasant, unhurried market town of about 25,000 people, and for anyone driving across the country it makes a genuine reason to stop for a few hours rather than push through.
The Athlone Castle on the west bank is the focal point. Built in 1210 by order of King John, it commands the ford and was central to the brutal siege of 1691, when William of Orange's army bombarded it with an estimated 12,000 cannonballs in the space of a few days. The interior has been thoughtfully rebuilt as a visitor centre, and the views from the ramparts over the Shannon and the town are worth the admission on their own. Just across the river is Sean's Bar, which claims — with reasonable evidence and a certificate from Guinness — to be the oldest pub in Ireland, and possibly in the world, with origins traced to around 900 AD. The floor slopes, the walls are still packed with the wattle and daub of a medieval tavern, and the Guinness is good.
The real reason to linger, though, is Clonmacnoise, twenty minutes south of town on a bend of the Shannon. This was one of the greatest early Christian monastic settlements in Europe — founded by St Ciarán in 548, it became a centre of learning and craftsmanship that attracted pilgrims from across Ireland and beyond for the next thousand years. The ruins, spread across an esker ridge above the river, include two round towers, three high crosses (the originals now in a visitor centre next door), and several ruined churches and medieval grave slabs. It is quiet, atmospheric, and one of the most moving sites in the country.
For cruisers, Athlone is the main port on Lough Ree, the middle of the three great Shannon lakes — boats can be hired by the day or week, and the town is a popular starting point for Shannon navigation.