Athenry News & Views Summer 2026

Athenry News & Views Athenry NEWS & VIEWS

Editorial About Athenry Experience Group Over the past two years, the Athenry Experience Group has been working on a range of projects focused on promoting Athenry, preserving its history, developing tourism and strengthening communication between residents, community groups and local businesses. The group’s aim is simple: to help make Athenry a more connected, informed and progressive place to live while preserving its unique history and heritage that make it such a special town. One of the group’s first projects was the creation of athenryexperience.ie, a website designed to showcase Athenry as a tourism destination while also providing a platform to record and preserve the history of the town and its people. A significant part of the website is dedicated to recording the stories of local people through photographs, interviews and audio-visual recordings. Another important aspect of the website is the digital republication of rare local history and folklore publications. These works connect present-day generations with the lives, experiences and traditions of their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. They preserve a rich storytelling tradition that was once passed down through local Seanchaithe and community historians. Without these publications, many stories of local life, customs and events might have been lost forever. By making them available online, Athenry Experience is helping to ensure that this valuable heritage remains accessible to everyone. The project remains ongoing, and there are many more stories waiting to be told by families and individuals throughout the area. The story of British rule, the Great Famine, land agitation, cultural revival and political struggle created the conditions that eventually led to the birth of an independent Irish state. The challenges faced by the country after independence were equally significant as communities worked to build a new future. Athenry played a central role in many of these developments and, in many respects, reflects the broader story of Ireland itself. In 2025, with the support of Galway City Museum and the Office of Public Works (OPW), the Athenry Experience Group helped develop a major exhibition on the events of 1916, the role of Liam Mellows and the Galway Volunteers.

Published by: The Athenry Experience Group Next Edition September 2026 Articles & Advertisments to: athenryexperience@gmail.com

Editorial Group: Steve Dolan, Joe Monaghan,

Philip Magnier, James Lundon, Patricia O’Grady, Sylvia Ryan, Ann Poniard, Sean Cleary, Jarlath Cloonan.

Athenry Experience Free Online Library

Cover Photograph - Cahertober Lake by Jarlath Cloonan

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Website: athenryexperience.ie

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