Arts & Heritage Centre

County Galway


Athenry's rich history is delivered with colourful flourishes here – the gruesome details of medieval life include a ghoulish array of torture implements. The Medieval Experience lets you dress up in period costume and practise archery. Call ahead as the heritage centre may be shut for school visits.

You can download a free walking-tour map of the town from the website.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby County Galway attractions

1. Athenry Castle

0.1 MILES

The most imposing remnant of this restored Norman-era castle is its rectangular keep, housing the Great Hall, accessed on the 1st floor via a wooden…

2. Athenry Dominican Priory

0.19 MILES

Destroyed by Cromwellian troops in 1652, these marvellous 13th-century priory ruins are only accessible by asking the Arts & Heritage Centre to send…

3. Turoe Stone

8.26 MILES

The pillar-like Turoe Stone is covered in delicate relief carvings in La Tène style (a Roman-influenced Celtic art form dating from the Iron Age)…

4. Loughrea Cathedral

10.27 MILES

In the lakeside town of Loughrea, 42km southeast of Galway city, St Brendan’s Catholic Cathedral (not to be confused with St Brendan’s Church on Church St…

5. Dartfield Equestrian Centre

12.37 MILES

Horse breeding, carriages, the colourful racing industry and the horse’s role in Irish history are covered at Dartfield, which is set in extensive…

6. Eyre Square

12.65 MILES

Galway's central public square is busy in all but the harshest weather. A welcoming open green space with sculptures and pathways, its lawns are formally…

7. Browne Doorway

12.67 MILES

Guarding the upper side of Eyre Square, this out-of-context doorway (1627) is an imposing, if forlorn, fragment from the home of one of the city's…

8. Oscar Wilde & Eduard Vilde Statue

12.77 MILES

An earnest conversation takes place between Irish writer Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) and Estonian writer Eduard Vilde (1856–1933), sitting on a granite bench,…