Private Athlone and Clonmacnoise Tour: Sean's Bar, Athlone Castle, and the Monastic City on the Shannon

The castle stands where it does for a simple reason: this was the one dependable crossing of the Shannon in the midlands, and whoever held it held the route between east and west. The present walls date from the thirteenth century, and the visitor experience inside concentrates on the sieges of 1690 and 1691, when the town was bombarded more heavily than almost anywhere in Irish history. An hour is enough to take in the exhibition and walk the ramparts above the river.

Behind the castle lies the Left Bank, Athlone's oldest quarter, a small grid of lanes with bookshops, galleries, and cafés that rewards a slow wander. The Luan Gallery sits on the riverbank close by and is worth a short stop for anyone with an interest in contemporary Irish art. None of this involves much walking, and the vehicle waits nearby rather than in a distant car park, which suits guests who want to see the town without planning around parking.

Across the lane from the castle gate is Sean's Bar, recognised by Guinness World Records as the oldest pub in Ireland. During renovation work, sections of wattle-and-daub wall were found in the building, and the pub keeps a list of owners stretching back through the centuries. Inside it is low-ceilinged and plain, with sawdust on the floor and a turf fire in the colder months, and it rarely feels staged despite its reputation.

Timing makes a noticeable difference here. In the late morning or early afternoon there is usually a seat by the fire and time to talk to the staff; by evening in summer the place fills with traditional music and visitors from every direction. A private tour can simply choose the quieter hour, and because nobody in the group is driving, a pint or a measure of whiskey is part of the visit rather than something to decline.

The drive to Clonmacnoise takes a little under half an hour, through quiet country and along the edge of the Shannon callows, the flood meadows that give the site its setting. St Ciarán founded the monastery in the sixth century, and what remains is a ruined cathedral, several churches, two round towers, and one of the finest collections of early Christian high crosses in Europe. The originals, including the Cross of the Scriptures, are kept in the visitor centre, with replicas standing in their places outside. Ninety minutes covers it comfortably, and the river wind is worth a spare layer even in summer.

Because Athlone sits at the centre of the country, the tour fits neatly around other plans. Some guests book it as an afternoon while staying at a lake hotel; others use it to break the journey on a Dublin Airport to Galway transfer, stopping for the castle and Clonmacnoise before continuing west. Those arriving or leaving through Dublin, Shannon, or Knock can combine it with the collections described on the Athlone airport transfers page, and anyone wanting to link it with Birr, Tullamore, or a Shannon cruise can outline the idea through the custom tour request page.