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heritage · Sunday 16 August 2026 · 1:00pm-5:00pm 
Athenry Walled Towns Day
At Athenry Medieval Town · Athenry, Co. Galway
At Athenry Medieval Town · Athenry, Co. Galway
Athenry Walled Towns Day brings one of Ireland’s finest medieval streetscapes back to life for an afternoon of falconry, combat, music and crafts - all free, all open to everyone, and held across the very spaces where Anglo-Norman settlers built their walls eight centuries ago. It suits families with young children as much as history enthusiasts, and it draws around 5,000 visitors each year, which tells you something about how well the town pulls it off.
The festival spreads across several sites in the town - the Community Park, Athenry Castle, the Heritage Centre and the Community Hall - so you move between them rather than standing in one spot. Athenry Castle’s Great Hall hosts lectures, children’s craft workshops and music displays. Out in the park and on the streets you’ll find falconry demonstrations, have-a-go archery, war reenactments with medieval combat, weapons displays, storytelling and puppet shows. Local craftspeople and artisan food producers set up alongside the heritage programme, so there’s something to browse and buy as well as watch.
The event has run since 2006 and is organised by the Athenry Heritage Centre and Galway County Council with support from the Heritage Council. It is part of National Heritage Week, which runs across Ireland in August each year. No booking is needed - just turn up.
Athenry is about 25km east of Galway city. By train, Irish Rail runs from Galway Ceannt Station roughly every hour and the journey takes around 20 minutes - the station puts you a short walk from the town walls. By car, take the M6 east from Galway and follow signs for Athenry; the journey is under half an hour. Street parking is available in the town, and the medieval sites are all within easy walking distance of each other once you arrive.
Athenry has the most complete circuit of medieval town walls in Ireland - roughly 70% still standing - along with the 13th-century castle, the Dominican Priory, and the 15th-century Market Cross. The Heritage Centre inside the ruins of St Mary’s Church is worth visiting in its own right, with a scale model of the 14th-century town and archery and dress-up activities for children. There is more to see in Athenry and across Co. Galway.
Heading to Athenry Medieval Town in Athenry? Galway has plenty more to see. Read the Athenry area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.