Athenry Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
town in the south of County Galway, Ireland
About Athenry
The Fields of Athenryis a folk ballad written in 1979 by Pete St John. It relates the sad tale of an Athenry man who "stole Trevelyan's corn" during the Great Famine of the 1840s to try to feed his family, and was sentenced to be transported to Australia. Trevelyan (1807-86) was the senior official in Dublin who was tardy in distributing famine relief, declaring that "the judgement of God sent the calamity to teach the Irish a lesson". Let them eat maize instead, quoth he, a commodity exported in bulk from Ireland throughout the famine, but unaffordable by the peasantry. The song refers to "Botany Bay" but that was a generic term for all the penal colonies of Australia, andFremantlewould be our hero's likeliest destination. The song was original, in the style of but not adapted from earlie
Top Attractions in Athenry
Explore the best things to see and do in Athenry:
- ★Athenry Arts & Heritage Centre
- ★Athenry Castle
- ★Dominican Priory
- ★Monivea Castle
Where to Stay in Athenry
- 🏨Lodge at the Old Barracks
- 🏨New Park Hotel
- 🏨Raheen Woods Hotel
Athenry Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 11 sections including: