The town of Athenry has the finest medieval town walls still remaining in Ireland. In 1310, Athenry received a three-year murage grant from King Henry II.
Two thirds of the original town walls length still remain, along with 5 wall towers and one of the original five town gates.
The surviving gate is the North Gate, probably built at the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century.
The building has been partially rebuilt sometimes between mid 1970's and 2000. Half of the southeast top was missing until that date, and the different masonry is visible today.
Though its name is North Gate, the gate actually looks towards the northeast (30°).
The monument is squeezed among modern buildings and is besieged by heavy car traffic, an inglorious ending for a medieval landmark.
This gate appears as a background feature in the movie "Flight of the Doves" (1971), by Ralph Nelson.
We came here for the first time on May 8th, 2002.
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