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Gerry Cronnelly's Sporting Life

A video tracking the life of Athenry's Gerry Cronnelly and how he dedicated himself to achieving so much success in different sports over seven decades.

In an interview he recalls growing up in Athenry lifting tractors, while working as a mechanic in Ruane's, crashing into a pile of beet while out training for cycling, winning a county hurling medal with Athenry and a senior handball title before he made the local junior Handball Club team.

Switched, after injuring his right arm, to his left and won an archery county title and then in his 70's took up senior weight lifting breaking World records and winning several titles.

Born in 1936, Gerry is among the longest competing athletes in the World and gives a compelling insight into his sporting life and living in Athenry.

Welcome to the
Athenry Experience

(Note Site being developed)

Main Visitor Attractions

The historic medieval town of Athenry and countryside is the perfect place to head to for a short break or just a day visit. There are many notable attractions to visit in particular the Heritage Centre, Athenry Castle, Dominican Abbey, North Gate and Town Walls. All are within walking distance just off the Dublin to Galway M6 Motorway and seviced by the main Galway-Dublin and Limerick Railway lines twenty minutes from Galway and two hours from Dublin.

Athenry is the best preserved medieval town in Ireland, retaining the upstanding remains of most of its original high-status buildings, in addition to its medieval street pattern and even individual property boundaries, or burgage plots. Over seventy percent of the masonry town wall survives, complete with an impressive arched gateway, five defensive towers and large portions of a surrounding ditch or fosse.

Heritage Centre

North Gate

Dominican Abbey

Market Cross

Athenry Castle

Our Lady's Well

Town Walls

Kenny GAA Park

The Athenry Experience

The ‘Athenry Experience’ is the brand name of a group dedicated to preserve, promote and exhibit all aspects of Athenry’s rich heritage, culture and unique place in Irish life, history and sport. The Athenry Experience Project Committee, in association with the local community, plan to complement the existing Athenry attractions by developing exhibition themes to be displayed to reflect the town's rich history.

The role played by local people who mobilised under Liam Mellows in the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence that followed, in politics, sport and drama using image boards, interactive displays and audio-visual presentations.

To engage the young and children the presentations will use all the latest interactive technology available in a humorous and attractive way. For the culturally curious visitors and students of all ages the themes will be a souce for research and study.

Castle001

Easter Rising 1916

Abbey003

Home of the GAA

Town Hall Memories

25 September 1966; A general view of the action during the game. All-Ireland Senior Football Final, Galway v Meath. Croke Park, Dublin. Picture credit: Connolly Collection / SPORTSFILE