Athlone’s place at the heart of Ireland means that it is a crossroads for transport infrastructure with bridges for roads rivers and railways being an integral part of the journey.
In celebration of the roles bridges play, Westmeath Arts, Heritage and Libraries have developed a multidisciplinary project to shine a light on the importance of the Athlone Bridges. We will be examining the cultural and social histories that connect us to our local infrastructure.
Working with acclaimed illustrator Conor McHale, the history of Athlone’s lost bridges will be brought to life in a series of comic strips and talks. Click here for a sneak peak.
Award winning photographer Paul Moore has been capturing aspects of Athlone bridges, the exhibition will launch in the Aidan Heavey Library Athlone on 19th December at 6.30pm.
The town's social history is crucial to the project. In October locals were invited to share their memories of the bridges through recollections and memorabilia for a radio documentary. This will be launched on the 19th of December and also made available as a podcast. Children and teenagers explored the engineering aspects of bridge building through a series of workshops in Athlone Library. Click here for some photos of these events.
Join us in our journey through the past and present exploring the Bridges of Athlone.
This project is supported by Creative Ireland Westmeath.
