Cornerstones placed in dry moat wall of Athlone's No 1 Battery site

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Conservation work on the dry moat wall of the No. 1 Gun Battery site has finished for 2025.

An impressive feature of the dry moat is the incredible cornerstones which volunteer Shay Hamilton says took time to complete after machining and hand tooling.

While the work was ongoing on the dry moat, the No 1 Battery Heritage Group were also working on a story map of all eight Athlone Batteries.

This project is led by committee member Gearoid O’Brien.

With financial support from Westmeath County Coucnil and West Midlands Credit Union under their Community Support Scheme, the group plans to launch this map publicly in the Spring.

The No 1 Gun Battery is the last remaining battery of eight which existed in Athlone in the late 18th century.

The project to restore the site began in 2023, and has been undertaken by the Athlone No. 1 Gun Battery Heritage Group and overseen by a team of architects and archaeologists.

The No 1 Battery Heritage Group expressed thanks to the Heritage Council for their financial support, and to Westmeath County Cuoncil Heritage Officer Melanie McQuade, Courtney Deery Heritage Consultancy, and Greg Smith Conservation for their advice and expertise.

The project received grant assistance from the Historic Structures Fund, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and was supported by Westmeath County Council.

The group will be seeking funding for ongoing works under the appropriate funding streams in 2026.