Look inside the Athlone Castle restoration project

New pictures have offered a glimpse inside Athlone Castle as work continues on a major restoration and enhancement project at the historic site.

The prominent Athlone landmark closed in October 2025, and is expected to remain shut to the public until early 2027.

Galmstrup Architects, the company leading the project, has said work is “well underway” at the site.

Westmeath County Council appointed the firm to deliver a programme of conservation and enhancement works, including small extensions to improve usability, the reconfiguration of spaces to support an active year-round programme and improved accessibility.

The project will also include a new exhibition fit-out as part of the plans to enhance the visitor experience.

Galmstrup Architects is leading the base-build and exhibition design, working with a team of heritage and museum specialists.

The multi-disciplinary team is delivering architecture, conservation, visitor experience and interpretation design, while also working with the Athlone Castle team and local historians.

The project has been described as a “complex and challenging site in a sensitive setting of a National Monument”.

The project is supported by €3.2 million in funding through Fáilte Ireland’s Regenerative Tourism and Placemaking Scheme and is co-funded by the European Union and the Government of Ireland through the EU Just Transition Fund.