Sean's - Athlone

Called in for a one. It was cosy and there was a nice atmosphere

The Oldest Best pub in the world. A friendly staff greeted us out front, and escorted us in. The Jameson's was perfect the Guinness was cold. We bought t-shirts and had a very good craich.

Well there could only be one bar that I could start the day of fun in and that would have to be Sean’s bar, just around the corner from Athlone Castle on the banks of the River Shannon. The oldest pub on the island of Ireland, and also even in the whole wide world, with a history dating back to AD 900! Yes you read that correctly, nine hundred AD! But this isn’t just an Irish tale, the Guinness World Records have confirmed this amazing fact to be true, no fake news here! I was lucky enough to get chatting to Timmy O Donovan who works in Seans Bar and who was kind enough to sit down with me for a small talk about the history behind the pub. Was well impressed with Timmy’s vast knowledge of the olden times and it is quite clear that the bar does have an old, old history. The bar itself looks very quaint from the outside, looks a bit small, but once inside you can wander around and see that it is quite big actually, a few floors too. A lot of history with many ancient artifacts on display, and the front bar is a nice and cosy place for a quiet pint. They do have a lot of space out the back and they have a large beer garden to cater for bigger crowds and to help ease the congestion from the nightly music sessions they like to have here. When I was there early in the day there were a good few tourists in the bar, but also a nice mix of locals too, a good atmosphere was building, and the pints were a flowing. They do have a good selection of beers on tap and I tried their own stout and the red ale, both very good particularly the stout, excellent. Also had a wee drop of their whiskey. Now not a whiskey drinker, yeah I know as an Irishman that’s a mortal sin, but it tasted ok to me, least it was smooth enough! Sat at the bar and took in all the atmosphere and the mystique of the place. Loved it and would have been quite happy to have stayed here all day, but alas I had to continue on my trip around the town. Ancient Irish history, in the settings of a cozy relaxed bar, drinking great pints. If only history class in school was as interesting as this!!! Great bar, and even if it had none of the history it still would be a top spot. Recommended, and I will be back!!!!!

Thanks to Tim telling us bout the Irish history n Sean’s bar history .. thank you Tim ..

A brilliant night out. A quaint Irish pub when you enter with a wonderful atmosphere with trad music playing. Guinness was flowing and the staff were fast, efficient and very friendly. Through the doors out the back and you're into a covered courtyard with a dj knocking out the tunes to a few hen parties. Sean's definitely has something for everybody. Highly recommended