So you want to move to ATHLONE?Athlone, in the centre of Ireland and on the majestic Shannon, is an undervalued town that virtually has it all, writes Michael Parsons
THE United Nations has a number of goodwill ambassadors including tennis brat Maria Sharapova and Hollywood stars Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie. But eat your heart out Mr secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, because Athlone has Mary O'Rourke. Cleopatra may have ruled the Nile but the scintillating senator is queen of the Shannon. She is the national face of Athlone and has lived there all her life.
Senator O'Rourke enthuses: "It's a good place to live with great schools and shopping; terrific restaurants and hotels [ among them her childhood home at Hodson Bay - now a luxury spa hotel]; and, above all, the River Shannon which gives great character and beauty to the town." She would "strongly recommend it to anyone in Ireland as a place to live".
Kipling, in a rather different context, believed that "East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet" but they do in Athlone - the great crossing point of the Shannon and gateway between Leinster and Connaught.
Stephen Rynne, in his 1956 book All Ireland wrote: "Owing to its geographical position in the centre of Ireland, astride the Shannon and a pass between two provinces, Athlone has always been an invaluable strategic point." He believed that "Athlone is the natural capital of Ireland".
Under British rule it was a major garrison town and the military legacy lives on with a significant army presence at Custume Barracks (named after a sergeant hero of the 1691 siege) - headquarters of the Western Command of the Defence Forces.
The M6 Dublin-to-Galway motorway is expected to reach Athlone by next year. But the town already enjoys the considerable benefits of a major bypass which opened in 1991. There's a lot going on. On the Leinster side of town, the spectacular new Athlone Town Centre is rising on a seven-acre brownfield site and will open this autumn. Gallico Developments and JJ Rhatigan & Co building contractors are promoting "the shopping destination of the midlands" which will feature 1,300 car-parking spaces, over 60 shops, two entirely new streets and a high-rise hotel. They claim the centre will have a catchment population of 670,000 by 2010.
The old Prince of Wales hotel has had a contemporary makeover - like the man himself. Close by, there's a superb new Civic Centre on Church Street designed by London architect Keith Williams. This award-winning building houses council offices and the Aidan Heavey Public Library - named after a local philanthropist who donated an important collection of rare and collectible books and maps to the town. Gearoid O'Broin, executive librarian and local historian, says that Athlone traditionally "turned its back on the river" but that is changing. Major new buildings, including Custume Pier, a mix of riverside apartments and café bars, and a new Radisson hotel, line the east bank.
Across the Shannon, the sprawling citadel of Athlone Castle and the twin-towered Church of Saints Peter & Paul stand sentry-like at the gateway to Connaught. The "Left-Bank" district is a vaguely bohemian network of brightly painted houses on winding streets with a mix of restaurants, cafés, antique shops and Ireland's oldest pub, Seán's. On Grace Road, a bronze bust commemorates the "world famous tenor", John (Count) McCormack, who was born in Athlone in 1884 and died in Dublin, 1945.
Athlone has become the education capital of the midlands with thousands of third-level students drawn to its institute of technology based at a 45-acre landscaped campus one-and-a-half miles from the town centre on the Dublin Road. Courses are offered in business studies, humanities, engineering and science.
Athlone's chief leisure attraction is boating on the River Shannon with extensive marina facilities in town and at nearby Lough Ree. Sailors have access to Europe's longest network of inland waterways devoted purely to pleasure cruising. The Lough Ree Yacht Club, founded in 1770, is the second oldest sailing club in the world and there's a powerboat club and school.
The lough is also a major angling destination with good stocks of trout, pike and coarse fish. The area around Athlone is "an unspoilt region as delightful and unspoilt as Connemara but much more accessible to Dublin" according to Dermot O'Meara.
He worked in finance in Dublin before returning home in the mid-1980s to open his own estate agency - now part of the Sherry FitzGerald network. He says the property market "is a bit more careful than this time last year with prospective purchasers starting to take a second look" but there is good demand for quality second-hand properties.
The average price for a second-hand three-bed semi is about €230,000, and for a newly-built house, about €10,000 more. There is also "big demand for detached houses" but "few are being built because of higher density requirements imposed by the planning authorities.
O'Meara has noticed "a steady influx of outsiders - especially from the east coast - who choose Athlone for quality of life". Many are attracted by the Shannon and its lakes, and he claims "there are more boats in the Athlone area than in Dún Laoghaire and the running costs are much lower".
THE most desirable addresses in Athlone are in the outlying villages around Lough Ree, such as Glasson and the Hodson Bay area, which offer easy access to golf and marinas. Here the very best houses with lakeside frontage and "a private harbour" can cost "up to €1.5 million". There is steady demand for holiday homes and such as the very stylish villas with lake views at Glasson Mews which sold for about €230,000 in 2001 and now fetch about €450,000.
Sherry FitzGerald O'Meara is the agent for the Jolly Mariner, a development of two-bed apartments and three-bed townhouses just north of the town centre. All 125 homes have a private berth in the adjacent marina. The final phase is being launched this spring with prices to be announced.
Ray Finlay of Property Partners Finlay set up the business "during the dark and dismal 1980s when interest rates were about 16 per cent".
He says the market for residential property has "slowed a bit with fewer people coming to view showhouses than a year ago". At The Orchard, an estate of 114 houses on the Ballymahon Road, the first phase of 40 houses launched in February 2006 "sold out within two hours".
The recently launched second phase "is selling - but at a less frenzied pace". A three-bed semi here costs about €295,000.
At the top end of the market, he mentions Cluain Rí, an estate of detached houses near Hodson Bay. The four-bedroom, three-bathroom houses on three-quarter acre sites have large conservatories and prices range from €750,000 for 217sq m (2,334sq ft) to €760,000 for 249sq m (2,679sq ft).
Athlone has a good supply of apartments with many Section 50 developments bought by investors for the big student rentals market.
Finlay was recently seeking €330,000 (with €120,000 of tax credits against rental income) for a two-bedroom, three-bed apartment of 70sq m (750sq ft) at Glen Abhainn, a development beside the Athlone Institute of Technology.
Owner-occupiers would more likely choose a town centre apartment at Silverquay near the Radisson Hotel where a 72sq m (775sq ft) two-bed with balcony (without river views) on the fourth floor and an underground car-parking space has a price tag of €320,000.
Finlay says there is "a huge amount of construction going on with a dozen new housing schemes and four different apartment schemes" under construction. He claims that "West of Ireland housebuilders are taking an interest in Athlone" and believes "this will be the next Galway". He says "Dubliners are buying in Athlone" and 20-30 per cent of his customers are from the east coast. He added "non-nationals are also beginning to buy starter homes - up to €250,000".
Healy Hynes of Hynes Real Estate Alliance is the agent for Mount Temple Golf & Country Club, about five miles outside town, a development of 16 detached large houses on the golf course with large gardens and sun rooms. Prices for the 279sq m (3,000sq ft) bespoke homes range from €700,000 to €850,000. He says there are many attractive villages around Athlone, including Moate (15 minutes away) where he is currently selling eco-friendly houses at two separate developments. At Glen Duchais, 232sq m (2,500sq ft) four-bed detached houses with wood-pellet burners and solar panels cost €489,000, and the five-bed, 260sq m (2,800sq ft) version is €525,000. Starter homes at the more affordable Oak Hill estate are priced from €224,950.
