Things to do in Athy
Attractions, heritage sites and walks around Athy, drawn from open data. Distances are straight-line from the town centre.
In brief
Athy is a Co. Kildare town about 62 km from Dublin city centre. Open datasets list eleven Fáilte Ireland visitor attractions within 10 km, five national monuments open to visitors within 20 km, five nationally rated heritage buildings in the town. Everything below comes from published sources, refreshed regularly.
Attractions near Athy
Visitor attractions listed by Fáilte Ireland within 10 km.
- Capture pure magic at Ballintubbert Gardens in County Laois through private experiences and expert workshops within a series of serenely beautiful Garden Rooms that…
- Burtown House in County Kildare is an early Georgian villa, surrounded by lush flowers, vegetable and woodland gardens. Beautiful parklands and farmland walks make it…
- The Shackleton Experience in Athy, County Kildare, is the world’s only institution dedicated to polar explorer Ernest Shackleton, born in nearby Kilkea in 1874.
- Take a relaxing boat trip along the River Barrow in Athy, County Kildare with BoatTrips.ie. It is one of the widely enjoyed activities in the area and is suitable for…
- Find Ballykilcavan Brewery on a 13th-generation family farm. Take a guided tour around this lively Laois brewery and see how the ingredients are sourced from the land.
- Mullaghmast is a very large standing stone, and is located about 3km west of Ballitore in County Kildare. The site includes earthworks, ringforts, barrows. The…
- Discover the town of Athy in County Kildare with Athy Walking Tours. These guided walking tours explore local history, heritage and stories and are suitable for…
- Athy Rowing & Canoeing is based in Athy, County Kildare
- Kildare E Bike Hire operates from Athy, County Kildare, providing electric bicycle rental for exploring the Barrow Way and the Barrow Blueway. The experience is…
- Athy Golf Club in County Kildare was formed in 1906. It was originally a 9-hole course, but Athy was some years later extended to an 18-hole parkland course. Some…
- MCT Irish Tours is run by Michael Cowell a national tour guide and tour coach driver.
Heritage and monuments
National monuments open to visitors within 20 km, plus nationally rated buildings in Athy from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
- Timahoe Round Tower, a monastery was founded here by St Mochua mac Lónáin in the early 7 th century.
- The Rock of Dunamase is a spectacular natural feature visible in the landscape of Co. Laois. It takes its name from the Irish Dún Másc, meaning the ‘Fort of Masc’.
- Known as the ‘Browneshill dolmen’, because it is sited on a hill on which sits the former estate house of the Browne family, the remains of this megalithic tomb are well-preserved and the chamber faces down slope to…
- Baltinglass Abbey stands on the banks of the River Slaney on the outskirts of the small town of Baltinglass.
- The ancient church of Old Kilcullen is situated on a high hill with panoramic views over the surrounding countryside.
Walks and nature
Waymarked trails from Sport Ireland's National Trails Register and NPWS parks and nature reserves, starting near Athy and across Co. Kildare.
- Pollardstown Fen Nature ReserveThe largest remaining spring-fed fen in Ireland, on the edge of the Curragh, with a boardwalk.
Plan around Athy
- What's on across Leinster this week, refreshed every Monday.
- Thinking of moving here? Living in Athy covers prices, rents and schools. Median sale price €375,000.
- See every nationally rated heritage building and monument in our heritage guide to Co. Kildare.
Attraction data from Fáilte Ireland Open Data (CC BY 4.0), last refreshed 13 July 2026. Monuments from the National Monuments Service and heritage buildings from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (both data.gov.ie, CC BY 4.0). Trails from Sport Ireland's National Trails Register. Parks and reserves from the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Opening hours and admission can change; check the linked site before travelling.