Overview
Friar’s Island is a small townland – about 0.39 km² – on the shore of Killinure Lough, one of the inner lakes of Lough Ree, north-east of Athlone in County Westmeath. Set your expectations accordingly: as of the 2011 census it held no houses and no population, and there’s no visitor centre, no signage and nothing you’d call an attraction. What there is: a name with a Franciscan history behind it, a causeway out from the mainland, and a stretch of quiet lakeshore that’s genuinely good for a walk and a bit of birdwatching.
One point worth clearing up, because plenty of sources muddle it: there is a better-known Friar’s Island in the Shannon near Killaloe – the one whose small oratory was dismantled and rebuilt at St Flannan’s when the Ardnacrusha scheme flooded it in the 1920s. This is not that island. The Westmeath townland was never submerged; it’s still dry land on Killinure Lough.
The Franciscan connection
The name is the interesting part. The first Franciscans in Athlone are said to have settled on Friar’s Island around 1235, using the island’s seclusion much as monastic communities did across the midland lakes. In the early 17th century – possibly 1626 – friars established a more permanent house nearby at Killinure, known in Irish as Oileán na mBráithre, ‘the island of the friars’. It’s a modest thread of history rather than a grand one, and there’s no standing ruin to walk around, so come for the setting rather than the stones.
What to see and do
- The lakeshore walk – The real draw. A flat, popular riverside and lakeside path runs along Killinure Lough, with steady views out over the water and the reedbeds. It’s an easy, low-key outing from the Ballykeeran side.
- Birdwatching – Killinure Lough supports waterfowl and, in the taller vegetation, reed warblers and sedge warblers through the breeding season. Otters work the margins at dawn and dusk, and freshwater mussels live in the shallows. Winter brings more wildfowl through the midlands.
- The causeway – The island can be reached from the mainland at Ballykeeran by a causeway. Be warned that part of it may sit under water depending on levels since the Shannon scheme, so you can’t always count on crossing dry-shod – check locally, and don’t plan on it in high water.
Practical Information
The site is open public ground with no admission charge and no fixed hours.
Parking & access – There’s no dedicated car park at the island. Most visitors start from Athlone or Ballykeeran and walk in along the lakeside path. Athlone town centre has car parks if you’re combining the walk with a look around town; check current tariffs on arrival rather than assuming free parking.
Getting there – Athlone is a stop on the Dublin–Galway rail line, and Bus Éireann routes 65 and 111 serve the town. From there it’s a walk out along the river and lakeshore, or a short drive to the Ballykeeran side.
Facilities – None on site. Toilets, food and coffee are all back in Athlone, which makes it easy to pair the walk with Athlone Castle or a bite in town.
If you go
This is a walk-and-watch outing, not a monument. Bring binoculars and, given the state of the causeway, footwear you don’t mind getting wet – then combine it with Athlone, where there’s plenty more to fill a day.