History

The house began its life as the home of Michael Monks in 1814. It was established as an Athlone hotel in 1951 by the late Mr. Frank Coen and was later owned by the Colgan family. Over the years it has been owned and operated by various families, with its current owner, Mr. Paddy McCaul, purchasing it in 1994.

The hotel is strongly supported locally in Athlone and underwent a redevelopment in 2005 adding 40  Deluxe and Superior Bedrooms and 12  two bedroom suites   which are the very best accommodation Athlone has to offer. The redevelopment also included renovations to bar and lobby areas as well as a new function and conference room.

Paddy along with his son Alan, who is General Manager, work hard together with their team to ensure each and every guest enjoys their stay at the Shamrock Lodge Hotel. As a landmark in the town of Athlone, the hotel has been fortunate to welcome generations of families share special milestone celebrations, such as christenings, graduations and weddings.

As one of the finest hotels in Athlone, the Shamrock Lodge Hotel have been fortunate to welcome many distinguished guests during the last century including royalty, ambassadors and former presidents. Princess Grace’s visit in 1961 is fondly remembered by the people of Athlone. Paddy’s McCaul, hotel proprietor, who was a very young man at the time, remembers the visit fondly. His father was a chef at the Shamrock Lodge Hotel at the time.

Further redevelopments and renovations have taken place in the last number of years including the John Broderick Ballroom, upgrading of 4 two-bedroom suites to self-catering apartments, Ath Luain Restaurant, lobby, gardens and Princess Grace Honeymoon Suite. Further exciting plans for expansion and renovations are in the plans for the next 5 years as we continue to update, improve and extend our offering to our cherished patrons.

Visitors to the Shamrock Lodge Hotel Athlone sometimes ask where it got its name.

One theory is that an early owner of the lodge was a member of the Freemasons whose Athlone branch was known as Shamrock Lodge 101.

While others say that the grounds around the house was famous for shamrock.

 For more information on our hotel, please contact us on +353 (0) 90 649 2601 or email: info@shamrocklodgehotel.ie