Blow Your Mind in Sean’s in Athlone

The ‘Established 900 AD’ plaque on the wall of Sean’s Bar in Athlone has paid dividends with the pub now basking in the light of The Lonely Planet Guide’s 50 Bars to Blow Your Mind book which describes the County Westmeath hostelry as “the oldest drinking hole in Ireland and possibly the world (the jury’s out)”.

The Lonely Plant paean continues, “The original walls are still in there somewhere, though it’s a more contemporary-looking (last 200 years, say!) place now. Find the fireplace (or beer garden) and let your spirit be your guide.”

50 Bars to Blow Your Mind travels around the world’s most interesting bars from Limpopo to London, via San Francisco or Shanghai, offering the reader something that bit different for their drinks delectation.

Whether they boast a jaw-dropping location, world class artisan cocktails or an effortless cool, these bars are among the best places on the planet to enjoy a drink or two, says Lonely.

Already this year, The Lonely Planet has put Dublin as one of its Top 10 cities to visit in 2016 while it tipped Ireland as a Top 10 country to visit last year.