Jetty Hop
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Approaching Athy on the River Barrow, with White’s Castle and the arches of Crom-a-Boo Bridge ahead and clouds reflected in calm water.
Photo: A.-K. D. · CC BY-SA 4.0
© OpenStreetMap contributors

Town Co. Kildare

Athy

Baile Átha Í

A busy market town where the Barrow Line meets the River Barrow, with river trips from the town quay and the new Shackleton Experience museum.

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  • Not yet checked: berths, shore power, water, pump-out, fuel, price and maximum stay

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Moor here

Barrow Quay jetty

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Floating jetty · visitor access not yet checked

Current availability unknown

Report space · Seven-day history

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About this mooring

Floating jetty on the river at Barrow Quay used by the trip boat; whether visiting boats may berth here is not yet known.

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Permit needed: up to 5 days at one public mooring

Every boat on the canals and the Barrow needs a Waterways Ireland permit on display. The yearly Combined Mooring and Passage permit allows up to 5 days at any one public mooring; visiting boats can get a free 31-day permit once a year. Permits from Waterways Ireland

From here

1 itinerary
Itineraries that stop here
In the guide

Today

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Weather and water

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In an emergency 112 999

Call 112 or 999 and ask for the Coast Guard. Both numbers work in Ireland and in Northern Ireland.

About Athy

Athy grew from an Anglo-Norman settlement at an old ford of the Barrow, held for centuries by the FitzGerald earls of Kildare. The canal reached the river here in 1791, and the Barrow Line still ends at the 28th lock on the edge of town, where boats drop onto the river navigation. Athy Boat Tours run trips from a jetty at Barrow Quay in the centre, and The Auld Shebeen gastro bar stands on the canal bank. The big draw is the Shackleton Experience on Emily Square, reopened in 2025 after a €7.5 million rebuild; it holds the cabin from the Quest, in which the Kildare-born explorer died, and a large model of the Endurance. Also worth seeing are White’s Castle, a tower house of 1417 guarding the river crossing, and Crom-a-Boo Bridge of 1796. Shops and lively music pubs are close to the water.

Eat & drink

Things to do 3

  • Museum

    Shackleton Experience

    Museum on Ernest Shackleton on Emily Square, with the cabin from the Quest, his sledge and a 15-foot model of the Endurance; open Tuesday to Saturday.

    Website
  • Heritage

    White’s Castle

    Stone tower house of 1417 at the river crossing in the town centre, with carved slabs showing the Earl of Kildare’s arms; seen from outside.

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Neighbours by water

  • Ardreigh Lock ≈ 1.7 km · ≈ 15 min Next opening 07:23 (in 3 h 20 min)
  • Levitstown Lock ≈ 7.2 km · 1 lock · ≈ 1 h 15 min Next opening 07:23 (in 3 h 20 min)
  • Vicarstown ≈ 12 km · ≈ 1 h 30 min
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≈ distances are computed along the water, not along the marked channel. Times are our estimate: 7.5 km/h and 15 minutes a lock. Check the Waterways Ireland marine notices

Also nearby, from OpenStreetMap (93)

Not checked by us. Tap a group to open it. © OpenStreetMap contributors

Food & drink (38)
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Things to do (9)
Services (27)
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Harbours & marinas from OpenStreetMap — access not checked (5)
Locks & bridges (14)
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© OpenStreetMap contributors