Athlone will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the town twinning with Chateaubriant,
France in March 2005.
Athlone is twinned with the French town Chateaubriant located in the French
Department of the Loire-Atlantique in the heart of the west of France. It
is a centre of cattle breeding in France and is internationally renowned for
its infamous 'Chateaubriant Steak'.
Bere was the name of the small village which predated the town and is still rembered through the annual 'Foire de Bere', a giant Agricultural Fair and showcase that takes place over a four day period in early September. An annual average of 50,000 people attend the fair.