Weekly Observer newspaper which contains articles for towns over much of west Limerick has an "Athea Notes" column resulting in it being a household newspaper in Athea. Sport Athea GAA (Áth an tSléibhe CLG) is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club, and its team colours are maroon and white. The club is located in Templeathea, 1 km east of the village on the R523. Athea Credit Union are the primary sponsors of the club. Athea United Athletic Football Club is a local soccer club. It moved to a new site in 2000, and its clubhouse is located in Lower Dirreen on the Glin Road (R524). The Athea Blazers Basketball Club was formed in 2005 and has its base is at Con Colbert Memorial Hall. Fishing also takes place in the area. Demographics In the 2016 census, the population of the village was 369. Approximately 90% of the population were born in Ireland, with other residents born in the UK, Poland, and elsewhere in the world. 91% of census respondents in Athea listed their religion as Roman Catholic, 7% other stated religions and approximately 2% no stated religion or no religion. Education The primary school - Athea National School (Athea NS) - was built in 1921. Prior to this, a small thatched schoolhouse was located centrally in the village (now no longer in use). Athea NS is located in Templeathea townland, just east of the village centre. When opened in 1921, it had a capacity of 100 students. A large extension to the school was officially opened in 2009. Today's building houses five classrooms with toilet facilities in each room, a principal's office, a secretary's office, a library, a computer room and a preschool. The school is headed by the Athea National School Board of Management. Although there are no post-primary schools in Athea, bus transport is available to secondary schools in nearby Abbeyfeale (St. Ita's, St. Joseph's and Abbeyfeale Vocational School) and Tarbert (Tarbert Comprehensive). Transport A Limerick-Tralee bus service operates via Athea every Wednesday. There are also local hackney services available. The closest train stations to Athea are the Colbert Station in Limerick city and Charleville in County Cork. Notable people Con Colbert, the youngest man to be executed by the British after the Easter Rising in 1916, lived on the family farm in Athea. Kevin Danaher, folklorist and historian, was born in Athea. His early education was at