The Athenaeum dates to 1892. It was built to serve as a town hall and a theatre which hosted touring companies, lectures and concerts. The building was also used as the headquarters of Enniscorthy’s volunteers during the Easter Rising of 1916. Meetings were held here and a hospital with a makeshift morgue was set up, although these were never actually used. Padraig Pearse gave the order to surrender from his prison cell on the 27 of April 1916 before any local blood was shed.

Following a complete restoration of the property in 2016, a small museum opened in the building with artifacts pertaining to its role in that historic event. Paranormal activity has been experienced by many people within the walls of the Athenaeum, but particularly in the museum. Poltergeist activity has been experienced, with doors slamming and lights turning on and off by themselves. People have reported being touched by unseen hands and shadowy figures have been seen moving around. Voices have also been heard, clearly and without the need for recording equipment. These voices are believed to be those of the 1916 volunteers – and some of them are still very angry. Witnesses have spoken of ominous feelings and of a sense of doom in the auditorium, while outwardly malevolent energy has also been experienced in the shower area.

At one point in recent times, the building was regularly booked out by paranormal investigators, and very few left disappointed.