https://wikishire.co.uk/w/index.php?title=River_Shannon&feed=atom&action=historyRiver Shannon - Revision history2024-03-28T13:36:44ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.25.5https://wikishire.co.uk/w/index.php?title=River_Shannon&diff=57473&oldid=prevOwain at 06:22, 22 May 20182018-05-22T06:22:21Z<p></p>
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<tr><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>[[File:River Shannon from Drumsna bridge.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The young River Shannon at Drumsna Bridge, County Leitrim]]</div></td><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>[[File:River Shannon from Drumsna bridge.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The young River Shannon at Drumsna Bridge, County Leitrim]]</div></td></tr>
<tr><td class='diff-marker'>−</td><td style="color:black; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>The '''River Shannon''' is the longest river in [[Ireland]] at <del class="diffchange diffchange-inline">{{convert|360.5|km|mi|0|x}}</del>.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.osi.ie/en/faq/faq3.aspx#faq2 |publisher=Ordnance Survey Ireland |title=Frequently Asked Questions}}</ref>  It is the great artery of the island, outside Ulster at least, has been the conduit and subject of a great deal of history and the cultural imagination, dividing [[Counties of the Republic of Ireland|counties]] and [[Provinces of Ireland|provinces]] but uniting them by trade.</div></td><td class='diff-marker'>+</td><td style="color:black; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>The '''River Shannon''' is the longest river in [[Ireland]] at <ins class="diffchange diffchange-inline">224 miles</ins>.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.osi.ie/en/faq/faq3.aspx#faq2 |publisher=Ordnance Survey Ireland |title=Frequently Asked Questions}}</ref>  It is the great artery of the island, outside Ulster at least, has been the conduit and subject of a great deal of history and the cultural imagination, dividing [[Counties of the Republic of Ireland|counties]] and [[Provinces of Ireland|provinces]] but uniting them by trade.</div></td></tr>
<tr><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"></td><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>The Shannon flows entirely in the [[Republic of Ireland]].  It divides the west of Ireland (principally the [[Provinces of Ireland|province]] of [[Connaught]]) from the east and south ([[Leinster]] and most of [[Munster]]). [[County Clare]] alone stands west of the Shannon but is part of Munster. The river represents a major physical barrier between east and west, as there are fewer than thirty crossing-points between [[Limerick]] in the south and the village of [[Dowra]] in the north.</div></td><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>The Shannon flows entirely in the [[Republic of Ireland]].  It divides the west of Ireland (principally the [[Provinces of Ireland|province]] of [[Connaught]]) from the east and south ([[Leinster]] and most of [[Munster]]). [[County Clare]] alone stands west of the Shannon but is part of Munster. The river represents a major physical barrier between east and west, as there are fewer than thirty crossing-points between [[Limerick]] in the south and the village of [[Dowra]] in the north.</div></td></tr>
</table>Owainhttps://wikishire.co.uk/w/index.php?title=River_Shannon&diff=38255&oldid=prevFixerBot: clean up, typos fixed: Consequently → Consequently,2016-01-31T11:39:16Z<p>clean up, typos fixed: Consequently → Consequently,</p>
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<tr><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>[[File:ShannonRiversml.png|right|thumb|250px|Course of River Shannon]]</div></td><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>[[File:ShannonRiversml.png|right|thumb|250px|Course of River Shannon]]</div></td></tr>
<tr><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>[[File:Shannon at Limerick.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The Shannon at Limerick]]</div></td><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>[[File:Shannon at Limerick.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The Shannon at Limerick]]</div></td></tr>
<tr><td class='diff-marker'>−</td><td style="color:black; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>Though the Shannon has always been important for navigation in Ireland, there is a fall of only 60&nbsp;feet in the first 140 miles. Consequently it has always been shallow; just 2&nbsp;feet in depths in various places. The first serious attempt to improve things came in 1755 when the Commissioners of Inland Navigation ordered Thomas Omer, a new, possibly Dutch immigrant from Britain, to commence work.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ruth Delaney|title=Ireland's Inland Waterways|publisher=Appletree Press|year=2004}}</ref> He tackled four places between [[Lough Derg (Shannon)|Lough Derg]] and [[Lough Ree]] where natural navigation was obstructed, by installing lateral canals and either pound locks or flash locks. He then continued north of Lough Ree and made a number of similar improvements, most notably by creating the first Jamestown Canal which cut out a loop of the river between [[Jamestown, County Leitrim|Jamestown]] and [[Drumsna]] as well lateral canals at [[Roosky]] and [[Lanesborough, County Longford|Lanesborough]].</div></td><td class='diff-marker'>+</td><td style="color:black; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>Though the Shannon has always been important for navigation in Ireland, there is a fall of only 60&nbsp;feet in the first 140 miles. Consequently<ins class="diffchange diffchange-inline">, </ins>it has always been shallow; just 2&nbsp;feet in depths in various places. The first serious attempt to improve things came in 1755 when the Commissioners of Inland Navigation ordered Thomas Omer, a new, possibly Dutch immigrant from Britain, to commence work.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ruth Delaney|title=Ireland's Inland Waterways|publisher=Appletree Press|year=2004}}</ref> He tackled four places between [[Lough Derg (Shannon)|Lough Derg]] and [[Lough Ree]] where natural navigation was obstructed, by installing lateral canals and either pound locks or flash locks. He then continued north of Lough Ree and made a number of similar improvements, most notably by creating the first Jamestown Canal which cut out a loop of the river between [[Jamestown, County Leitrim|Jamestown]] and [[Drumsna]] as well lateral canals at [[Roosky]] and [[Lanesborough, County Longford|Lanesborough]].</div></td></tr>
<tr><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"></td><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>The lower Shannon between [[Killaloe, County Clare|Killaloe]] and [[Limerick]] was a different story. Here the river falls by 100&nbsp;feet in only {{convert|20|km|mi|0|x}}. William Ockenden was placed in charge of this in 1757 and spent £12,000 over the next four years without fully completing the task. In 1771, Parliament handed over responsibility to the Limerick Navigation Company with a grant of £6,000 to add to their subscriptions of £10,000. A lateral canal five miles long with six locks was started but the company needed more to complete it. In 1791, William Chapman was brought in to advise and discovered  a sorry state of affairs. All the locks had been built to different dimensions and he spent the next three years rebuilding most of them. The navigation was finally opened in 1799, when over 1,000 tons of corn came down to Limerick, as well as slates and turf. But even then, there were no tow paths in the river sections and there were still shoals in the summer months, no harbour facilities at Limerick and boats were limited to 15-20 tons load, often less.</div></td><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>The lower Shannon between [[Killaloe, County Clare|Killaloe]] and [[Limerick]] was a different story. Here the river falls by 100&nbsp;feet in only {{convert|20|km|mi|0|x}}. William Ockenden was placed in charge of this in 1757 and spent £12,000 over the next four years without fully completing the task. In 1771, Parliament handed over responsibility to the Limerick Navigation Company with a grant of £6,000 to add to their subscriptions of £10,000. A lateral canal five miles long with six locks was started but the company needed more to complete it. In 1791, William Chapman was brought in to advise and discovered  a sorry state of affairs. All the locks had been built to different dimensions and he spent the next three years rebuilding most of them. The navigation was finally opened in 1799, when over 1,000 tons of corn came down to Limerick, as well as slates and turf. But even then, there were no tow paths in the river sections and there were still shoals in the summer months, no harbour facilities at Limerick and boats were limited to 15-20 tons load, often less.</div></td></tr>
</table>FixerBothttps://wikishire.co.uk/w/index.php?title=River_Shannon&diff=24941&oldid=prevOwain: /* References */2014-10-14T10:27:31Z<p><span dir="auto"><span class="autocomment">References</span></span></p>
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</table>Owainhttps://wikishire.co.uk/w/index.php?title=River_Shannon&diff=17642&oldid=prevRB: /* Geography */2013-10-09T23:39:31Z<p><span dir="auto"><span class="autocomment">Geography</span></span></p>
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<tr><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>There are some tributaries within the River Shannon system which may have headwaters that are further in length (from source to mouth) than the Shannon Pot source, such as the [[Owenmore River]] in County Cavan, which flows west through the valley of Glengavlin, joining the Shannon about 2 miles below Lugnashinna.<ref>{{cite book |title=Atlas and Cyclopedia of Ireland |author=P. W. Joyce | chapter=Cavan |url=http://www.libraryireland.com/Atlas/Cavan.php |year=1900 |publisher=Murphy & McCarthy}}</ref></div></td><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>There are some tributaries within the River Shannon system which may have headwaters that are further in length (from source to mouth) than the Shannon Pot source, such as the [[Owenmore River]] in County Cavan, which flows west through the valley of Glengavlin, joining the Shannon about 2 miles below Lugnashinna.<ref>{{cite book |title=Atlas and Cyclopedia of Ireland |author=P. W. Joyce | chapter=Cavan |url=http://www.libraryireland.com/Atlas/Cavan.php |year=1900 |publisher=Murphy & McCarthy}}</ref></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"></td><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class='diff-marker'>−</td><td style="color:black; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>Apart from being Ireland's longest river, the Shannon is also, by far, Ireland's largest river (by flow). It has a Long Term Average Flow rate of {{convert|208.1|m3|<del class="diffchange diffchange-inline">gallon</del>}} a second: this is double the flow rate of Ireland's 2nd largest river, the [[River Corrib]] in [[County Galway]] ({{convert|104.8|m3<del class="diffchange diffchange-inline">|gallon</del>|0|x}} a second).<ref>http://www.serbd.com/MultiDownloads/Creport/Chapters/Physical%20Description%20Ch3.pdf</ref></div></td><td class='diff-marker'>+</td><td style="color:black; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>Apart from being Ireland's longest river, the Shannon is also, by far, Ireland's largest river (by flow). It has a Long Term Average Flow rate of {{convert|208.1|m3|<ins class="diffchange diffchange-inline">0|x</ins>}} a second: this is double the flow rate of Ireland's 2nd largest river, the [[River Corrib]] in [[County Galway]] ({{convert|104.8|m3|0|x}} a second).<ref>http://www.serbd.com/MultiDownloads/Creport/Chapters/Physical%20Description%20Ch3.pdf</ref></div></td></tr>
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<tr><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>Major lakes on the Shannon include:</div></td><td class='diff-marker'> </td><td style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #e6e6e6; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>Major lakes on the Shannon include:</div></td></tr>
</table>RBhttps://wikishire.co.uk/w/index.php?title=River_Shannon&diff=17631&oldid=prevRB: Created page with 'The young River Shannon at Drumsna Bridge, County Leitrim The '''River Shannon''' is the longest river in [[Irela…'2013-10-09T23:20:06Z<p>Created page with '<a href="/wiki/File:River_Shannon_from_Drumsna_bridge.jpg" title="File:River Shannon from Drumsna bridge.jpg">The young River Shannon at Drumsna Bridge, County Leitrim</a> The '''River Shannon''' is the longest river in [[Irela…'</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>[[File:River Shannon from Drumsna bridge.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The young River Shannon at Drumsna Bridge, County Leitrim]]<br />
The '''River Shannon''' is the longest river in [[Ireland]] at {{convert|360.5|km|mi|0|x}}.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.osi.ie/en/faq/faq3.aspx#faq2 |publisher=Ordnance Survey Ireland |title=Frequently Asked Questions}}</ref> It is the great artery of the island, outside Ulster at least, has been the conduit and subject of a great deal of history and the cultural imagination, dividing [[Counties of the Republic of Ireland|counties]] and [[Provinces of Ireland|provinces]] but uniting them by trade.<br />
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The Shannon flows entirely in the [[Republic of Ireland]]. It divides the west of Ireland (principally the [[Provinces of Ireland|province]] of [[Connaught]]) from the east and south ([[Leinster]] and most of [[Munster]]). [[County Clare]] alone stands west of the Shannon but is part of Munster. The river represents a major physical barrier between east and west, as there are fewer than thirty crossing-points between [[Limerick]] in the south and the village of [[Dowra]] in the north.<br />
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The Shannon has been an important waterway since antiquity. It was described by the Graeco-Egyptian geographer Ptolemy. The river flows generally southward from the [[Shannon Pot]] in [[County Cavan]] before turning west and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean through the long Shannon Estuary, {{convert|113|km|mi|0|x}} long. Limerick city stands at head of the estuary, where the river water meets the sea water. The Shannon is unaffected by sea tides east of Limerick.<br />
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==Name==<br />
The Irish language knows the Shannon as ''an tSionainn'' or ''an tSionna'', or ''Abha na Sionainne''. It is named, so it is said, after an Irish goddess named ''Sionna''.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.catholicireland.net/books-a-media/193-moral-issues-a-values/443-global-aspirations-and-the-reality-of-change |title=Global aspirations and the reality of change |chapter=Listening to difference: Ireland in a world of music |author=Mícheál O Súilleabháin |editor=Harry Bohan and Gerard Kennedy}}</ref><br />
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==Geography==<br />
[[File:Shannon Pot (474383119).jpg|right|thumb|220px|Shannon Pot]]<br />
By tradition the Shannon is said to rise in the [[Shannon Pot]], a small pool on the slopes of [[Cuilcagh|Cuilcagh Mountain]] in [[County Cavan]], from where the young river appears as a small trout stream. Surveys have defined a {{convert|12.8|km2|mi2|1|x}} immediate pot catchment area covering the slopes of Cuilcagh, which area includes Garvah Lough, Cavan, a mile and a half to the northeast, drained by ''Pollnaowen''.<ref group="n">Note '''Poll nm1:''' hole, pit, sink, leak, aperture (The Pocket Oxford Irish Dictionary - Irish-English)</ref> Further sinks that source the pot include Pollboy and, through [[Shannon Cave]], Pollahune in Cavan and Polltulyard and Tullyrrakeeragh in [[Fermanagh]], in the [[United Kingdom]]. The highest point in the catchment is a spring at Tiltinbane on the western end of the Cuilcagh mountain ridge.<ref name="SBW">Philip Elmer et al. ''Springs and Bottled Waters of the World'' Springer ISBN 3-540-61841-4</ref><br />
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From the Shannon Pot, the river subsumes a number of tributaries before replenishing [[Lough Allen]] at its head.<ref>[http://www.iwai.ie/maps/shannon/guide/17.php3 The Shannon Guide]</ref><br />
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[[File:Athlone.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The Shannon at Athlone]]<br />
The river runs through or between 11 of Ireland's [[Counties of the Republic Ireland|counties]], subsuming the tributary rivers [[River Inny, Westmeath|Inny]], [[River Suck|Suck]] and [[River Brosna|Brosna]], before reaching the Shannon Estuary at [[Limerick]]. At a total length of {{convert|360.5|km|mi|0|x}}, this means it is the longest river in both Ireland and the wider [[British Isles]].<ref name="Enviromental Geology">{{cite journal |url=http://www.springerlink.com/content/t8420623471u73h7/ |title=Source of the River Shannon, Ireland |journal=Environmental Geology |volume=27 |number=2 |pages=110–112 |publisher=Springer |date=Jan 31 2005|doi=10.1007/BF01061681}}</ref><ref name="Discover Ireland">{{cite web |url=http://www.discoverireland.com/gb/about-ireland/nature/ |title=Nature & Scenery|publisher=Discover Ireland}}</ref><ref>''Studia Hibernica'', No.4 (1964). Available: http://www.jstor.org/pss/20495797 Accessed: 10-August-2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/160321/view Accessed: 10-August-2011.]</ref><ref>[http://gcl.ie/index.jsp?1nID=456&pID=459&nID=484 Accessed: 10-August-2011.]</ref><br />
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[[File:LimerickCity BishopsQuay.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The Shannon at Limerick]]<br />
There are some tributaries within the River Shannon system which may have headwaters that are further in length (from source to mouth) than the Shannon Pot source, such as the [[Owenmore River]] in County Cavan, which flows west through the valley of Glengavlin, joining the Shannon about 2 miles below Lugnashinna.<ref>{{cite book |title=Atlas and Cyclopedia of Ireland |author=P. W. Joyce | chapter=Cavan |url=http://www.libraryireland.com/Atlas/Cavan.php |year=1900 |publisher=Murphy & McCarthy}}</ref><br />
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Apart from being Ireland's longest river, the Shannon is also, by far, Ireland's largest river (by flow). It has a Long Term Average Flow rate of {{convert|208.1|m3|gallon}} a second: this is double the flow rate of Ireland's 2nd largest river, the [[River Corrib]] in [[County Galway]] ({{convert|104.8|m3|gallon|0|x}} a second).<ref>http://www.serbd.com/MultiDownloads/Creport/Chapters/Physical%20Description%20Ch3.pdf</ref><br />
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Major lakes on the Shannon include:<br />
*[[Lough Allen]]<br />
*[[Lough Ree]] and<br />
*[[Lough Derg (Shannon)|Lough Derg]]<br />
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==History and folklore==<br />
[[File:Clonmacnoise - geograph.org.uk - 585622.jpg|240px|left|thumb|River Shannon at Clonmacnoise]]<br />
The river began flowing along its present course after the end of the last Ice Age. <br />
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According to Irish mythology, the river was named after a woman named Sionann (older spelling: Sínann or Sínand), the granddaughter of Lir. She went to Connla's Well to find wisdom, despite being warned not to approach it. In some sources she, like Fionn mac Cumhaill, caught and ate the Salmon of Wisdom who swam there, becoming the wisest being on Earth. However, the well then burst forth, drowning Sionann and carrying her out to sea.<ref>Monaghan, Patricia. ''The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore''. Infobase Publishing, 2004. p.420</ref> A similar tale is told of Boann and the [[River Boyne]]. It is believed that Sionann was held to be the goddess of the river. Patricia Monaghan notes that "The drowning of a goddess in a river is common in Irish mythology and typically represents the dissolving of her divine power into the water, which then gives life to the land".<ref>Monaghan, p.27</ref><br />
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The Shannon reputedly hosts a river monster named Cata, first appearing in the mediæval Book of Lismore. In this manuscript we are told that Senán, patron saint of [[County Clare]], defeated the monster at [[Inis Cathaigh]].<ref>[http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/folklore/folklore_survey/chapter8.htm A Folklore Survey of County Clare: Supernatural Animals]. Clarelibrary.ie. Retrieved on 2013-07-23.</ref> Cata is described as a large monster with a horse's mane, gleaming eyes, thick feet, nails of iron and a whale's tail.<ref>Cata The Monster of Shannon Waves : A true Story by Shane Mac Olon</ref><br />
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Vikings settled in the region in 10th century and used the river to raid the rich monasteries deep inland. In 937 the Limerick Vikings clashed with those of [[Dublin]] on Lough Ree and were defeated.<br />
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In the 17th century, the Shannon was of major strategic importance in military campaign in Ireland, as it formed a physical boundary between the east and west of the country. In the Irish Confederate Wars of 1641-53, the Irish retreated behind the Shannon in 1650 and held out for two further years against English Parliamentarian forces. In preparing a land settlement, or plantation after his conquest of Ireland Oliver Cromwell reputedly said the remaining Irish landowners would go to "Hell or Connaught", referring to their choice of forced migration west across the river Shannon, or death, thus freeing up the eastern landholdings for the incoming English settlers.<br />
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In the Williamite war in Ireland (1689–91), the Jacobites also retreated behind the Shannon after their defeat at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. [[Athlone]] and Limerick, cities commanding bridges over the river, saw bloody sieges.<br />
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As late as 1916, the leaders of the Easter Rising planned to have their forces in the west "hold the line of the Shannon". However, in the event, the rebels were neither well enough armed nor equipped to attempt such an ambitious policy.<br />
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==Navigation==<br />
[[File:ShannonRiversml.png|right|thumb|250px|Course of River Shannon]]<br />
[[File:Shannon at Limerick.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The Shannon at Limerick]]<br />
Though the Shannon has always been important for navigation in Ireland, there is a fall of only 60&nbsp;feet in the first 140 miles. Consequently it has always been shallow; just 2&nbsp;feet in depths in various places. The first serious attempt to improve things came in 1755 when the Commissioners of Inland Navigation ordered Thomas Omer, a new, possibly Dutch immigrant from Britain, to commence work.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ruth Delaney|title=Ireland's Inland Waterways|publisher=Appletree Press|year=2004}}</ref> He tackled four places between [[Lough Derg (Shannon)|Lough Derg]] and [[Lough Ree]] where natural navigation was obstructed, by installing lateral canals and either pound locks or flash locks. He then continued north of Lough Ree and made a number of similar improvements, most notably by creating the first Jamestown Canal which cut out a loop of the river between [[Jamestown, County Leitrim|Jamestown]] and [[Drumsna]] as well lateral canals at [[Roosky]] and [[Lanesborough, County Longford|Lanesborough]].<br />
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The lower Shannon between [[Killaloe, County Clare|Killaloe]] and [[Limerick]] was a different story. Here the river falls by 100&nbsp;feet in only {{convert|20|km|mi|0|x}}. William Ockenden was placed in charge of this in 1757 and spent £12,000 over the next four years without fully completing the task. In 1771, Parliament handed over responsibility to the Limerick Navigation Company with a grant of £6,000 to add to their subscriptions of £10,000. A lateral canal five miles long with six locks was started but the company needed more to complete it. In 1791, William Chapman was brought in to advise and discovered a sorry state of affairs. All the locks had been built to different dimensions and he spent the next three years rebuilding most of them. The navigation was finally opened in 1799, when over 1,000 tons of corn came down to Limerick, as well as slates and turf. But even then, there were no tow paths in the river sections and there were still shoals in the summer months, no harbour facilities at Limerick and boats were limited to 15-20 tons load, often less.<br />
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With the approaching opening of the [[Grand Canal]], the Grand Canal Company obtained permission from the Directors General and asked John Brownrigg to do a survey which found that much of Omer's work had deteriorated badly, so they started repairs. After protracted negotiations on costs and conditions, the work was completed by 1810 so that boats drawing 5'9" could pass from [[Athlone]] to [[Killaloe, County Clare|Killaloe]]. Improvements on the lower levels were also undertaken, being completed by 1814.<br />
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When the [[Royal Canal]] was completed in 1817 there was pressure to improve the navigation above Lough Ree. The Jamestown Canal was repaired, harbours built and John Killaly designed a canal alongside the river from [[Battlebridge]] to [[Lough Allen]] which was opened in 1820.<br />
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In the latter part of the 1820s, trade increased dramatically with the arrival of paddle-wheeled steamers on the river which carried passengers and goods. By 1831 14,600 passengers and 36,000 tons of freight were being carried. This put new pressure on the navigation and a commission was set up resulting in the Shannon Navigation Act of 1835 appointing five Commissioners for the improvement of navigation and drainage who took possession of the whole navigation. Over the next 15 years many improvements were made but in 1849 a railway was opened from Dublin to Limerick and the number of passengers fell dramatically. Freight, which had risen to over 100,000 tons a year, was also halved.<br />
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But the work the commissioners carried out failed to solve the problems of flooding and there were disastrous floods in the early 1860s. Given the flat nature of most of the riverbank this was not easily addressed and nothing much was done till the twentieth century.<br />
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One of the first projects of the Irish Free State in the 1920s was to build the Ardnacrusha power station on the lower Shannon near Killaloe. The old navigations were abandoned and the head race constructed from Lough Derg which also served for navigation. A double lock has been provided for navigation.<br />
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In the 1950s traffic began to fall and low fixed bridges would have replaced opening bridges but for the actions of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland which persuaded the Tánaiste to encourage passenger launches, which kept the bridges high enough for navigation. Since then the leisure trade has steadily increased, becoming a great success story.<br />
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==Canals==<br />
[[File:Shannonbridge.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Shannon-Bridge, County Offaly]]<br />
There are many canals connecting with the River Shannon. The [[Royal Canal]] and the [[Grand Canal]] connect the Shannon to Dublin and the [[Irish Sea]].<br />
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It is linked to the [[River Erne]] and [[Lough Erne]] by the [[Shannon-Erne Waterway]]. [[Ballinasloe]] is linked to the Shannon by way of the [[River Suck]] and canal, while [[Boyle, County Roscommon|Boyle]] is connected by the Boyle canal, the River Boyle and Lough Kee. There is also the Ardnacrusha canal connected with the Ardnacrusha dam south of Lough Derg. Near Limerick, a short canal connects Plassey with the Abbey River, allowing boats to bypass the Curraghower Falls, a major obstacle to navigation.<br />
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[[Lecarrow]] village in [[County Roscommon]] is connected to Lough Ree by way of the Lecarrow canal. Jamestown Canal and the Albert Lock form a link between the River Shannon, from south of [[Jamestown, County Leitrim|Jamestown]], to Lough Nanoge to the south of [[Drumsna]].<br />
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==Outside links==<br />
{{commons}}<br />
* [http://www.iwai.ie/nav/shannon.html Information, maps etc. on The Shannon Navigation (from Inland Waterways Association of Ireland)]<br />
*{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/538586/River-Shannon |title=River Shannon |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica}}<br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist|group=n}}<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shannon}}<br />
{{Catself}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Rivers of Britain and Ireland]]<br />
[[Category:Rivers of County Cavan]]<br />
[[Category:Rivers of County Clare]]<br />
[[Category:Rivers of County Galway]]<br />
[[Category:Rivers of County Leitrim]]<br />
[[Category:Rivers of County Limerick]]<br />
[[Category:Rivers of County Longford]]<br />
[[Category:Rivers of County Offaly]]<br />
[[Category:Rivers of County Roscommon]]<br />
[[Category:Rivers of Tipperary]]<br />
[[Category:Rivers of Westmeath]]</div>RB