IRELAND - BARGING IN IRELAND - SHANNON RIVER CRUISE

Quick Links:
RIVER SHANNON - LOUGH REE - ATHLONE - ATHLONE CASTLE - CORLEA TRACKWAY
SHANNONBRIDGE - CLONMACNOISE - BIRR CASTLE - LEAP CASTLE - GALWAY - LOUGH DERG
MOUNTSHANNON - KILLALOE - CRAGGAUNOWEN CASTLE
GOLF CLUBS : Athlone - Lahinch - Portumna - Galway Bay - Glasson

Athlone Castle This 13th-century Norman castle dominates the town and was central to the siege of Athlone in 1691. Today the castle is a center of tourism housing the tourist office, a visitors center, a museum and a specially commissioned tribute to the world famous tenor, John Count McCormack. Other features include exhibitions on the siege of Athlone, River Shannon wildlife and history, together with folklore and military museums.

Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre The Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre interprets an Iron Age bog road that was built in the year 148 B.C across the boglands of Longford, close to the River Shannon. The oak road is the largest of its kind to have been uncovered in Europe and was excavated by Professor Barry Raftery of University College Dublin. Inside the interpretative centre, an 18-meter stretch of the preserved trackway is on permanent display in a hall specially designed to preserve the ancient wooden structure. Bord na Móna and the Office of Public Works have carried out conservation work on the surrounding bog to ensure that it remains wet and that the buried road remains preserved.

Clonmacnoise This early Christian site was founded by St. Ciarán in the mid-6th century on the eastern bank of the River Shannon. Clonmacnoise was a great center of learning, and many manuscripts, including the Annals of Tighernach (11th century) and the Book of the Dun Cow (12th century), were written here. The site includes the ruins of a cathedral, seven churches (10th  -13th century), two round towers, three high crosses and the largest collection of Early Christian graveslabs in Western Europe. The visitor center has a display of original high crosses and a selection of graveslabs. The long and varied history of Clonmacnoise is recounted in an audiovisual presentation, and there are also exhibitions that deal with the flora, fauna and landscape of the region.

Birr Castle The Birr Castle Demesne (or Estate) offers something for everyone to enjoy and is especially interesting and educational for families. Start with Ireland’s Historic Science Centre in the old stable block, along with its café and shop. Then explore 50 hectares of park land, visit the magnificent Formal Gardens and terraces, and discover Birr’s world famous engineering and astronomical wonder... the Great Telescope. A 'demesne' consists of the lands held by an estate for its own use and occupation, incorporating gardens, farmlands, woods and buildings. The Gardens have a rich history attached to them. They were originally landscaped around the lake in the 18th century by Sir William Parsons, and over the generations of the Parsons family the Demesne has increased in beauty and interest. It now has plant material collected and subscribed for by three generations of the Earls of Rosse, as well as some of the most famous plant hunters past and present. The garden comes alive in spring with spring flowering bulbs and a vast Magnolia collection. Ireland's Historic Science Centre contains astronomical instruments, cameras, photographs and photographic equipment used by the Third and Fourth Earls and Mary, Countess of Rosse, in the middle and late 1800s. Also on display is electrical and engineering equipment originally belonging to Charles Parsons and used in his experiments as well as a large area devoted to the botanical work carried out in the Demesne. The whole collection is housed in the restored stables of the castle. The Great Telescope (aka The Rosse Telescope). During the 1840's and starting from virtually first principles, the third Earl of Rosse designed and had built the mirrors, tube and mountings for a 72-inch reflecting telescope which was the largest in the world at that time and remained so for three quarters of a century. With this instrument, situated near the middle of Ireland, Lord Rosse was able to study and record details of immensely distant stellar objects and to provide evidence that many of these mysterious nebulae were actually galaxies located far outside our own.

Birr Castle Lower Walk The Great Telescope

Sean Ryan, the owner of Leap Castle in Ireland, discusses the spirits that cohabitate in Leap Castle with his family

Craggaunowen Castle The name Craggaunowen derives from its Irish name Creagán Eoghain (Owen's little rocky hill). Craggaunowen Castle was built in 1550 by John MacSioda MacNamara, a descendant of Sioda MacNamara who built Knappogue Castle in 1467. It is a typical example of a fortified Tower House which was the ordinary residence of the gentry at the time. After the collapse of the Gaelic Order in the 17th century, the castle was left roofless and uninhabitable. 'Honest' Tom Steele had the castle rebuilt as a summer house in the 1820s. The modern restoration work was completed in 1965 by John Hunt, who then added the extension to the ground floor in 1967 where part of his collection of antiquities containing many medieval objects were exhibited. Most of his collection now resides in the Hunt Museum in Limerick City. Some larger items of furniture still remain at Craggaunowen Castle. The Craggaunowen Project (www.craggaunowen.org) is an award winning archaeological open air museum centered around a 16th Century Towerhouse in County Clare Ireland. The park, started by John Hunt, is set in 50 acres of idyllic woodland with a picturesque lake and is host to several examples of early historic dwelling places. The Park interprets several features commonly found in the Irish archaeological landscape, by the recreation of several homesteads and monuments. The primary features are a Crannóg which is a type of man-made island dwelling place that came into being in the Bronze Age with some showing usage through to 17th Century, with their main usage being around the 7th Century); a Ring Fort (these also show evidence of having similar period coverage to the Crannógs); a replica Fulachta Fia (Bronze Age cooking and/or industrial site); a Dolmen (Neolithic Portal tomb) and Standing Stone. Another important attraction at Craggaunowen is the 'Brendan Boat', the hide boat in which Tim Severin sailed from Ireland to Canada, re-enacting the Voyage of St. Brendan the Navigator (who died in 583 AD) who is reputed to have discovered America centuries before Columbus. The actual boat used in Severin's qwest is on display in a specially constructed glass boathouse.

Craggaunowen Castle Bronze Age Huts St Brendan's Boat

Athlone Golf Club Athlone Golf Club was founded in 1892 making it one of the longest established clubs in the country. It is a superb 18-hole parkland course situated on the shores of Lough Ree in the center of the country bounded on three sides by picturesque Lough Ree. Beautifully designed, the course exploits the natural splendour of its surroundings, affording from its vantage points and from the modern strategically appointed clubhouse panoramic views of the lake and its wooded islands. Its tree-lined fairways and undulating terrain make it a true test of golf.

Lahinch Golf Club Lahinch Golf Club is famous for its championship course amongst the sandhills. It dates back as far as 1892. Officers of the Scottish Regiment, The Black Watch, who were stationed in Limerick, decided to establish a branch of the Limerick Golf Club here. It was officially inaugurated on Good Friday 1893. The original course was mainly east of the Liscannor Road but in 1907 the committee decided that the sandhills would prove more challenging. In 1927 Dr. A McKenzie designed the present Lahinch lay out. Today Lahinch is a mecca for golfers from all over the world with its eighteen hole championship course coupled with the nearby Castle Course which caters for the overflow of golfers, particularly during the peak holiday periods. Each July the club hosts the South of Ireland golf championship, now the oldest in the country, having started in 1895.

Portumna Golf Club Portumna Golf Club is one of the hidden gems of Irish golf. It is a beautiful parkland course which sweeps its way through forest and woodlands close to Lough Derg, the last and largest lake on the River Shannon. Its mature and graceful trees backdrop the full range of seasonal colour to provide a different challenging experience, no matter what time of the year it is played. Laid out over undulating land, Portumna has lots of interesting shots, including a number of elevated tee box positions.

Galway Bay Golf Course At the Galway Bay Golf Course the natural water hazard is the Atlantic Ocean; the dramatic backdrop to this Par 72 PGA Championship 18 hole golf course. When designing the course, former Ryder Cup and World Cup golfer Christy O'Connor Jnr superbly blended the stunning backdrop of Galway Bay and the rugged curves of the Atlantic coastline with mature trees, water hazards, concealed bunkers and highly acclaimed putting surfaces. With variable wind speed and directions this Championship Galway golf course plays differently each day posing a considerable challenge to even the lowest handicap golfers, yet it is a true and fair test of golf.

Glasson Golf Club Lakeside scenery and tour quality golf course maintenance and greens make Glasson Golf Club a course to remember. Opened in 1993 and designed by legendary Irish golfer and Ryder Cup Player Christy O'Connor, Jnr., Glasson Golf Club is a mature 18 hole golf course that will test a professional golfer but also be enjoyable for the “average” or “occasional” golfer. Thus, if your group includes both a strong amateur player and a relative newcomer to the game, both can enjoy the golf course. There are wonderful panoramic views of Lough Ree from every hole. The Glasson Golf Club is a peaceful setting with no plots or golf course homes.

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