Shannon River by kayak

Shannon River Kayaking - Ireland
Distance
Varies with your plan. For scale, the river is about 360 km long, the Shannon Navigation is 238 km, the Shannon Blueway is 146.5 km, and the Lough Derg Blueway has about 160 km of trails.
Country
Ireland
Difficulty
Easy to moderate
Type of trip
Kayak & canoe

The Shannon is Ireland’s longest river. It runs about 360 km from the Shannon Pot in County Cavan to Limerick, where it widens into a long estuary. It falls very little along the way and passes through three large lakes: Lough Allen, Lough Ree and Lough Derg. Waterways Ireland runs the navigation, 238 km with 11 locks. Between the lakes the river is slow and wide, with towns such as Carrick-on-Shannon, Athlone, Banagher and Portumna along it.

Most paddlers do it in sections. The Shannon Blueway has marked canoe and kayak trails from the foot of Lough Allen down to Lanesborough, at the top of Lough Ree. The Lough Derg Blueway has 21 trails and about 160 km of paddling routes around the lake. Further north, the Shannon–Erne Waterway links Leitrim Village to the Erne in County Fermanagh. It is 63 km long with 16 locks, and its 70 km Blueway is suitable for beginners. Lock-keepers work the locks on the Shannon at set hours. Below Ardnacrusha power station, the stretch down to Limerick is dangerous when more than one turbine is running.

Highlights along the way

  1. Clonmacnoise: the monastery founded by St Ciarán in 544, on the east bank south of Athlone. It has nine ruined churches, two round towers and carved high crosses.
  2. Athlone: a 12th-century castle stands by the river in the town centre, and Lough Ree opens up just to the north.
  3. Lough Ree: 105 square km, with islands such as Inchcleraun, which has the remains of an early monastery.
  4. Lough Derg: the largest lake on the Shannon, 39 km long, with Portumna at the top and Killaloe at the bottom. Holy Island (Inis Cealtra) is off Mountshannon, and white-tailed eagles have nested on the lake since 2012.
  5. Shannonbridge: Waterways Ireland says the 16-arch bridge here was built to defend against a feared Napoleonic invasion.

Distance

Varies with your plan. For scale, the river is about 360 km long, the Shannon Navigation is 238 km, the Shannon Blueway is 146.5 km, and the Lough Derg Blueway has about 160 km of trails.

Best time to go

May to September. Shannon locks are open 09:30 to 19:30 Monday to Saturday (to 18:00 on Sunday) from April to September, with shorter hours in March and October and only mornings from November to mid-March. Expect wind and rain in any month. Waterways Ireland advises paddling on the open lakes only in winds of force 2 or less, staying within 50 m of the shore, going in groups of at least three, and wearing a buoyancy aid. Lough Derg is especially exposed to southerly winds. Check the Met Éireann inland lakes forecast and the Waterways Ireland marine notices before you set off.

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