History
In the late 1930s, transatlantic air traffic was dominated by flying boats and a
flying boat terminal was located at Foynes on the south side of the Shannon
Estuary. However, it was realised that changing technology would require a
runway and airport.
In 1936 the Government of Ireland confirmed that it would develop a 3.1 km2 (1.2
sq mi) site at Rineanna for the country's first transatlantic airport. The land
on which the airport was to be built was boggy, and on 8 October 1936 work began
to drain the land. By 1942 a serviceable airport had been established and was
named Shannon Airport. By 1945 the existing runways at Shannon were extended to
allow transatlantic flights to land.
When World War II ended, the airport was ready to be used by the many new
post-war commercial airlines of Europe and North America. On 16 September 1945
the first transatlantic proving flight, a Pan Am DC-4, landed at Shannon from
New York City. On 24 October, the first scheduled commercial flight, an American
Overseas Airlines DC-4, passed through Shannon Airport.
The number of international carriers rose sharply in succeeding years as Shannon
became well known as the gateway between Europe and the Americas. Limitation of
aircraft range necessitated refuelling stops on many journeys. Shannon became
the most convenient and obvious stopping point before and after the trip across
the Atlantic.
In 1947 the "Customs Free Airport Act" established Shannon as the world's first
duty free airport. Shannon became a model for other Duty Free facilities
throughout the world. That same year, the airport was finally completed.
In 1958, the Irish Airline Aer Lingus finally began transatlantic service to the
United States, using Lockheed Super Constellations for thrice-weekly service to
New York City and Boston.
The 1960s proved to be difficult for Shannon Airport. With the introduction of
new long range jet aircraft, transit traffic fell sharply as the need for planes
crossing the Atlantic to re-fuel at Shannon became unnecessary.
In 1966, Aer Lingus began service between Shannon and Chicago, with a stop in
Montréal, Canada. This route was taken out of service in 1979.
In 1969, it was announced that a new government agency, Aer Rianta (Dublin
Airport Authority), would be given responsibility for Shannon Airport. Passenger
numbers at the airport reached 460,000 that same year. With the increase in
passengers and the introduction of the Boeing 747, it was decided that a new
enlarged terminal would have to be built. The first commercial operation of a
Boeing 747 took place in April 1971 while the new terminal officially opened in
May of that year. In 1974, a major increase in fuel prices had a dramatic effect
on transit traffic.
IThe 1980s saw a number of new airlines
arrive at Shannon. Aer Rianta and the Soviet airline, Aeroflot, had signed an
agreement and by 1980 Aeroflot had established a fuel farm at Shannon.[3] The
fuel farm was to hold Soviet fuel and soon Aeroflot planes were stopping off at
Shannon to fuel up to continue onto destinations in South, Central, and North
America. The number of Aeroflot flights went from 240 aircraft in 1980, to 2000
aircraft by 1991. In 1989, US carrier Delta Air Lines launched flights from
Shannon and Dublin to Atlanta and New York-JFK. The New York route was dropped
after 9/11 but has since re-commenced.
During the 1990s the airport began to struggle. The bilateral agreement with the
United States was renegotiated resulting in fewer planes required to stopover in
Shannon (See Shannon Stopover below). However, 1996 saw the beginning of
Continental Airlines flying between Dublin, Shannon and Newark, New Jersey.
With the demise of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Aeroflot began to suffer
which was a big loss to the airport. Aeroflot had brought 250,000 passengers a
year through Shannon.[4]
Shannon began to rebound in the late 1990s with the success of the Irish
economy, the improving situation in Northern Ireland, and an influx of American
tourists. By the end of the decade Shannon had passengers numbers of 2.2 million
and in the year 2000, a new £40 million terminal extension was opened.
[edit] Recent history
The new millennium brought new challenges to Shannon Airport. The September 11
attacks in New York and the downturn in aviation industry that followed,
severely threatened the future of the airport. Some airlines reduced their
services while others pulled out completely.
In 2004 the "State Airports Act" was passed. This renamed Aer Rianta as the
Dublin Airport Authority, and established the Shannon Airport Authority and Cork
Airport Authority. The three new authorities have the power to formulate
business plans for their respective airports, however they will not take charge
of running the airports until a yet-to-be-determined date.
2005 saw American Airlines return to Shannon with non-stop daily flights to/from
Boston. This was later discontinued in favour of direct service between Shannon
and Chicago. Both routes were operated with Boeing 757 aircraft but American
Airlines eventually pulled out of Shannon in October 2007.
In August 2007, Aer Lingus announced that it was ending its 4 daily flights from
Shannon to London Heathrow Airport. The airline now uses these Heathrow slots to
serve its new hub at Belfast International Airport. CityJet announced soon after
that it would launch twice-daily flights to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport in
Paris in an attempt to fill the gap left by Aer Lingus.
For 2007, Shannon Airport had record passenger numbers of 3.6 million.
International traffic was up 6%, while short haul flights were up 10%.[5]
In October 2008, as part of a multi-million euro cost-cutting plan, Aer Lingus
announced it was to close its Shannon cabin crew base with a loss of 280 jobs.
The airline would be redeploying an aircraft based at Shannon to Dublin in
Summer 2009, leaving only one Aer Lingus Airbus A330 based at Shannon.[6] The
company have since signed an agreement with the trade union, IMPACT,
representing the cabin crew.
In November 2008, Delta Air Lines confirmed it would no longer be operating the
non-stop Shannon-Atlanta service in summer 2009. The Atlanta service operated on
a summer-only, daily basis since the Shannon stopover was removed. The flights
from Shannon to Atlanta now operate in conjunction with their existing
Shannon-New York-JFK flights under the same flight number (Shannon-New
York-Atlanta).
In December 2008, Aer Lingus announced the restoration of the Shannon-London
Heathrow route after its controversial decision to transfer the Heathrow slots
to their new Belfast International Airport hub. The airline uses some of the
Heathrow slots from Dublin to operate double daily flights which began in March
2009. London service from Dublin is now instead split between Heathrow and the
new Aer Lingus Gatwick hub, which opened in April 2009.[7] Acting CEO for Aer
Lingus Colm Barrington stated recently that the airline was in talks with
British Airways to secure another slot at London Heathrow Airport for a
thrice-daily service between the two airports.[8]
In February 2009 CityJet confirmed it would increase capacity on the
Shannon-Paris route by basing one of their Avro RJ85 aircraft at the airport.
Also in February 2009 Ryanair announced it would be reducing its Shannon base
due to the €10 travel tax. From the end of March the number of planes based at
Shannon was reduced from six to four. Five routes were cut in total: Turin,
London-Luton, Katowice, Gdansk and Frankfurt. This brings the total number of
routes served from Shannon with Ryanair to 25 from 30.
In June 2009 Delta Air Lines announced it will suspend the Shannon-New York
(JFK) route in October 2009. The airline blamed the global financial crisis,
rising oil prices as well as a drop in demand in the air travel industry for the
route closure. However, Delta intends to re-open the route in the summer of
2010.[9] Delta announced that they will resume the service May 8, 2010[10].
The day after this announcement, Aer Lingus released its Winter Schedule 09/10
with a reduction of its longhaul services by 25%. All of its routes from Shannon
were affected with Chicago being dropped and Boston getting a reduction in
frequency. The airline also planned to cut the Shannon-New York (JFK) route but,
after Delta's announcement said the route would "remain under close review". On
shorthaul, Aer Lingus announced that capacity would be increased on the
Shannon-London Heathrow route from October with intentions to base an Airbus
A320 at Shannon.[11]
In September 2009 CityJet announced that they would be ending their
Shannon-Paris CDG route by re-deploying 1 Avro RJ85 to one of their other
airports, they blamed the turn-down in passenger numbers since April 2009 with
the airline also announcing that the airline yet had to make a profit on the
route since it launched in February 2008.
On 9 October 2009, Aer Lingus announced that it would be axing its US Shannon
base.Aer Lingus is axing 102 Cabin Crew Jobs from a total of 136 at Shannon.The
Airline will also be axing its Shannon Airport - New York John F Kennedy Airport
from early 2010 and launch a 3-Day a week service to JFK from Shannon via Dublin
Airport.Aer Lingus said, It is not just Shannon.It is about Aer Lingus in
total.Cabin crew staff where in tears.[12]
On 21 October 2009, Ryanair announced a 75% Reduction in its Shannon Airport
base, the airline blamed the Irish Governments €10 Airport Departure tax and
Shannon Airport's high airport charges visit the Wikipedia link Ryanair
On 28 October 2009, US Airways announced that it will not be flying between
Philadelphia and Shannon for the 2010 Summer season.[13]
[edit] Shannon stopover
The first Air Services Agreement with the United States in 1945 only permitted
flights to Shannon, and only permitted Irish airlines to serve Boston, Chicago
and New York. In 1971, the US Civil Aeronautics Board announced that unless US
planes were allowed to operate into Dublin Airport they proposed to ban Aer
Lingus from landing in New York. Eventually an agreement was reached which
allowed one US carrier, TWA, to service Dublin Airport through Shannon.
In 1990, the US-Ireland bilateral agreement was changed to allow Irish airlines
to serve Los Angeles, and additional US airlines to serve Dublin via Shannon. An
amendment in 1993 allowed airlines to provide direct transatlantic services to
Dublin, but still 50% of transatlantic flights had to originate or stop over in
Shannon.
In 2005, an agreement was reached regarding a transitional period. Beginning in
November 2006 and ending in April 2008, the agreement eliminated restrictions on
cargo services. For passenger service, it reduced the stopover requirement and
increased the number of US destinations Irish airlines could serve by three.
Furthermore, it was agreed that at the end of this period, no restrictions would
be placed on scheduled services between any airport in the one country to any
airport in the other.
In 2007, the European Union and USA announced that an agreement had been reached
on an open skies aviation policy. The agreement came into effect from March 30
2008. This effectively led to the complete abolition of the Shannon Stopover,
although this would have happened under the 2005 agreement anyway.
[edit] Military stopover issue
Shannon Airport has a history of foreign military use. A large part of its
business in recent years has been military stopovers, currently almost all
American; however the airport was also frequently used by the Soviet military
until the 1990s since Ireland, as a neutral country, was not a member of NATO.
There were some restrictions, such as being unarmed, carrying no arms,
ammunition or explosives, and that the flights in question do not form part of
military exercises or operation. Shannon saw military transports throughout the
Cold War and during the first Gulf War.
In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the Irish government offered the
use of Shannon to the US government. When the United States expanded the War On
Terror from Afghanistan to Iraq in 2003, the government still allowed its use by
the United States armed forces. This caused much controversy and was the subject
of protests and a challenge brought to the High Court.[14] In January 2003, a
women took an axe to the nose cone and fuel lines of a US Navy jet; however a
trial ended in her acquittal. In February 2003, a group known as the Pitstop
Ploughshares damaged a United States Navy C-40 Clipper aircraft at the airport.
They were tried three different times and ultimately ended up also being
acquitted.
As of November 2008, approximately 1.2 million troops have passed through
Shannon since the beginning of the Iraq War. This has generated significant
revenue for the airport and has offset the loss of flights from the end of the
Shannon stopover and the general downturn in the global aviation industry.[15]
[edit] Rendition flight allegations
On 6 December 2005, the BBC programme Newsnight alleged that Shannon was used on
at least 33 occasions by United States Central Intelligence Agency flights,
thought to be part of a US policy called extraordinary rendition. The New York
Times reported the number to be 33, though referring to "Ireland" rather than
Shannon, while Amnesty International has alleged the number of flights to be 50.
The United States has denied these allegations.
[edit] Facilities
The current airport terminal was opened on the 27 March 2000 by the then
Minister of Transport Mary O'Rourke. This facility has 40 check-in desks, 5
baggage carousels and 10 boarding gates (including 6 airbridges). There are
nearly 40 aircraft parking stands. The car-parks can hold over 5,000 cars.[16]
Much of the older landside section of the airport has been renovated with new
'Shannon Airport' branding. The boarding area is currently being renovated and
is set to be completed at the same time as the new U.S. Customs and Border
Protection post.[17]
[edit] U.S. Customs and Border Protection Pre-clearance
The United States immigration booths at Shannon prior to the opening of the new
Customs and Border Protection facilitiesIn 1986 a United States border
preclearance facility was opened at Shannon, eliminating the need to go through
immigration on arrival in the United States. In November 2008, it was announced
that customs and agriculture inspections would be added, making Shannon the
first airport in Europe to offer this service. This is expected to be a big
incentive to attract airlines and corporate jets to Shannon. Shannon Airport
spent €21 million on the facilities.[18] To have these facilities put in place a
two storey, 7,000 square metre extension to the main terminal building has been
constructed. The facility opened the morning of August 5 2009. The passengers on
Continental Airlines flight CO25 from Shannon to Newark were first to use the
facilities which give Shannon a unique status.
British Airways now offers a business class only flight from London City Airport
to New York City with a stopover in Shannon. This will allow them to take off
from the short runway of City airport which is located in the London Docklands
area, stop for fuel in Shannon while passengers go through pre-clearance and
arrive without the need to go through immigration or customs.
[edit] New cargo facility
A new cargo facility is to be built on the current cargo site.[19] The SAA
(Shannon Airport Authority) have signed an agreement with the Lynxs Group to
provide a 200,000 square feet state-of-the-art facility at the airport.[citation
needed]
The planned cargo port would be built at a cost of $15m and would include
aircraft parking, an immediate taxiway and access to public roads. Also included
are the normal cargo facilities such as chilled and freezer storage.[citation
needed]
Lynxs anticipates a ground-breaking event by mid 2010 with the final stages of
construction to be completed by early 2011.[citation needed]
[edit] Ground transportation
[edit] Road
Shannon Airport is the end destination of the N19 national route, which connects
to the N18/M18 Limerick–Ennis–Galway route. A dual carriageway section of the
N19 was finished in 2004, bypassing the town of Shannon, and a new interchange
and dual carriageway north to Ennis were completed in 2007 on the N18.
[edit] Bus
Regular bus services connect the airport to Limerick, Ennis and Galway.
[edit] Airlines and destinations
[edit] Scheduled
Airlines Destinations
Aer Lingus Boston, Dublin, London-Heathrow, New York-JFK
Air Transat Toronto-Pearson [seasonal]
Continental Airlines Newark
Delta Air Lines New York-JFK [seasonal]
Ryanair Alicante [ends 25 March], Birmingham [ends 26 March], Bristol [ends 27
March], Brussels South-Charleroi [ends 26 March], Edinburgh [ends 26 March],
Faro [ends 27 March], Glasgow-Prestwick [ends 26 March], Krakow [ends 26 March],
Lanzarote [ends 14 March], Las Palmas de Gran Canaria [ends 25 March], Liverpool
[ends 27 March], Lodz [ends 26 March], London-Gatwick, London-Stansted, Málaga,
Nantes [seasonal], Palma de Mallorca [seasonal], Paris-Beauvais, Tenerife-South,
Wroclaw
[edit] Charter
Airlines Destinations
Air Europa Lanzarote [seasonal], Reus [seasonal], Palma de Mallorca [seasonal]
Air Méditerranée Nantes [seasonal], Paris-Charles de Gaulle [seasonal],
Strasbourg [seasonal], Toulouse [seasonal]
Czech Airlines Las Palmas de Gran Canaria [begins 20 December; seasonal]
Europe Airpost Faro [seasonal], Marseille [seasonal], Nantes [seasonal],
Toulouse [seasonal]
Iberworld Lanzarote [seasonal], Malaga [seasonal], Palma de Mallorca [seasonal],
Reus [seasonal]
Monarch Airlines Faro [seasonal]
Onur Air Bodrum [seasonal],Izmir [seasonal]
Primera Air Lanzarote [seasonal]
Thomson Airways Almeria [seasonal], Lanzarote [seasonal]
Travel Service Lanzarote [seasonal]
Swiss International Air Lines Zürich [seasonal]
[edit] Freight
Airlines Destinations
Air Contractors Cork, Dublin, Paris-Charles de Gaulle
FedEx Feeder operated by Air Contractors Dublin, Paris-Charles de Gaulle
DHL Express East Midlands, Kobe
TNT Airways Liège, London-Stansted
United Parcel Service operated by Star Air Europe Cologne/Bonn, Dublin
[edit] Other airlines
British Airways [stop twice-daily at Shannon en route from London City Airport
to New York City to refuel and use its US Customs & Border Protection
facilities.]
North American Airlines and Omni Air International [carry US troops going
to/coming from the Gulf]
[edit] Incidents and accidents
Due to the location of Shannon, it receives a large number of emergency
stopovers.
16 July 1943, a British Overseas Airways Corporation de Havilland DH91 Fortuna
crash-landed short of the Runway 14 threshold. There were no injuries.
18 June 1946, an Aer Lingus Douglas DC-3, named Charlie Alpha was a domestic
flight from Rineanna to Dublin. It crashed shortly after takeoff with only minor
injuries reported.
5 September 1954, KLM Flight 633 from Amsterdam to New York, which was using
Shannon as a refueling stop, crashed just after take-off into a mudbank just
next to the airport. 28 people on board died.
14 August 1958, KLM Flight 607-E from Amsterdam to New York crashed into the
Atlantic Ocean, after a refueling stop at Shannon.
[edit] References
^ a b EINN – SHANNON/International (PDF). AIP and charts from the Irish Aviation
Authority.
^ Shannon’s transatlantic passenger numbers fall 23%
^ History of Shannon Airport
^ Growth - Shannon recovers passenger throughput, AIRPORTS
^ Shannon Airport reports record passenger numbers
^ Aer Lingus wants to axe 1,500 jobs
^ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1222/breaking40.html?via=mr
Aer Lingus to resume Shannon to Heathrow route
^ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2009/0522/1224247099862.html
^ http://news.delta.com/index.php?s=43&item=733
^ http://news.delta.com/index.php?DB=mr4enh_delta&s=11
^
http://www.aerlingus.com/Corporate/12jun_1130amAerLingusWinte2009_FINAL_CLEAN.pdf
^
http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/aer-lingus-staff-in-tears-as-cabin-crew-jobs-slashed-1908978.html
^ http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS195362+28-Oct-2009+BW20091028
^ High Court of Ireland Decisions
^ Almost 200,000 troops use Shannon
^ Car Parking
^ Airport Facts
^ New agreement for US-bound air passengers
^ http://www.lynxs.com/20090311.asp
[edit] External links
Official website
[hide]v • d • eAirports in Ireland
Northern Ireland Belfast City · Belfast International · City of Derry
Smaller font-size indicates airports handling domestic, charter or private
services only.
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River Shannon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Coordinates: 52°39′25″N 8°39′36″W / 52.657°N 8.66°W / 52.657; -8.66River
Shannon (Abha na Sionainne or
an tSionna / an tSionainn
in Irish)
River
River Shannon at Clonmacnoise, Offaly, Ireland
Country Ireland
Counties Cavan, Offaly, Westmeath, Limerick
The River Shannon (Abha na Sionainne or an tSionna / an tSionainn in Irish) is,
at 386 km (240 miles), the longest river in Ireland.[1][2] It divides the west
of Ireland (principally the province of Connacht) from the east and south
(Leinster and most of Munster). County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part
of the province of Munster, is the major exception. The river represents a major
physical barrier between east and west, with fewer than twenty crossing-points
between Limerick city in the south and the village of Dowra in the north.
The origin of the name is presumably that of the name of the Goddess associated
with the river, "Sionna".
The Shannon has been an important waterway since antiquity, having first been
mapped 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 113 km (70 mi) long Shannon Estuary.
Limerick city stands at the point where the river water meets the sea water of
the estuary. The Shannon is unaffected by sea tides east of Limerick.
Contents [hide]
1 Geography
2 History
3 Navigation
4 Canals
5 Economics
6 Notes
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
[edit] Geography
By tradition the Shannon is said to rise in the Shannon Pot, a small pool on the
slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain in County Cavan, from where the young river appears
as a small trout stream. Surveys have defined a 12.8 km² immediate pot catchment
area covering the slopes of Cuilcagh. This area includes Garvah Lough, Cavan,
2.2 km to the northeast, drained by Pollnaowen.[n 1] Further sinks that source
the pot include Pollboy and, through Shannon Cave, Pollahune in Cavan and
Polltulyard and Tullyrrakeeragh in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The highest
point in the catchment is a spring at Tiltinbane on the western end of the
Cuilcagh mountain ridge.[3]
From the Shannon Pot, the river has a number of tributaries before replenishing
Lough Allen at its head.[4]
The river runs through or between 10 of Ireland's counties. Lakes on the Shannon
include Lough Allen, Lough Ree and Lough Derg. Tributaries of the Shannon
include the rivers Inny, Suck and Brosna.
[edit] History
Carrick on Shannon BridgeThe river began flowing along its present course after
the end of the Ice Age. 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.
In the seventeenth 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 Connacht", referring to their choice of forced
migration west across the river Shannon, or death. Thus freeing up the
landholdings for the incoming English settlers.
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. (See
Sieges of Limerick and Siege of Athlone).
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.
The Shannon river is closely bound up with Ireland's social, cultural, military,
economic and political history.
[edit] Navigation
Course of River ShannonThough the Shannon has always been important for
navigation in Ireland, there is a fall of only 18m (60ft) in the first 140
miles. Consequently it has always been shallow with 0.5m (2 ft) 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 England, to commence work[5]. He tackled four places
between 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 cutting out a loop of the river at Jamestown as well lateral canals
at Roosky and Lanesborough.
The lower Shannon between Killaloe and Limerick was a different story. Here the
river falls by 30m (100ft) in only 20 km (13 miles). William Ockenden, also from
England, 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 5 miles long with 6 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.
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. Improvements on the lower levels were also undertaken, being completed
by 1814.
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.
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 fiver 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 per year, was also
halved.
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 river this was not easily addressed and nothing much was
done till the twentieth century.
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.
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.
During the summer of 2007 Donald Attig, aged 71 and Jack Donovan, aged 60
established endurance and adventure challenge benchmark records by becoming the
first persons to transit the entire Shannon Navigation in an engineless boat,
with live aboard capability. Their vessel and gear weighed in excess of one ton.
They propelled it from the Inismagrath Marker, at the top of Lough Allen to the
Sea Port of Tarbert, County Kerry using sweep oar power for over 90% of the
distance. The remainder was accomplished by poling and sailing. In the process
they had to negotiate 33 bridges, 6 locks, and nine lakes, without the aid of an
engine. One of the locks, Ardnacrusha has a descent of over 100 feet. Other
smaller and lighter boats had made this journey without the aid of an engine but
Donovan and Attig were the first to challenge Ireland’s longest river in an
engineless live aboard type yacht. The cast iron turf burning stove in the craft
they used weighed more, by itself, than some of the boats which had made an
engineless transit of the Shannon. In 2008 Donald Attig set more records by
making virtually the same transit single-handed.
[edit] Canals
Shannon-Bridge OffalyThere are also many canals connecting with the River
Shannon. The Royal Canal and the Grand Canal connect the Shannon to Dublin and
the Irish Sea. It is linked to the River Erne and Lough Erne by the Shannon-Erne
Waterway. Ballinasloe is linked to the Shannon via the River Suck and canal,
while Boyle is connected via the Boyle canal, the river Boyle and Lough Kee.
There is also the Ardnacrusha canal connected with the Ardnacrusha dam south of
Lough Derg. Lecarrow village in County Roscommon is connected to Lough Ree via
the Lecarrow canal. Jamestown Canal forms a link between the River Shannon, from
south of Jamestown, to Lough Nanoge to the south of Drumsna.
[edit] Economics
River Shannon In Athlone, Co. WestmeathDespite being more than 300 km (200
miles) long, it rises only 76 m (250 feet) above sea level, so the river is
easily navigable, with only a few locks along its length. There is a
hydroelectric generation plant at Ardnacrusha belonging to the ESB.
Shipping in Shannon estuary was developed extensively during the 1980s, with
over IR£2 billion (€2.5Billion) investment. A tanker terminal at Foynes and an
oil jetty at Shannon Airport were built. In 1982 a large scale alumina
extraction plant was built at Aughinish Island. 60,000 tonne cargo vessels now
carry raw bauxite from West African mines to the plant, where it is refined to
alumina. This is then exported to Canada where it is further refined to
aluminium. 1985 saw the opening of a huge coal-fired electricity plant at
Moneypoint, fed by regular visits by 150,000 tonne bulk carriers.
[n 2]
[edit] Notes
^ Note Poll nm1: hole, pit, sink, leak, aperture (The Pocket Oxford Irish
Dictionary - Irish-English)
^
[edit] See also
Shannon International Airport
Shannon Town
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
Shannon RFC
[edit] References
^ "Nature & Scenery". http://www.discoverireland.com/gb/about-ireland/nature/.
Retrieved 2008-07-22.
^ "Ireland". MSN Encarta.
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761566701/ireland.html. Retrieved
2008-07-22.
^ Philip Elmer et al. Springs and Bottled Waters of the World Springer ISBN
3540618414
^ The Shannon Guide
^ Ruth Delaney (2004). Ireland's Inland Waterways. Appletree Press.
[edit] External links
Information, maps etc. on The Shannon Navigation (from Inland Waterways
Association of Ireland)
River Shannon
An Account of a Navigation of the Shannon River in 3 Sea Kayaks during August
2007
Salmon fishing on the River Shannon, from Salmon Ireland
[hide]v • d • eRivers of Ireland
List of rivers in Ireland
Flowing north Foyle · Roe · Bann · Bush
Flowing to the Irish Sea Lagan · Quoile · Clanrye · Castletown River · Fane ·
Boyne · Liffey · Avoca · Slaney
Flowing to the Celtic Sea Bandon · Lee · Blackwater · Mahon · The Three Sisters
(Barrow, Nore, Suir)
Flowing to the Atlantic Shannon · Feale · Swilly · Corrib · Erne · Eske · Moy
Major tributaries of the Shannon: Deel · Brosna · Inny · Suck · Maigue
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Shannon"
Categories: River Shannon | Limerick | Rivers of County Cavan | Rivers of County
Clare | Rivers of County Galway | Rivers of County Leitrim | Rivers of County
Limerick | Rivers of County Longford | Rivers of County Offaly | Rivers of
County Roscommon | Rivers of County Tipperary | Rivers of County
WestmeathViewsArticle Discussion Edit this page History Personal toolsTry Beta
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