Shannonbridge

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Shannonbridge
Irish: Droichead na Sionainne
Village
Shannonbridge sign.jpg
Motto: 
Esto Fideles - The Faithful
Ireland adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Shannonbridge
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°16′44″N8°02′49″W / 53.279°N 8.047°W / 53.279; -8.047
Country Ireland
Province Leinster
County Offaly
Elevation
38 m (125 ft)
Population
 (2016) [1]
175
Time zone UTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference M969253

Shannonbridge (Irish : Droichead na Sionainne) [2] is a village located on the River Shannon, at the junction of the R444 and R357 regional roads in County Offaly, Ireland. It lies within the townland of Raghra (Irish : Reachra), [3] at the borders of counties Offaly, Galway and Roscommon, with the majority of the population living east of the bridge in County Offaly. As of the 2016 census, the village had a population of 175. [1] There are two housing estates within the village. Its location along Ireland's largest river and its proximity to Clonmacnoise have contributed to tourism being a key contributor to the local economy. The village is flanked by a Special Area of Conservation – the Shannon Callows. The physical environment consists of the River Shannon, callows, boglands and the Esker Riada (a major routeway in the 18th century). The village has one of the oldest bridges still in use over the River Shannon, completed in 1757. [4]

Contents

The monastic settlement of Clonmacnoise is approximately 7 km (4.3 mi) upriver.

History

Shannonbridge gets its name from the bridge connecting County Offaly and County Roscommon. Rachra is generally considered the old name for Shannonbridge, but 'Shannonbridge' was adopted after the building of the bridge in 1757. The military may have initially constructed a village, the 'first Shannonbridge', in the vicinity of Temple Duff graveyard just south of the power station.

Shannonbridge was fortified by the British in the Napoleonic era. Some of the fortifications, including a fort that now houses a restaurant, [5] are still visible today on the west bank of the river.

At Curleys Island between Shannonbridge and Clonmacnoise, there is a legendary ford of Snámh Dá Éan ("swim two birds"). It was here that a proselytising Saint Patrick ostensibly crossed the Shannon into Connacht, and much later the Anglo-Normans considered the ford important enough to be guarded by one of their campaign forts. Accordingly, they constructed the great Motte of Clonburren on the Roscommon side of the river, within sight of an even then declining early Christian nunnery. [6]

In 2019, a group of Romanian nuns established an orthodox monastery, The Life-Giving Spring - Ard Ciaran, in Shannonbridge. [7] [8] The property Ard Ciaran was formerly a prayer and retreat centre run by the Ursuline order. [9]

Fort and bridge Shannonbridge .jpg
Fort and bridge

Economy

ESB Power Station IMG WestOffalyPower5777.jpg
ESB Power Station

Historically, the main employers in Shannonbridge have included the Electricity Supply Board (whose West Offaly Power Station operated from 1965 to 2020) and Bord na Móna (harvesting peat used in the station). [10] [11] Tourism also supports employment in the area, and there is a farming community present. The nearby towns of Ballinasloe, County Galway and Athlone, County Westmeath serve as district centres for the village. [4]

The Electricity Supply Board's peat-fired power station, the West Offaly Power Station, had a capacity of 135 megawatts and was located about 1 km (0.62 mi) downriver from Shannnonbridge. The peat was supplied from the Blackwater Bog peatlands, managed by Bord na Móna. The power station closed in 2020. [12] The Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway (a narrow gauge railway) was principally used to transport the peat to the power station, and also provides passenger tours of the peat lands for visitors. [10]

Shannonbridge Potteries is located just outside the village. Their factory shop is open to the public. [13]

Local services include two shops, a post office, three pubs, a service restaurant, [5] and a butcher.

Tourism

Tourists come to Shannonbridge by cruiser on the River Shannon, a short distance from the main street. A tourist office is located at the west end of the main street. The monastic settlement of Clonmacnoise is 7 km (4.3 mi) upriver and attracts approximately 100,000 visitors per annum. [14]

Shannonbridge tennis court was built in 1988 with funds from the national lottery on land leased from the Electricity Supply Board. The court is located at the eastern end of the village adjacent to St. Kierans Park. [15]

Shannonbridge is a destination for anglers, and the River Shannon has stocks of bream, rudd, rudd/bream hybrids, tench, perch, pike as well as stocks of trout, eel and salmon.[ citation needed ] Angling also takes place in the rivers Suck and Brosna and in the Grand Canal. Lough Ree is 30 km (19 mi) from the town. [16]

The Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway Bog Tour is a 45-minute train journey giving a guided 9 km (5.6 mi) tour across a working environment, a cutaway area of preserved peatlands. About 32,000 visitors go on the tour per annum. [14]

The Shannonbridge Pottery is nearby. [13]

In August 2009, Ireland's first ever Climate Camp was held in the village, bringing activists from all over the country to a field next to the West Offaly Power Station. For a week they protested against the extraction and burning of peat in the station, on the grounds that it releases large quantities of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. [17] They held workshops on the themes of sustainability and climate change.

Flora and fauna

The River Shannon, which flows through the area, provides a habitat for a number of species of local flora, include types of algae, reeds and grasses. Local fauna include brown hares, foxes, mink and frogs.[ citation needed ] There are butterflies, dragonflies, beetles and in the Shannon; mussels, snails and leeches.[ citation needed ] Bird varieties on the Shannon include swans (Bewick's, mute and whooper), moorhens, swallows, terns, ducks and corncrakes.[ citation needed ]

Climatologists, archaeologists and biologists value the area's peatlands and the peat archives in the bogs for research purposes. [18]

The Callows is a stretch of the River Shannon at Shannonbridge that has a shallow gradient which results in seasonal flooding when heavy rain occurs. This has resulted in the formation of callows areas (wet grassland areas) which are rich in flora and fauna and a conservation area which is designated as an (NHA) Natural Heritage Area, (SAC) Special Area of Conservation and (SPA) Special Protection Area. [4] The corn crake, which is rare and is protected nationally, is seen in the Callows area. Ducks, gulls, swans, and breeding waders including the northern lapwing, common redshank, Eurasian curlew and common sandpiper are also recorded within the area. [4]

Sport

Shannonbridge Gaelic Athletic Association club have one Offaly senior football championship title to their name, which they achieved in 1996 by defeating Tullamore. [19] They also won the county intermediate championship in 2019, and progressed onto the Leinster semi-final where they were defeated by Rathgarogue-Cushinstown. [20] Several players from the club have won medals with county teams. For example, John Ryan won an All-Ireland senior hurling medal and a national football league medal in 1998. Players from the club have won three All-Ireland under 21 football medals, Leinster football and hurling medals and Leinster vocational titles and colleges titles.[ citation needed ] Two players from the club, Vincent Mooney in 1991 and Anthony Kelly in 1996 were chosen as Offaly 'footballer of the year'.[ citation needed ]

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Offaly</span> County in Ireland

County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in honour of Philip II of Spain. Offaly County Council is the local authority for the county. The county population was 82,668 at the 2022 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ESB Group</span> Irish electric utility

The Electricity Supply Board is a state owned electricity company operating in the Republic of Ireland. While historically a monopoly, the ESB now operates as a commercial semi-state concern in a "liberalised" and competitive market. It is a statutory corporation whose members are appointed by the government of Ireland.

Bord na Móna is a semi-state company in Ireland, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946. The company began developing the peatlands of Ireland with the aim to provide economic benefit for Irish Midland communities and achieve security of energy supply for the recently formed Irish Republic. The development of peatlands involved the mechanised harvesting of peat, which took place primarily in the Midlands of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banagher</span> Town in County Offaly, Leinster, Ireland

Banagher is a town in Ireland, located in the midlands, on the western edge of County Offaly in the province of Leinster, on the banks of the River Shannon. The town had a population of 3,000 at the height of its economic growth in the mid-19th century. According to the 2022 census, its population was 1,907.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bog of Allen</span>

The Bog of Allen is a large raised bog in the centre of Ireland between the rivers Liffey and Shannon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferbane</span> Town in County Offaly, Ireland

Ferbane is a town in County Offaly, Ireland. It is on the north bank of the River Brosna, between Birr and Athlone at the junction of the N62 and R436 roads, 20 km south of Athlone. The name of the town is said to come from the white bog cotton which grows in the surrounding Bog of Allen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clonmacnoise</span> Ruined monastery in County Offaly, Ireland

Clonmacnoise is a ruined monastery situated in County Offaly in Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán, a young man from Rathcroghan, County Roscommon. Until the 9th century it had close associations with the kings of Connacht.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daingean</span> Town in County Offaly, Ireland

Daingean, formerly Philipstown, named after King Philip II of Spain, is a small town in east County Offaly, Ireland. It is situated midway between the towns of Tullamore and Edenderry on the R402 regional road. The town of Daingean had a population, as of the 2022 census, of 1,223. It is the principal town of the Daingean Catholic Parish. The other main poles of this parish are Ballycommon, Kilclonfert and Cappincur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R357 road (Ireland)</span> Road in Ireland

The R357 road is a regional road in Ireland linking Athleague, County Roscommon and Blue Ball, County Offaly. It passes Ballinasloe, County Galway, crosses the River Shannon at Shannonbridge passes through Cloughan, County Offaly and then through the cutaway peatlands of Boora Bog to Blue Ball where it terminates at the N52.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pollagh</span> Village in County Offaly, Ireland

Pollagh, also spelled Pullough, is a village in County Offaly, Ireland, located in the midlands of Ireland. It is a rural village on the Grand Canal and lies between Ferbane and Tullamore. Much of the surrounding area is bogland, and is used to produce fossil fuels such as peat turf. The River Brosna flows close to the village. The Grand Canal was used for transporting peat and bricks produced in the area. Pollagh benefited from the canal in earlier years when it brought investment and employment from Bord na Móna, and it is now a tourist attraction. Pollagh is also known for its church, including its bog oak altar and stained glass windows, designed by the Harry Clarke studios.

As of 2021 the island of Ireland has 5,585 megawatt and the Republic of Ireland has 4,309 MW of installed wind power nameplate capacity, the third highest per capita in the world. In 2020 wind turbines generated 36.3% of Ireland's electrical demand, one of the highest wind power penetrations in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway</span> Railway in Ireland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moneypoint power station</span> Irelands Largest Electricity based power Station

Moneypoint power station is Ireland's largest electricity generation station and its only coal-fired power station. Commissioned between 1985 and 1987, it is located on the River Shannon, near Kilrush in County Clare, and was constructed at a cost of more than £700m. The station operates largely on coal, making it both unique in the context of Irish electricity production and the country's single largest emitter of greenhouse gases. It is capable of meeting around 25% of customer demand across the country. It has two Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) storage tanks with a capacity of 50,000 tonnes which can be used as a back-up fuel if required.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lough Ree Power Station</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Offaly Power Station</span> Peat-fired power station in Ireland

The West Offaly Power Station was a large peat-fired 135 MW power station in Shannonbridge from 2005 to 2020, in the Republic of Ireland. The station was capable of generating up to 153 MWe of power, thus ranking as the largest peat-fired power station in the country. The power station was constructed adjacent to the ageing 125 MWe peat Shannonbridge Power Station, which operated in stages from 1965 to 2003, and demolished in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Brosna River</span> River in Ireland, tributary of the Shannon

The Little Brosna River rises near Dunkerrin, County Offaly, Ireland. It flows for 36 miles before joining the River Shannon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shannon Callows</span> Low lying areas between Athlone and Portumna, Ireland

The Shannon Callows are areas of flat land along the shores of the River Shannon. These areas lie between Athlone in County Westmeath, where the river flows out of Lough Ree, and Portumna in County Galway, where it enters Lough Derg, in central Ireland. The shallow grade of the river here results in occasional flooding of the Callows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shannon River Basin</span> River in Ireland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clonlonan</span> Barony in Leinster, Ireland

Clonlonan is a barony in south–west County Westmeath, Ireland. It was formed by 1672. It is bordered by County Offaly to the south and a small part of County Roscommon at Long Island on the River Shannon to the west. It also borders four other Westmeath baronies: Kilkenny West and Rathconrath, Moycashel and Brawny. The largest centre of population in the barony is the town of Moate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garrycastle</span> Barony in Offaly, Ireland

Garrycastle is a barony in County Offaly, Ireland.

References

  1. 1 2 "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Shannonbridge". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office. April 2016. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  2. ↑ "Droichead na Sionainne/Shannonbridge". Placenames Database of Ireland (logainm.ie). Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  3. ↑ "Raghra/Reachra". Placenames Database of Ireland (logainm.ie). Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Shannonbridge". Offaly.ie . Offaly County Council. 2007. Archived from the original (.doc) on 26 November 2007. Retrieved 17 September 2019– via Wayback Machine.
  5. 1 2 "Home". Theoldfortrestaurant.com. Archived from the original on 23 March 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  6. ↑ "Shannonbridge". Offaly.ie. Archived from the original on 19 November 2007. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  7. ↑ Romanian Church Acquires Property for Monastery in Ireland Archived 20 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine www.orthochristian.com, 23 December 2020.
  8. ↑ "The Orthodox Monastery of the Life-Giving Spring". Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  9. ↑ Shannonbridge: leave-taking and welcome Archived 21 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine www.ursulines.ie 20 February 2020.
  10. 1 2 "ESB > About Us > PowerStations > Shannonbridge > The Station". Esb.ie. Archived from the original on 10 March 2005. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  11. ↑ "Bord na Móna". Bnm.ie. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  12. ↑ Lee, George (8 November 2019). "ESB to close two peat-fired Midlands power stations". RTÉ.ie. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  13. 1 2 "Irish Pottery Gift Shop | Novelty Mugs Ireland | Shannonbridge Pottery". Archived from the original on 22 January 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2008.
  14. 1 2 "Shannonbridge human environment". Homepage.eircom.net. Archived from the original on 6 March 2005. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  15. ↑ "GAA History". Homepage.eircom.net. Archived from the original on 6 March 2005. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  16. ↑ "River Shannon & Lower River Suck - Shannonbridge, A Complete Coarse & Pike Fishing Guide". Shannon-fishery-board.ie. Archived from the original on 25 February 2008. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  17. ↑ "Climate Camp". www.climatecamp.ie. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  18. ↑ "Natural environment of Shannonbridge". Homepage.eircom.net. Archived from the original on 6 March 2005. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  19. ↑ "GAA History". Homepage.eircom.net. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  20. ↑ "Cushinstown claim Leinster Final place". independent. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
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