Clare - Stories from the waterside

Wise River – New Town

‘Sion Abhainn’ or wise river is the longest in the country, along the 360km of riverbanks and callows people have lived, boated, fished and farmed, for centuries. In the 1960’s a new town was built on reclaimed marshland along the estuary below Limerick city. The former Rineanna became Shannon town, and this new town focused on its airport and growing industrial estate. The planned layout of the town turned its back to the river, protected by embankments built to counter the threat of flooding. No fishing or pleasure boating here, the estuary is wide, tidal and very muddy.

A Dragon on the Shannon

There is nothing like a perfect morning on the water. On a calm day, the flat surface disguises the turbulent chaos beneath. Mist collects mysteriously around the bends of the river. The sun threatens to break through and sparkle but never quite does. The mighty river Shannon was where I grew up, it was such

A Wheel Of Klezorim

Allow me to recall the culmination of events in the village of Mountshannon, on the western shore of Lough Derg. On this night in the early hours of June 2 2008, perhaps a hundred souls or more, most born and bred there, many others long blown in, a few for the first time, danced with

Amazon

Late last spring, when schooling and work had taken its toll on the whole family, I needed space. I needed solitude. Ideally somewhere wild, in nature, with flowing water. The canoe was hauled from under the hedge and loaded onto the roof-rack. Two tie-straps later and about as many minutes’ drive to the river Fergus

Drinking in the Landscape

The Fergus river rises in the hills between Kilfenora and Kilnaboy, towards the northern part of Co. Clare. Interestingly (if you’re interested in such things) the Fergus catchment lies directly south of the vast karst landscape of the Burren. On a river map of Ireland, this area of North Clare and East Galway looks remarkably

Jacko the Toad

Drip, drip, drip. It must be raining. Ah yes I can feel the ripples now on my eyeballs. Not that it makes much of a difference to me. I’ve been a toad at the Shannon Wetlands for 10 years now – man and boy. I love it here. I’ve got my 20 siblings around me

Lakeshore Honeymoon 1921

It is a quiet wedding. He enters by the side door and waits for her at the top of the church. She slides up the aisle on the arm of her eldest brother. The swishing of the silk in her dress makes a gentle sound as she passes the empty pews. They vow to love

Life in an Irish marl lake

Ireland is rich in lakes, and for that we are fortunate. They bring beauty to our countryside, support a fascinating variety of wildlife, and are closely intertwined with our own history and heritage. Ireland is unusual in having many shallow limestone lakes. This story is about these, and some of the things that live in

Our Walks Down The Glen

‘We go for a walk down the Glen with mammy and daddy every day. We go on an adventure. We see lots of creatures. We saw a fish jumping to eat a fly. We saw little black eels swimming that look like worms. They are my favourite and the boatmen that swim very fast on

Pushing The Boat Out

When my husband Larry and I retired we threw caution to the winds and bought ourselves a beautiful blue and white Freeman 27 cabin cruiser. I was beside myself with excitement as we paid our money and shook on the deal. Our friends drove us to Portaneena marina in Athlone where we boarded Aishlinn for

The Story of Lough Graney

Many, many years ago in the Barony of Caher there existed an amazing well that sprang from deep within the earth. It was known throughout the Slieve Aughtys for the purity and clarity of its water, the cool, sweetness of its taste and its ability to quench any thirst at any itme. The people of

The Swans of Lickeen Lough

Lickeen Lough is a 250-acre freshwater lake in The Burren Co. Clare. Approximately 3km from both Ennistymon and Kilfenora. Stocked with Brown Trout and home to the endangered European Eel. During the drought of 2018, previously unseen rock showed that the lake was formed 300 million years ago. I interviewed residents Fionnula and Fiachra Swann

Stories from County Clare

Stories from County
Clare