The River Shannon

Irelands longest river:

386 km or 240 miles long.

Did you know how the river got

its name?

The Shannon is named after Sionnan, who was the

granddaughter of Manannan Mac Lir , or God of the Sea.
She came to this spot [the Shannon pot, where the
river begins in the Cuilcagh Mountains, Co Cavan] to eat
the fruit of the forbidden, or the Tree of Knowledge,
which was planted by the Druids.
As she began to eat it, the waters of the pool sprang up
and overwhelmed her, drawing her down into it to flow
out later across the land, thus the River Shannon
sprung up.

Course of the River

Shannon

The Shannons
source is in the
Cuilcagh Mountains,
in Co Cavan.
It is a small lake
called the Shannon
Pot, which is 14.6m
deep at its deepest
point.

Counties that the Shannon

runs through

Cavan
Fermanagh
Leitrim
Longford
Roscommon
Offaly
Tipperary
Clare
Limerick
Galway
Kerry : it touches off the coast of Kerry when it flows into
the sea.
Westmeath

Tributaries of the River

Shannon

A tributary is a stream or a river that flows

into another river.
The River Shannon has many tributaries.
Can you find these on the map?
The River Suck
The Inny River
The River Brosna
The Nenagh River
The Mulcair River

Rivers of
Ireland:
Can you see
the
Shannon?

Lakes on the River Shannon

There are three main lakes on the

River Shannon. Find these on your
map:

Lough Allen
Lough Ree
Lough Derg

Map of the
towns and
villages on
the Shannon
Erne
Waterway

How is the Shannon connected

with Dublin?

The Shannon River

is connected with
Dublin through two
canals, the Royal
Canal and the
Grand Canal.

Statue of the Irish poet,

Patrick Kavanagh, on the
banks of the Grand Canal,
Dublin.

Where does the Shannon enter

the sea?

The Shannon River flows into

the Atlantic Ocean at its mouth,
the Shannon Estuary.
The estuary has Limerick at its
head and its seaward limits are
marked by Loop Head to the
north and Kerry Head to the
south.
The estuary defines the main
boundary between County
Kerry/County Limerick to the
south and County Clare to the
north.

Map of the Shannon Estuary