Facts On Ireland

Cruiser holiday on Ireland's River Shannon. A long overdue account of our first trip in a rental boat on Ireland's River Shannon.

I have just, this year, had my first ever cruiser holiday on Ireland's River Shannon, and I am now so enthralled with the

whole concept of holidaying in this way that I am encouraged to write an article about boating holidays in Ireland in

general. Leaving the car, the motorways, the roundabouts, and the traffic behind us; from the moment we stepped on our hire

cruiser at Banagher in County Offaly, we were in a new floating world. It is difficult to describe the sensation of being on

a large boat, suspended on the water, rocking gently when other boats go past, drinking wine on deck and watching the sun go

down... I suppose 'exhilarating' is a word that comes to mind. It is peaceful, relaxing, calming. And this was on the first

evening before we even left the dock! After a stressful week that saw us working feverishly to tie up several loose ends,

when the phone never stopped ringing, and we had many late nights, we had decided that on day one we would do nothing other

than go on board, unpack and relax.

This was not entirely necessary, and many people quite happily go on board, start engines and head off up river or down lake.

But it gave us time to unwind and become familiar with the boat. It's amazing how much you can learn just by watching other

boaters maneuvour their hire boats in and out of the Shannon-side marina. Everyone has a little bump at some point and seeing

this was strangely reassuring. The great thing was, I knew after watching for a while that I was going to be okay. We had

had some video instruction from the company before going on board and we had a thirty minute lesson from one of the staff

just so we knew where the controls were and knew the navigation rules. They are simple and logical. You drive on the right.

(Opposite to what we do with a car on Irish roads but similar to what most EU countries are familiar with.) Also remember

that you are best facing into the current when coming alongside the dock. You can hold a boat absolutely still in the water

when facing upstream by using a little forward throttle. Facing downstream you will be pushed ( at a slow rate) past where

you want to tie up. Of course there's always reverse! If a breeze is blowing, allow for that too.

In fact, the instruction began a week before we left home. By email, we received from the boat rental company a link to a

site that went through several lessons such as navigation, safety on the water, docking procedures, fueling, provisions

required etc. At the end of each lesson we had to answer a multiple choice questionnaire. Get it wrong and they prompted

you to answer again. Only when you have gone through this process will you be given control of the boat. It's reassuring on

a number of levels: 1) you feel comfortable about heading off for the trip, and 2) you are reassured that all the other

boats on the river have had similar instruction.

We were also given a book of navigation rules with pages of charts for every section of the River Shannon and the lakes.

This is indispensable when going through locks (fun when you have done it), or approaching a bridge with several arches.

There on the page is a photo of the bridge you are approaching and an arrow pointing that says: use this arch. We found it to

be very easy.

Along the way, we cannot find adequate words to describe how we felt. We are both retired, and travel around Ireland a lot,

but we had never experienced such beauty, such wildlife, (even the cows in the fields seemed like wildlife to us); swans were

swimming out of our way and we saw dozens of baby swans and adult herons. Such relaxation. It was like we were able to

exhale at last...you know how it is when you sigh contentedly...like that, only multiplied a hundredfold. The river itself

is magnificent and while it was wonderful to have it mostly to ourselves, it was also cheery to see other cruise boats passing when

everyone waved and shouted Hello, And when we got to the next harbour, someone recognised our boat as we came alongside and

waited and reached for our rope to help us tie up. This happened everytime we docked the boat. We found ourselves doing the

same for other boats as they came in to harbour.

There is so much to see and do along the Shannon and the Erne and in all the small villages along Lough Derg and Lough Ree.

Archaeolgical treasures such as the ruins of Clonmacnoise monastic settlement with round tower, complete with it's docking

facilities, or the delights of the safe overnight mooring at Hodson Bay and the Hotel on the waterfront where you can get

great food and refreshments. Indeed you will be spolied for choice in places to dine, or you might just prefer to cook and

eat aboard. We did a mixture of the two, ate on board during the day and in the morning, and went ashore in the evenings to

a restaurant or pub. We didn't do any fishing even though I like to fish. We did see many European boaters fishing along the

edges for pike and sometimes saw the intrpid anglers preparing their catch for supper. Strange how culinary practices are

different worldwide. In Ireland we never eat pike and yet our European neighbours speak highly of it as a table fish.

Sleeping on the twenty seven foot boat was comfortable and fun. Facilities included Cooker, heater, radio, fridge, shower

and toilet. Plenty of room for sitting out at back of boat, with a large and bright wheelhose with plenty of room for a few

people leading to the sleeping and eating/resting area below.. Next time we will get a bigger boat and if our budget allows

we will get one that can be steered from high up outside as well as from the wheehouse. Nice to be outside on a sunny day

and nice to have a commanding view of the countryside as you glide through. It's also easier - it seemed - to come alongside

to dock the boat if you are high up on boat.

Will we do it again? You bet. Already we are looking at the maps of the Shannon and Erne waterways and planning a trip for

the coming season. I look forward to the confident power of he diesel engines, and the swish of the water as we power up

river. I just can't believe it has taken us so long to really discover Ireland.

Some pictures of trip and info here

Ed O'Riordan is a writer living in Tipperary Ireland. He writes on Irish Local History and Culture.

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