Shannon calling

Conor Power finds craic and calm in equal measure on an Irish riverboat cruise

AFTER arriving on a sleepy sunny morning in Banagher, we were sat down and made to watch a half-hour documentary on safety and river-cruising etiquette: We learned such things as ensuring to “drive” on the right as well as how to cope with a variety of emergency situations.

You don’t need a licence to drive a boat in Ireland but you do need some basic training. We were shown the ropes and put through our paces around the marina and under the bridge; getting familiar with handling the boat and the system of navigation signage. All along the river, the channels are clearly marked so there’s no danger of straying into rocky or shallow waters.

Using the large, heavy-duty trolleys provided, we emptied the car and transferred all the essentials to our new, temporary, home.

Soon we had stowed suitcases, groceries, board games, a guitar and a captain’s hat, among other items, and were away from dry land and floating south down Ireland’s longest river.

After passing through the lock at Meelick, you’re soon out on the open expanses of Lough Derg.

It’s the second-largest lake in the Republic of Ireland and you immediately start to lose all track of time and place. Already we had gone through two provinces, having started in Leinster and sailed into Connacht.

We were now staring across a beautiful lake and islands at Munster counties.

Eager to find a nice quiet place to moor for the first night, we plumped for the small Tipperary village of Terryglass. This three-time winner of the national Tidy Towns competition on the east shore of Lough Derg has a modern marina with plentiful mooring alongside a public park and playground. The children ran ashore to let off some steam while we filled up the water tank, something that needs to be done every day. The marina was very busy — more so than I would have expected for a late spring evening — with tourists from Ireland and abroad. A boat carrying a large group of young German arrived beside us. They were drinking beer and pulling a dinghy behind them bearing a life-size plastic pig. With the sound of singing already emanating from the hold, we were fully expecting a sleepless night.

For our first evening on board, we opted for a Sunday dinner of chicken with roast potatoes and carrots. The boats come fully equipped with oven, hob, fridge, cutlery and cooking utensils. The bedrooms are roomy enough and our main bedroom even had the luxury of a separate toilet and shower.

A short walk from the marina was Paddy’s — a pub recommended to us by a friend. After a couple of rounds — Irish stout for us and lemonade and crisps for younger crew members — we headed back to our floating home for a family game of cards before retiring for the night. As it happened, we needn’t have worried unduly about our German neighbours. They were all asleep by the time we got back and, if anything, it was probably us that kept them awake with the sound of hands smacking on the table and repeated shouts of “Snap!”

After a sound sleep assisted by the subtle rocking of the boat, we cruised across the lake to Portumna. After visiting the town and its forest park, we took a two-hour cruise back into Munster to Dromineer. This Tipperary village has more excellent mooring facilities behind a protective harbour wall. Alongside is a public park and playground. An ivy-clad ruin of a Norman castle completes a picturesque backdrop.

Even more irresistible was the very nearby local pub, The Whiskey Still. Here, over more creamy stout, we discussed Tipperary hurling with the affable owner and the vibrancy of the local sailing club (one of the oldest in the country, it turns out) with a local client. We met more German tourists — this time a couple of middle-aged friends, one of whom had been coming to Ireland to sail the Shannon every year for the last 20 years, and was fulsome in singing its praises.

“You don’t need to tell me,” I said as I raised my pint to salute Ireland’s waterways and asked him which part of Germany he hailed from.

“I come from a town in the middle of Germany called Kassel,” he said, before adding the well-worn punch-line: “So… my home is my Kassel!” He opened his mouth wide and let out a loud blast of laughter. I spluttered into my pint.

We left Dromineer behind us on a magically misty morning that promised to mature into another unseasonably warm day and headed for the twin towns of Ballina and Killaloe. As you move further south along Lough Derg, the countryside on the far shorelines becomes even hillier. The southern end of the lake is more densely populated, and there are many magnificent waterfront homes to be admired as the lake narrows to become the River Shannon once again.

We pulled in to the Ballina (Co Tipperary) side of the twin settlement in magnificent sunshine. As the mercury rose into the mid-twenties, we were joined by some local residents — my sister and her family — for lunch on board, while a lively summery atmosphere ashore continued well into the late evening.

For our last night on the boat, we went back up north to the village of Mountshannon. Another former Tidy Towns winner, this charming village is a short walk from the marina through a wonderful park whose elaborate maze provides hours of fun for family members of varying ages. It was here, too, that I had my first successful fishing session of the holiday. This ensured fresh perch for dinner followed by a visit to Keane’s pub in the village, where a good old-fashioned session was taking place.

A pair of dedicated musicians belted out the tunes while a man in a high-vis jacket rattled a bodhrán and local children danced reels and jigs.

Another man leapt from the bar, dancing sean nós style all the way down and was joined in a bizarre “dance-off” by a middle-aged Breton tourist who showed remarkable ability for a man partaking in Irish dancing for what we can only presume was the first time. We were in Co Clare all right!

Perhaps the late night before was a factor, but handing back the boat was an emotional wrench for which I wasn’t prepared.

We had been blessed with the weather, but there’s something wonderfully escapist about a boat cruise and the feeling of well-being had rubbed off onto the children as much as it had done onto the adults.

In four days, we had navigated a short stretch of the River Shannon but it had felt like the adventure of a lifetime.

When to Go

With weather in Ireland so unpredictable, the warmer and calmer the weather, the more enjoyable the experience will be. So go any time from May to September.

Accommodation

Choose the boat according to the size of your party. All are very comfortable, with a standard of living that’s a step above that of a luxury mobile home.

What to see

Holy Island Church & Round Tower — an ecclesiastical site accessible by boat from Mountshannon.

Portumna Castle & Forest Park — worth a day-trip in itself and a short walk from the Marina.

Food

Gooser’s Pub, Ballina

Paddy’s Bar, Terryglass

The Whiskey Still, Dromineer

Larkin’s, Garrykennedy.

Conor Power was a guest of Silverline Cruisers at Banagher, Co Offaly. Tel: [phone] www.silverlinecruisers.com

See also Inland Waterways of Ireland www.iwai.ie