Glimpses of a whole other country on the river

Think you know Ireland? It’s a whole new world on the river, says Jill O’Sullivan

LIKE you, I’ve criss-crossed Ireland’s rivers hundreds of times in cars, buses, trains and on foot. Now, I’ve experienced our waterways in a whole new way, by river boat — and it’s another, beautiful world.

Driving a boat along our waterways is a very special experience that may well be on your bucket list, as it was on mine. What really hits you is the pace — it took us over two hours to putt-putt our way up a stretch of the Shannon and along the River Boyle from Carrick-on-Shannon to Lough Key in Co Roscommon — a journey that takes a scant 10 minutes by car.