FLOODING: Stretch between two Limerick bridges vital to how conditions will develop

A 365m stretch of the Shannon running by Limerick city centre between Sarsfield Bridge and Thomond Bridge will be critical to how flooding develops or abates over coming days in the lower Shannon between the city and Parteen Weir, 13km up river.

All the critical elements and forces driving the current crisis will converge at the narrow stretch best known for the Curragower Falls opposite Limerick City Hall.

Kieran Ryan, a boat builder who navigates the Shannon on a regular basis, explained that the red alert times will be at 7.30am on Sunday and 8.20am on Monday. “There will be a high tide of 6m at these two times. If there is a strong south westerly blowing up the Shannon Estuary, this will drive the tide back into Limerick and it will form a barrier and there will be nowhere for water coming down river to go.