How long will a river run through it?

Donal Hickey says the future of the Shannon is uncertain

THE scene is still vivid in memory. A schoolboy stands by a map on the back wall of the classroom, with a pointed stick in his right hand following the path of the Shannon as it meanders lazily through the centre of Ireland.

Occasionally, the stick comes to rest on towns along the route of the mighty river, including Carrick-on-Shannon, Athlone and Killaloe, before a lengthy stop in Limerick when stories of a famous treaty and Patrick Sarsfield are told.