The Shannon River Basin consists of the area containing Ireland's longest river, the River Shannon, and all of its tributaries and lakes. The official Ordnance Survey Ireland length of the Shannon from its Shannon Pot source is made up of tidal water flow and freshwater flow.
Statistics The Shannon Basin is Ireland's largest basin with an area of . Including the estuary and the River Feale, the total catchment drains a total of .
It has a Long Term Average Flow of (at Limerick City).South Eastern River Basin Management: Page 38 This is double the flow rate of Ireland's second largest river, the River Corrib (). If the discharges from all of the rivers and streams into the Shannon Estuary (including the rivers Feale 34.6 m3/s, Maigue 15.6 m3/s, Fergus 25.7 m3/s, and Deel 7.4 m3/s)Long-term effects of hydropower installations and associated river regulation on River Shannon eel populations: mitigation and management SFPC Maintenance Dredging Application: Table 3-7 are added to the discharge at Limerick, the total discharge of the River Shannon at its mouth at Loop Head reaches .
The River Shannon is a traditional freshwater river for just 45% of its total length. Excluding the tidal estuary from its total length of , if one also excludes the lakes (L. Derg 24 mi, L. Ree 18 mi, L. Allen 7 mi plus L. Boderg, L. Bofin, L. Forbes, L. Corry) from the Shannon's freshwater flow of , the Shannon as a freshwater river is only about long.
The Shannon River Basin is part of the Shannon International River Basin District (SHIRBD) administrative area which has an area of in area. In addition to the Shannon Basin, the district also covers coastal parts of counties Kerry and Clare which drain to the sea. The SHIRBD contains of rivers, of coastline including estuaries, and 113 lakes, including 53 over in size. The main land use throughout the SHIRBD area is agriculture (70.7%). Peatlands (11.1%) and forestry (3.2%) are also important. The SHIRBD's population is 618,884 at (Census data 2002).Shannon International River Basin District Eel Management Plan
Furthest sources
There are some tributaries within the River Shannon system which have headwaters that are further in length (from source to mouth) than the Shannon Pot source, such as the Owenmore River (County Cavan) in County Cavan, which flows west for Ordnance Survey of Ireland: Rivers and their Catchment Basins 1958 (Table of Reference) through the valley of Glangevlin before joining the Shannon about below the Shannon Pot at Lugnashinna, thus adding to the Shannon's overall length, bringing it to .
Also the Boyle River has a similar claim. The river flow from the furthest reaches of the Boyle catchment to Limerick city has a measurement of . When added to the Shannon's estuary this gives a total river flow of , which makes it the longest river within the River Shannon basin (from source to mouth)— longer than the Shannon Pot source. Thus the Boyle-Shannon river can be regarded as having the longest natural river flow in Ireland.
Geography The River Shannon Basin touches more than half (17) of Ireland's counties:- Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Offaly, Westmeath, Longford, Roscommon, Kerry, Galway, Leitrim, Cavan, Sligo, Mayo, Cork, Laois, Meath and Fermanagh.Shannon Catchment-based Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Study. Page 3
Towns situated in the Shannon Basin
Towns and Villages (with 2011 populations) within the Shannon River Basin and the rivers and riverbanks on which they stand:
Shannon River: (going downstream) Dowra Drumshanbo (Lough Allen Canal – Left Bank) 857 Leitrim Village (L. Bank) 485 Carrick-on-Shannon 3,980 Jamestown (L. Bank) Drumsna (L. Bank) 247 Drumod (Lough Boderg – L. Bank) 356 Roosky (Right Bank) 188 Newtown Forbes (Lough Forbes – L. Bank) 759 Termonbarry (R. Bank) 366 Cloondara (L. Bank) Lanesborough 1,388 Athlone 20,153 Clonmacnoise (L. Bank) Shannonbridge (L. Bank) 206 Banagher (L. Bank) 1,653 Portumna (R. Bank) 1,530 Terryglass (Lough Derg – L. Bank) Mountshannon (Lough Derg – R. Bank) 152 Dromineer (Lough Derg – L. Bank) 113 Ballina (L. Bank) 2,442 Killaloe (R. Bank) 1,292 O'Briensbridge 235 Castleconnell (L. Bank) 1,917 Ardnacrusha Limerick City 87,081 Shannon (S. Estuary – R. Bank) 9,673 Kilrush (S. Estuary – R. Bank) 2,695 Carrigaholt (S. Estuary – R. Bank) Foynes (S. Estuary – L. Bank) 543 Glin (S. Estuary – L. Bank) 577 Tarbert (S. Estuary – L. Bank) 551 Ballylongford (S. Estuary – L. Bank) 418 Ballybunion (S. Estuary – L. Bank) 1,354
Shannon River tributaries
Boyle river: Boyle 2,588 Lung river: Ballaghaderreen (outskirts) 1,822 Camlin river: Longford 9,601 Hind river: Roscommon (outskirts) 5,693 River Inny (Leinster): Mullingar 20,103 River Brosna: Ballymahon 1,563, Ferbane 1,165, Tullamore (Tullamore river) 14,361 River Suck: Castlerea 1,985, Athleague 241, Ballinasloe 6,577 Little Brosna river: Birr 5,452 Ballyfinboy River: Borrisokane 1,145, Cloughjordan 511 Nenagh river: Nenagh 8,439 River Graney: Scariff 798 Ratty river, also named Owengarney River or O'Garney River,:Draft Clare County Development Plan 2017–2023 Volume 3b Shannon municipal district written statement and maps December 2015 p.18 Sixmilebridge 1,839, Bunratty 219 River Fergus: Ennis 25,360, Newmarket-on-Fergus 1,773 River Maigue: Adare 1,106 River Deel: Rathkeale 1,550, Askeaton 1,149 River Feale: Listowel 4,338, Abbeyfeale 2,007
Tributary Sub Catchments
Freshwater Catchments (With Areas – km2) Going downstream
Left Bank:
L Allen (upstream from L. Allen outlet) 415 km2 Eslin River 73 km2 River Rinn 311 km2 Camlin River 352 km2 River Inny (Leinster) 1,254 km2 River Brosna 1,248 km2 Little Brosna River 662 km2 Ballyfinboy River 182 km2 Nenagh River 321 km2 Mulkear River 660 km2
Right Bank:
Boyle River 725 km2 Hind River 78 km2 River Suck 1,600 km2Dublin Marine Institute 1998: Studies of Irish Rivers and Lakes: Moriarty, Christopher – Table 10.1. Cappagh/Kilcrow 414 km2 River Graney 295 km2
Estuarine Catchments Areas
Left Bank:
River Maigue 1,0002 River Deel 426 km2 River Feale 1,170 km2
Right Bank:
Bunratty River 233 km2 River Fergus 1,043 km2
There are many other smaller tributaries which join the Shannon along its journey.
Lakes
There are a multitude of lakes within the Shannon River Basin, both on the main river and throughout the sub-catchments.
Here is a table showing the major lakes: Lake Area Basin Lough Derg 130 km2 Shannon Lough Ree 105 km2 Shannon Lough Allen 35 km2 Shannon Lough Sheelin 19 km2 Inny Lough Ennell 14.34 km2 Brosna Lough Gara 11.9 km2 Boyle Lough Derravaragh 10.8 km2 Inny Lough Owel 10.3 km2 Brosna Lough Bofin/Boderg/Scannal 9.7 km2 Shannon Lough Key 8.4 km2 Boyle Lough Graney 3.7 km2 Graney Lough Forbes 3 km2 Shannon Lough Eidin (Drumharlow Lough) 2.7 km2 Boyle Lough Funshinagh 2.5 km2 Shannon
See also River Shannon Shannon Callows Rivers of Ireland List of rivers of Ireland List of loughs of Ireland
References