Self-drive cruisers, narrowboats and barges on the Shannon, the Erne and the canals. No licence is needed: the company shows you how the boat works and takes you out for a practice run before you leave.
Listed A–Z. Payment never changes this order. How we rank listings
1 base · Vicarstown
Barrowline Cruisers is a family-run narrowboat and barge hire business at Vicarstown, Co. Laois, on the Barrow Line of the Grand Canal. From there you can head north to the Grand Canal main line, towards Dublin or the Shannon, or south onto the livelier River Barrow.
Languages: English
3 bases · Banagher, Carrick-on-Shannon and Bellanaleck
Carrickcraft hires out self-drive cruisers from three bases: Carrick-on-Shannon, Banagher on the Middle Shannon and Bellanaleck on Lough Erne. Now part of the Riverly group, it offers boats for 2 to 12 people, including Linssen yachts, one-way trips between its bases and a German-language booking site.
Languages: English German
2 bases · Portumna and Carrick-on-Shannon
Le Boat runs self-drive boating holidays on rivers and canals in Europe and Canada and trades in Ireland as Emerald Star. Its Irish bases are Carrick-on-Shannon and Portumna, so a one-way trip along the Shannon between them is possible; boats sleep 2 to 12 and no licence is needed after the handover briefing.
Languages: English German French Dutch Italian Spanish
1 base · Lough Ree Marina, Mucknagh
Lough Ree Cruisers is a small family-run company at Mucknagh Point on the east shore of Lough Ree, near Glasson. Its six-berth cruisers share one design with a sliding saloon roof for open-air cruising, and every boat comes with a dinghy.
Languages: English
1 base · Killadeas
Manor House Marine at Killadeas, on the shore of Lower Lough Erne, hires out self-drive cruisers and day boats and runs lakeside cottages and a 160-berth marina with a chandlery. Its cruisers explore the Erne, and with the company’s permission the Shannon–Erne Waterway and the Shannon.
Languages: English
1 base · Banagher
Silverline Cruisers has hired out boats from the marina in Banagher, on the Middle Shannon between Lough Derg and Clonmacnoise, for more than 50 years. Its eleven cruisers sleep from 2 to 12 people, with short breaks from three nights.
Languages: English
What each company’s own hire terms say, with the page we read and the day we checked it. Terms change, so confirm them with the company when you book.
| Company | Season | Shortest hire | One-way trips | Pets | Skipper’s minimum age | Licence | Fuel | Deposit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrowline Cruisers | 7 Mar – 31 Oct | 3 nights | Not offered | Not yet checked | Not yet checked | Not yet checked | Not yet checked | €500 | Hire terms (opens another website) checked 23 Oct 2026 barrowline.ie (opens another website) |
| Carrickcraft Also sold as: Hausboot Irland, Les Canalous and Riverly | Mar – Oct | 3 nights | Possible | Allowed | 18 or older | Not needed | You pay for what you use | Not yet checked | Hire terms (opens another website) checked 23 Oct 2026 carrickcraft.com (opens another website) |
| Le Boat Also sold as: Emerald Star | Apr – Oct | 2 nights | Possible | Allowed | 18 or older | Not needed | Per engine hour | Not yet checked | Hire terms (opens another website) checked 23 Oct 2026 emeraldstar.ie (opens another website) |
| Lough Ree Cruisers | Apr – Oct | Not yet checked | Not yet checked | Not yet checked | Not yet checked | Not yet checked | Not yet checked | Not yet checked | Hire terms (opens another website) checked 23 Oct 2026 loughreecruisers.com (opens another website) |
| Manor House Marine | Not yet checked | Not yet checked | Not offered | Ask the company | 21 or older | Not needed | You pay for what you use | Not yet checked | Hire terms (opens another website) checked 23 Oct 2026 manormarine.com (opens another website) |
| Silverline Cruisers | Not yet checked | 3 nights | Not offered | Not allowed | 18 or older | Not needed | You pay for what you use | Not yet checked | Hire terms (opens another website) checked 23 Oct 2026 silverlinecruisers.com (opens another website) |
barrowline.ie (opens another website) Hire terms (opens another website) checked 23 Oct 2026
Also sold as: Hausboot Irland, Les Canalous and Riverly
carrickcraft.com (opens another website) Hire terms (opens another website) checked 23 Oct 2026
Also sold as: Emerald Star
emeraldstar.ie (opens another website) Hire terms (opens another website) checked 23 Oct 2026
loughreecruisers.com (opens another website) Hire terms (opens another website) checked 23 Oct 2026
manormarine.com (opens another website) Hire terms (opens another website) checked 23 Oct 2026
silverlinecruisers.com (opens another website) Hire terms (opens another website) checked 23 Oct 2026
No prices in this comparison: they change with the dates and the boat. Each company’s website has its own.
Where you can pick up a boat, and the ready-made trips that start there.
1 base
Le Boat's Lough Derg base (Emerald Star in Ireland) for cruiser holidays, April to October; the office is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 09:00–17:00.
Connaught Harbour, Bridge Road, Portumna, H53 W447
Trips from here
2 bases
2 hire companies
Cruiser hire at Banagher marina, in business for some 50 years; short breaks from three nights.
The Marina, Banagher, Co. Offaly, R42 TW99
+353 57 915 1112 silverlinecruisers.com (opens another website)
Carrickcraft’s southern base: self-drive cruisers for the Shannon south of Athlone and Lough Derg; base office open Monday to Friday.
The Marina, Curraghavarna, Banagher, Co. Offaly, R42 DH51
Trips from here
1 base
Family-run hire of six-berth Classique 1135 cruisers with a sliding roof; weekly hire, short breaks on request.
Mucknagh Point, Glasson, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37 KV04
+353 87 247 1762 loughreecruisers.com (opens another website)
Trips from here
2 hire companies
Le Boat’s Shannon base (also trading as Emerald Star), with cruisers for 2 to 12 people from April to October; it also sells Smart Cards.
The Marina, Carrick-on-Shannon, N41 RD29
Carrickcraft’s original base, opened in 1970, with self-drive cruisers for the Shannon and the Shannon–Erne Waterway.
The Marina, St George’s Terrace, Carrick-on-Shannon, N41 XA00
Trips from here
1 base
Carrickcraft’s Erne base for self-drive cruisers, with routes over the whole lough and one-way trips to the Shannon; office open Monday to Saturday.
The Moorings, 156 Derrylin Road, Bellanaleck, Enniskillen, BT92 2BA
+44 28 3834 4993 Head office carrickcraft.com (opens another website)
Trips from here
1 base
Family-run hire base with self-drive cruisers for the Erne and the Shannon, day boats, lakeside cottages, boat sales and a chandlery.
Killadeas, Co. Fermanagh BT94 1NY
Trips from here
1 base
Family-run narrowboat and barge hire from Vicarstown, for cruises north on the Grand Canal or south onto the River Barrow; three-night and weekly hires.
Vicarstown, Co. Laois
Trips from here
The short version of our guide to hiring a boat. The details differ between companies, so read the hire terms before you book.
You can hire a self-drive cruiser or barge without a licence or any experience. At the base you get a handover briefing and a practice run.
Cruisers sleep from two to twelve people. Bedding, a kitchen, heating and lifejackets for everyone are usually included.
Most companies hire from March or April to October. Short breaks start at two or three nights; some companies offer one-way trips between their bases.
Every hire contract we read forbids cruising after dark, and companies may close a lake to hire boats in bad weather. Their instruction overrides any plan, including ours.
Lock-keepers work the Shannon locks; on the Shannon–Erne Waterway you work them yourself with a Smart Card, which many bases sell.
You set off with a full tank and pay for what you use. Expect a refundable security deposit, often reducible with a waiver.
When a booking link earns us a commission, it is marked “Partner link”. It never changes which companies we list, their order, or anything about moorings and safety.
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