Carrick-on-Shannon to Portumna one way

After the handover, an easy first hour downstream with no locks. Tie up at the public quay in Jamestown, above the weir, and walk through the headless old town gate of the 1620s plantation town to the ruins of the 1642 Franciscan friary. The Cottage Restaurant here won the overall prize for County Leitrim in the 2026 Irish restaurant awards; opening days vary with the season, so book. If you are handed the boat early, you could carry on through Albert Lock to Dromod instead, but in summer the lock-keeper finishes at 19:30 from Monday to Saturday and at 18:00 on Sundays, so do not cut it fine on your first afternoon.

The Jamestown Canal bypasses the weir, and Albert Lock at its lower end lowers you to the next level (keeper +353 71 963 7715, lunch 13:00–14:00). Then come Lough Boderg and Lough Bofin, the lakes of the red cow and the white cow: keep inside the markers, and in a strong wind wait for a calmer spell. Dromod on the shore of Bofin has a harbour with toilets, showers and a pump-out. At Roosky the lifting road bridge stands by the public harbour; if your boat is taller than about 3.0 m it needs a lift from the lock-keeper (+353 71 963 8018), who has no timetable. The village has pubs, a supermarket and a riverside trail to the lock.

Through Roosky Lock and across Lough Forbes, choppy in a strong wind, to Corlehan Point, where the Camlin River leaves the Shannon. With Tarmonbarry Bridge open, the main channel leads to Tarmonbarry Lock (+353 87 922 2020). If the bridge is still shut and Le Boat has cleared your boat for the Camlin, take the river to Clondra and the Cloondara Lock, a narrower chamber of 5.75 m worked by the same keeper, which returns you to the Shannon below Tarmonbarry. By our estimate this way round adds about 2 km, or half an hour. Either way you then have about 12 km of empty river to Lanesborough & Ballyleague, where the public harbour is on the Roscommon bank. Clarke's on the main street has music three nights a week in summer.

The big crossing: Lough Ree runs for almost 30 km, and you travel nearly all of it today. Read Met Éireann's lake forecast and the warnings before you leave. The lake turns rough quickly in a strong wind, so keep to the marked channel and, if it is blowing, wait for the next morning; Portrunny and Hodson Bay are sheltered places to break the trip. Athlone's council marina above the weir (about 60 berths, €15 a night, paid on arrival) and the free public jetty on the west bank are both close to the centre. Athlone is the biggest town on the river: Sean's Bar, the Left Bank quarter and a 42 km greenway to Mullingar.

A short morning run to Athlone Lock, just below the town (+353 90 649 2026), takes you onto the long reach that leads all the way to Meelick. In a flood the river below the lock can rise almost to the level above it, so approach with care. Stock up in Athlone: we know of no services at the Clonmacnoise jetty. Arriving by water, you see the round towers of Clonmacnoise above the bend long before you tie up at the jetty a few steps from the site. Inside are a cathedral, churches, high crosses and hundreds of early grave slabs; check heritageireland.ie for opening times, as a redevelopment of the visitor centre is under way.

About an hour downstream, Shannonbridge makes a good lunch stop: moorings lie on both sides of its sixteen-arch bridge of 1757, and the Napoleonic fort on the Roscommon bank holds a free exhibition and a café, open from Easter to October. Just below the village the River Suck branches off to the west. From here the river winds through the callows, wide meadows full of birds in summer, with few houses and no services until Banagher. Its public marina, shared with two hire fleets, has toilets, showers and a pump-out but no shore power. JJ Hough's on Main Street is known for its singing sessions.

The last day passes Meelick, whose quiet quay sits just above Victoria Lock, the last lock on the trip. Its keeper is on +353 90 975 1359; the big weir lies alongside, so follow the marks to the lock cut. A few kilometres above Portumna, keep to the channel past Ballymacegan Island, a protected underwater heritage area. Le Boat's base is in Connacht Harbour, which opens off the river on the upstream side of Portumna's swing bridge, so you do not need a bridge opening to reach it. Hand-back times are set by the base. If you have an evening, a trail of about 3 km links Connacht Harbour with Castle Harbour, beside Portumna Castle and its gardens (Waterways Ireland).