Jetty Hop
Save for offline
Illustration: a cruiser on the broad Shannon below a long arched stone bridge, a hillside town with a cathedral tower and moored boats.

The Shannon River Ireland

Lower Shannon: Killaloe to Limerick

From Killaloe down the Shannon Scheme’s headrace canal and through the giant Ardnacrusha lock into Limerick city and the tide: a passage for experienced skippers, not hire boats.

  • 25 km of navigation
  • 2 locks
  • 13 stops
  • 2 public moorings
  • 3 private marinas
  • ≈ 3.8 hours end to end

Days and hours are our estimate: 7.5 km/h and 15 minutes a lock, about six hours a day.

Plan your cruise

Start from a ready-made trip, or plan your own day by day: distances, locks and overnight moorings.

Plan your own trip Open on the map

Overview

Below the old bridge at Killaloe the Shannon leaves Lough Derg and becomes a working river. It widens into the reservoir behind Parteen Weir, where boats turn into the headrace canal of the 1920s Shannon Scheme: about 12 km of broad, straight channel on high embankments, with the current running towards the power station. At Ardnacrusha a double lock, said to be the deepest in Ireland and Britain, lowers you more than 30 m in two chambers. The tailrace carries you back into the old river near Corbally, and the navigation then threads the Abbey River round King’s Island into the heart of Limerick, within sight of King John’s Castle and beside the Georgian Custom House. Sarsfield Lock opens onto the tidal estuary. The dry canals of the old Limerick Navigation are now walking routes, and the Lough Derg Way links the villages. It is a short stretch that needs a full day of planning: bookings, turbines, tides and headroom all matter.

Stops, in route order

13 stops from Parteen Weir & headrace intake to Limerick Docks (Ted Russell Dock).

Desk research, not yet checked on site

Junction · Co. Clare

Parteen Weir & headrace intake

The ESB weir that holds up Lough Derg and turns the navigation into the Ardnacrusha headrace canal.

The headrace canal stretches into the distance at Clonlara in low sunlight, with houses along the embankment on the right.

Village · Co. Clare

Clonlara

A village beside the headrace canal, with the old Errina canal locks and a trailhead of the Lough Derg Way.

Photo: Humphrey Bolton · CC BY-SA 2.0

Lock · Co. Clare

Ardnacrusha Locks

ESB’s double lock beside the power station, lowering boats more than 30 m: booked passage only, and closed until 31 March 2027.

Closed until Wed 31 Mar 2027

Village · Co. Clare

Parteen

A village on the Clare bank beside the Ardnacrusha tailrace, just north of Limerick city.

Bridge · Co. Limerick

Plassey & the Black Bridge

A quiet reach of the old river by the University of Limerick, where the abandoned Limerick Navigation once crossed the Shannon.

Quay · Co. Limerick

George’s Quay (Abbey River)

The Abbey River quay on King’s Island, by St Mary’s Cathedral, whose jetty is closed for the 2026 season.

Public
Small boats lie at a pontoon on the calm Shannon in Limerick city centre, with King John’s Castle and Thomond Bridge upriver.

Town · Co. Limerick

Limerick

Ireland’s third city, where visiting boats can moor in the centre at the sheltered Custom House pontoons.

Public

Photo: Bob Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0

Sarsfield Lock’s gates sit in the stone quay wall beside an old house, with a gangway down to a pontoon and Sarsfield Bridge on the right.

Lock · Co. Limerick

Sarsfield Lock

The lock beside Sarsfield Bridge between Limerick’s city reach and the tidal estuary, worked on a seasonal tide timetable.

Times vary — see notice Members only

Photo: Gareth James · CC BY-SA 2.0

Quay · Co. Limerick

Limerick Docks (Ted Russell Dock)

The working cargo port at the head of the estuary, where the Shannon becomes port water.

By arrangement
Show all 13 stops Show fewer stops

Also on this waterway: Killaloe & Ballina (Lough Derg) · Killaloe Bridge (Lough Derg)

Practical rules

Mooring limits, locks, speed and hazards, in our own words with links to the sources.

Who it is for

Experienced skippers on their own boats. Hire companies normally end their cruising area at Killaloe (for example Carrickcraft): check your hire contract.

Closed until 31 March 2027

ESB has closed the Ardnacrusha locks from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 for maintenance, so no boat can pass between Lough Derg and Limerick (Marine Notice 106/2026).

Locks
  • Ardnacrusha (ESB double lock): book with the lock-keeper on +353 87 997 0131 or +353 61 344 515; they alert the staff at Parteen Weir.
  • Sarsfield Lock, Limerick: seasonal and tidal. In 2026 it worked 13 March–31 October on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, for three hours around mid-tide (timetable, PDF). Book at least 24 hours ahead: +353 87 797 2998.
  • Since 1 April 2026 boaters must wear a lifejacket or buoyancy aid in and beside Waterways Ireland locks (Marine Notice 35/2026).
Currents

Waterways Ireland advises against the Ardnacrusha–Limerick stretch when more than one turbine is running; flows also rise after heavy rain. In the Abbey River, tide, turbines and rain set the stream: take local advice on timing.

Headroom

Killaloe bridge gives 3.85 m at normal summer level. Clearance under the Ardnacrusha gates and Baal’s Bridge in Limerick changes with levels and tide.

Mooring and services

Shannon rule: up to 5 days in a row or 7 days in a month, all year round. We found no fuel, pump-out or service block below Killaloe: fill up on Lough Derg.

Permits and port

The Shannon needs no canal permit, but every boat on the Shannon Navigation, which ends at Limerick, must be registered with Waterways Ireland (free); only open, undecked boats of 15 hp or less are exempt. Ask at Ardnacrusha and Sarsfield about any lock charge. Below Shannon Bridge the estuary is Shannon Foynes Port water: VHF channel 11, give way to ships. ESB warns against swimming in the headrace and tailrace.

This is a travel guide, not a navigation aid.

Conditions on the water

Forecast, warnings and water levels

Weather and water

Loading the latest conditions…

Locks & bridges

2 locks on this waterway. The times below are worked out on this device. They change with the season: always read the notice.

All lock and bridge times Check the Waterways Ireland marine notices

Events

No events listed for this waterway yet.

All events Tell us about an event

Marine notices

Current Waterways Ireland marine notices for this waterway. The one-line summaries are ours: read the notice itself.

Show 5 more

Source: Waterways Ireland · All marine notices on Waterways Ireland

Our marketplace buz.ie

Boats for sale: Lower Shannon: Killaloe to Limerick

See all boats for sale

On buz.ie by county: Co. Limerick Co. Clare

Sell your boat free on buz.ie

More on the map, from OpenStreetMap

Places on the map that are not near one of our stops. Listed on OpenStreetMap, not checked by us. © OpenStreetMap contributors

Food & drink (11)
Shops (4)
Locks & bridges (2)
Things to do (5)
Services (7)