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Illustration: a cruiser on the Shannon through misty meadows below round towers, ruined churches and high crosses, two swans in the foreground.

The Shannon River Ireland

Middle Shannon & River Suck

The quiet middle of the Shannon: about 57 km of slow river and wide callows from just above Portumna to Athlone, past Banagher, Shannonbridge and Clonmacnoise, with a 16 km side trip up the River Suck to Ballinasloe.

  • 73 km of navigation
  • 3 locks
  • 12 stops
  • 5 public moorings
  • 2 private marinas
  • 2 hire bases
  • ≈ 2 days 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 “Carrick-on-Shannon to Portumna one way” Plan your own trip Open on the map

Overview

Between Lough Derg and Lough Ree the Shannon slows down and spreads out. For about 57 km, from just above Portumna to Athlone Lock, it winds through the callows, low meadows that flood in winter and fill with breeding waders in summer, with only two locks on the way: Victoria Lock at Meelick and Athlone Lock at the top. The towns are small and sit right on the water. Banagher is the hire-boat centre, with a marina below the main street and old forts guarding its bridge. Shannonbridge has a sixteen-arch bridge from 1757 and a restored Napoleonic fort with a café. Clonmacnoise, the great early Christian monastery, is at its most striking when you arrive by water. At Shannon Harbour the Grand Canal comes in from Dublin, and just below Shannonbridge the River Suck branches west for 16 km, through one lock, to the market town of Ballinasloe. Expect long empty reaches, few services between towns and plenty of birdlife.

Stops, in route order

12 stops from Victoria Lock to Ballinasloe.

Desk research, not yet checked on site

River Shannon Victoria Lock to Athlone Lock · 9 stops

Victoria Lock seen from the river, with its closed gates, a green channel marker, a cruiser tied up at the approach wall and the lock house among the trees.

Lock · Co. Offaly

Victoria Lock

The first lock above Lough Derg: a big 1840s stone lock in a cut beside Meelick weir, worked by a lock-keeper.

Open now · closes 18:30

Photo: Jonjobaker · CC BY-SA 4.0

The long stone quay at Meelick runs beside the calm Shannon, which mirrors a blue sky and white clouds above flat green fields.

Village · Co. Galway

Meelick

A quiet Galway hamlet just above Victoria Lock, with a quay, a weir walk across the Shannon and a Franciscan church founded in 1414 and still in use.

Public

Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0

Marina · Co. Offaly

Shannonside Marina

A private, family-run marina with over 100 berths on the Offaly bank at Lusmagh, between Meelick and Banagher.

Private · not yet checked
The masonry arches of Banagher Bridge stretch across the wide, rippled Shannon under a heavy, cloudy sky.

Bridge · Co. Offaly

Banagher Bridge

The stone road bridge built by the Shannon Commissioners in 1841–43 at Banagher; fixed since its swing span was removed in 1971.

Photo: Jonjobaker · CC BY-SA 4.0

Aerial view of the stone arches of Banagher Bridge over the Shannon, with rows of cruisers in the marina beside it and green countryside beyond.

Town · Co. Offaly

Banagher

The Middle Shannon’s hire-boat town: a busy marina below the main street, two hire bases, a famous singing pub and Napoleonic forts at the bridge.

Public

Photo: RobertG216 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Evening view along the Shannon to the long stone bridge at Shannonbridge, with cruisers moored at the village quay and Luker’s pub on the right.

Village · Co. Offaly

Shannonbridge

A one-street village at the Shannon’s sixteen-arch bridge of 1757, with moorings either side, riverside pubs and a Napoleonic fort with a café.

Public

Photo: Jonjobaker · CC BY-SA 4.0

Stone crosses and Temple Connor on the grassy slope at Clonmacnoise, above a bend of the Shannon and its flat green callows.

Jetty · Co. Offaly

Clonmacnoise

The jetty below Ireland’s great early Christian monastery, founded by St Ciarán in the 6th century, with round towers, high crosses and a cathedral on the riverbank.

Public

Photo: Berthold Werner · CC BY-SA 4.0

The curved weir across the Shannon at Athlone, with gulls on its sill and the town’s quays, bridge and twin-towered church beyond.

Lock · Co. Westmeath

Athlone Lock

The 1840s lock beside Athlone weir that lifts boats from the Middle Shannon into Athlone town and on towards Lough Ree.

Open now · closes 18:30

Photo: Ian Rob · CC BY-SA 2.0

River Suck Pollboy Lock to Ballinasloe · 3 stops

Lock · Co. Galway

Pollboy Lock

The only lock on the River Suck: a keeper-operated lock a few kilometres below Ballinasloe, completed in the late 1990s.

Open now · closes 18:30

Marina · Co. Galway

Moycarn Lodge & Marina

A riverside lodge with a bar, a bistro and its own small marina on the River Suck, between Pollboy Lock and Ballinasloe.

Private · not yet checked

Town · Co. Galway

Ballinasloe

The head of the Suck navigation: a big Galway market town with a central marina, plenty of shops and one of Europe’s great horse fairs every October.

Public

Also on this waterway: Portumna Bridge (Lough Derg) · Portumna (Lough Derg) · Shannon Harbour (Grand Canal) · 36th Lock, Shannon Harbour (Grand Canal)

Services along the way

4 stops

Pump-out, water, fuel, shore power, showers and laundry where a listing says so, in route order. Tap a stop for who runs it and when.

  1. Shannonside Marina Drinking water Shore power
  2. Banagher Pump-out Showers Toilets
  3. Shannonbridge Pump-out Shore power Showers Toilets
  4. Ballinasloe Shore power Showers Toilets Laundry

A stop not listed here may still have them: nobody has checked yet. Know better? Report a change

Practical rules

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

Mooring limits

At public harbours and jetties you may stay five days in a row, seven days in all per calendar month, all year round. Winter mooring (1 November–31 March, €63.50 for 2026–27) is by application; in winter, power and water are switched off and most service blocks close (boater information).

Locks

Victoria (Meelick), Athlone and Pollboy (Suck) locks have keepers; a passage costs 2 Smart Card units or €1.50. Hours 2026: 14–31 March and October 09:30–18:30 Monday to Saturday; 1 April–30 September 09:30–19:30 Monday to Saturday; Sundays 09:30–18:00 from mid-March to October; 1 November–13 March 09:00–12:00 (Sundays until 11:00); lunch 13:00–14:00. Keepers: Victoria +353 90 975 1359, Athlone +353 90 649 2026, Pollboy +353 90 964 4938. Since April 2026 everyone handling the boat in a lock must wear a lifejacket or buoyancy aid (Marine Notice 35 of 2026).

Smart Card and registration

The prepaid card (shop) also opens service blocks, showers, pump-outs and shore power. All boats must be registered with Waterways Ireland (free) except open, undecked boats under 15 bhp.

Speed

5 km/h near bridges, jetties, locks, harbours and moored boats (Special Marine Notice 1 of 2026).

Bridges and depth

No bridge opens between Portumna and Athlone. The lowest bridge on the main Shannon is at Killaloe (3.85 m at normal summer level); the guide draft is 1.35 m. Bridges on the Suck: 4.30 m and 4.57 m (WI, 2025). In high water, use the air-draft gauges at bridges.

Hazards

Victoria and Athlone locks sit beside big weirs: follow the marks to the lock. No swimming in the channel or near bridges, weirs and locks. After heavy rain the callows flood and the current picks up. Ballymacegan Island, a few kilometres above Portumna, is a restricted underwater heritage area (Marine Notice 68 of 2023). Pump-outs: Banagher, Shannonbridge and, above the lock, Athlone. Check the marine notices first.

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

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

  • Victoria Lock Lock · Worked by a lock-keeper
    Open now · closes 18:30
  • Athlone Lock Lock · Worked by a lock-keeper
    Open now · closes 18:30
  • Pollboy Lock Lock · Worked by a lock-keeper
    Open now · closes 18:30

All lock and bridge times Check the Waterways Ireland marine notices

Hire bases

Hire companies with a base on this waterway.

All hire companies

Itineraries

Ready-made trips that start here or pass through.

All itineraries

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 4 more

Source: Waterways Ireland · All marine notices on Waterways Ireland

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Boats for sale: Middle Shannon & River Suck

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On buz.ie by county: Co. Offaly Co. Galway Co. Westmeath

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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

Harbours & marinas from OpenStreetMap — access not checked (2)
Things to do (2)
Services (2)