Killarcan Lock

For boats leaving the Shannon, Killarcan is the first lock of the climb towards Lough Scur, and on the way back it is the last one before the Shannon, so this is where many hire crews try the Smart Card system for the first time. A console beside the chamber runs the gates and sluices; illustrated instructions explain each step, and one card unit pays for the passage. The lock is one of the original structures of the 1840s and 1850s, repaired rather than rebuilt when the waterway reopened in 1994. If anything goes wrong, the patroller for lock 16 answers on +353 87 260 8569. A 5 km towpath walk leads from here to Kilclare.