Shannon Towns & Bars - Carrick on Shannon

Info - Steeped in history and is full of interesting buildings. The best way to discover these is to follow the ‘Guides Walking Tour’ available in many shops or use the 'Town Walk' link below. A bustling romantic town dominated by the river with the Slieve Annierain mountains as a backdrop. The town has a large marina to house its ever-growing cruiser fleets and its successful rowing club.
It is widely acknowledged as an angler’s paradise and within a 10km radius of the town there are no fewer than 41 lakes.
One of the most unique buildings in Carrick-on-Shannon is the Costello Chapel which is reputed to be the smallest chapel in Europe. It was erected in 1879 by Edward Costello, a rich merchant, as a memorial and burial vault for his wife, Josephine who died two years previously. It is 16 feet long, 12 feet wide and 30 feet high (4.8m X 3.6m X 9m). Each side of the aisle contains a coffin lined with lead and covered with slabs of thick reinforced glass. The remains of Josephine and Edward, who died in 1891, lie in them. Its situated next to the pub on the corner of Main and Bridge streets.

History - Cora Droma Ruisc meaning the weir of the marshy ridge is the Irish for Leitrim's main town, Carrick-on-Shannon. It is mentioned in Irelands ancient Annals as a fording point across the Shannon. It became a Royal Borough during James I plantation in 1613 and was known then as Carrowdromruske. A castle was erected to protect the crossing there in 1613. A tiny fragment of the original castle is all that survives. It is beside the tourist office, next to the east side of the bridge. The Town Clock was erected in 1905. It was erected by townspeople and friends of one Owen McCann who died in 1905 and was first Chairman of the first Leitrim County Council, which came into being in 1898.A bridge over the Shannon was present in 1684. A new bridge with 17 arch's was erected in 1718 and the Shannon Commissioners replaced it with the present bridge in the 1840's.

Our bit - This is where we picked up our boat from Carrick Craft on our 2000 trip, and also our boat from Emerald Star in 2001. It is one of the major centres for hire boats on the Shannon with the two major hirers Carrick Craft and Emerald Star having their head quarters here, (Portumna has since become Emerald Star's largest base). Carrick is the largest town on the Northern part of the Shannon and offers a wide range of pubs and restaurants. A well established centre for boating holiday makers, with several supermarkets for boat provisioning. If you are picking up a boat on a Saturday, stay the night here rather than 'charging off' straight away. Its probably the best place to start your holiday on a high note. Its well worth a walk around the town, check out the 'Tour in Pictures' link below.

●  You will find the Oarsman Bar on the main road leading to the bridge on the west side of the Shannon. There is a large 'L ' shaped bar with stair case to the left leading to a balcony where the main restaurant area is. The food was excellent with a good Italian section, and their Chowder comes highly recommended. The large bar downstairs serves a wide selection beers and lagers, and was fairly busy both times we where there. This however was on a Friday and Saturday evening so this is not unusual.

Bridge Street, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim. Tel. 071 96 21733 September 1999

● On the opposite side of the bridge from the main town with views over the Shannon. The place was fairly new with comfortable seating areas. It did not appear to serve food however. Like the Oarsman it was fairly crowded but seemed to attract a younger clientele then the Oarsman. One of the few places we left before closing time.

September 1999