tarboat's photos with the keyword: shannon

The building of the Shannon hydroelectric scheme in the late 1920s required navigation to be maintained down to Limerick after the Parteen Weir cut off the old route via O'Briensbridge. This was achieved by building a double staircase lock at the Ardnacrusha power station. Taken from the approach canal this shows the entrance to the lower lock which has a rise of 34ft whilst the top lock has a rise of 68ft. This is the deepest lock in Britain and Ireland.

Old and new peat fired power stations of the Irish Electricity Supply Board at Shannonbridge on the River Shannon. The old Shannonbridge plant at the right was closed after an accident in February 2004 when a high-pressure pipe at the plant exploded. The plant was already to be decommissioned as part of the planned closure of all six peat-fuelled stations in the country at that time. It was demolished in 2009. The station used three generating units to produce electricity, each with its own boiler, turbine and generator. Units 1 and 2 were commissioned in 1965 and 1976 respectively, each with a capacity of 40MW, while a more modern unit 3 was commissioned in 1982 at a capacity of 45MW. Subsequently in 2004 the new 150 megawatt West Offaly station at the left was opened and this was supplied with around 1 million tons of peat annually by Bord na Mona. On 11 December 2020 the station ceased all power production after permission to continue burning peat was refused. This plant housed a single boiler/turbine unit with an electrical output of 135 MW. A hybrid 97 MW / 170 MWh synchronous condenser / battery storage power station grid stability plant started construction at the site in 2022, expected to complete by 2024 a cost of €130 million.

A murmuration of swifts over the River Shannon at Victoria Lock, Meelick. This is the meeting point of Counties Offaly, Tipperary and Galway. It was pouring with rain at the time.

This interesting building was erected for the storage and packing of eels caught on the Shannon around Killaloe. The lower floor of the eel house is made up of tanks with mesh sides, which the river can flow through; eels can be kept alive there. There are walkways between the tanks. The eel fishery is now closed and the emphasis is on eel conservation.

The Masonite factory at Drumsna, Co. Leitrim is a major employer in the Carrick-on-Shannon area of Ireland with a staff of around 300. Established in 1997, it produces door facings.

The 150 megawatt West Offaly power station was supplied each year with around 1 million tons of peat from the bogs in the region around Shannonbridge. Adjacent to the power station the narrow gauge railway that brought in the peat crossed the River Shannon on this viaduct. The train is heading away from the power station and back to the bogs for another load. All this has ended with the closure of the power station on December 11, 2020 after permission to continue burning peat was refused.

The 150 megawatt West Offaly power station was supplied each year with around 1 million tons of peat from the bogs in the region around Shannonbridge. Adjacent to the power station the narrow gauge railway that brought in the peat crossed the River Shannon on this viaduct. The train is heading away from the power station and back to the bogs for another load. All this has ended with the closure of the power station on December 11, 2020 after permission to continue burning peat was refused.

'The White Bridge' in Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland, was built in the mid 19th century and spans a total of 542ft - with an opening span of 120ft to accommodate large sailing vessels - was designed by G.W. Hemans and built in 1850. It was the single greatest engineering task during the construction of the Dublin to Galway railway line and took less than 18 months to construct. Built with twelve cylindrical pillars - each 10ft in diameter - they were placed in position by compressed air which made engineering history at the time. Messrs. Fox & Henderson were the contractors who shipped the massive ironworks via barge from Limerick to Athlone. It is listed in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. The first commercial train crossed 'The White Bridge' Athlone on Monday 21st July, 1851. The swinging span was permanently fixed in 1972.

The water tower at Athlone is a landmark that boaters use whilst navigating southward across Lough Ree on the Shannon.

The three remaining Irish peat fired power stations are to be closed in December 2019. This is the old West Offaly power station at Shannonbridge. It was out of use when this photo was taken in 2008, having been replaced by the new station seen at the centre right edge. The old station was demolished during the following year.

The Shannon hydro-electric scheme was constructed between 1925 and 1929 to harness the power of the river where it underwent a fall of nearly 35 metres in the final stages of its route to tidal waters at Limerick. The civil engineering works were undertaken by the German company Siemens-Schuckertwerke and on completion the power station at Ardnacrusha was the largest hydro-electric generating plant in the world. Initially there were three vertical shaft Francis turbine generators installed and in 1934 a single vertical shaft Kalan turbine generator was added, giving a total output of 85mw from an average head of 28.5 metres.

Old and new peat fired power stations of the Irish Electricity Supply Board at Shannonbridge on the River Shannon. The old Shannonbridge plant at the right was closed after an accident in February 2004 when a high-pressure pipe at the plant exploded. The plant was already to be decommissioned as part of the planned closure of all six peat-fuelled stations in the country at that time. Subsequently the new 150 megawatt West Offaly station at the front has been constructed and this is supplied with around 1 million tons of peat annually by Bord na Mona. The old station was demolished shortly after the view was taken.

Sunset at Rossmore Quay on the Galway shore of Lough Derg. Jefferson surveys the barge that had brought us to this quiet place for the night.

Red corrugated iron is the order of the day at this boatyard just above Athlone on the Shannon navigation.

St Peter and Paul's Church dominates the view of the main road bridge over the Shannon at Athlone.

The rather unimposing entrance to the generating hall of the Ardnacrusha power station is via the doors on the left. The building was constructed by Siemens-Schuckertwerke and was completed in 1929.

The Shannon hydro-electric scheme was constructed between 1925 and 1929 to harness the power of the river where it underwent a fall of nearly 35 metres in the final stages of its route to tidal waters at Limerick. The civil engineering works were undertaken by the German company Siemens-Schuckertwerke and on completion the power station at Ardnacrusha was the largest hydro-electric generating plant in the world. Initially there were three vertical shaft Francis turbine generators installed and in 1934 a single vertical shaft Kalan turbine generator was added, giving a total output of 85mw from an average head of 28.5 metres.