Evening star., 1924-05-18
RIVER SHANNON MAY
SPUR IRISH INDUSTRY
Project Under Way for Harvesting
Stream of Rare Romantic
Background.
LARGEST IN FREE STATE
Geographic Society Bulletin Tells
History and Picturesqueness.

The Shannon River, which so long
has figured in the romances of the
imaginative Irish, will soon be con-
nected with an industrial romance of
that country, if the great engineering
project for harnessing it's water, re-
ported to be in progress, is put into
operation" says a bulletin from the
Headquarters here of the National
Geographic Society.
Dainty shamrock blooms and other
flowers nod their pretty heads by the
side of its foaming weirs and its
bawling rapids. They give colorful
background to stories concerning the
fairies who still play pranks upon the
raculous cures of the numerous holy
wells and the potency of the wishing
wells near its banks.
Longest in Irish Free State.
"Statistically speaking, the Shan
non is the largest and longest river
in the new Irish Free State, measures
240 miles in length and is eight
miles wide at it's mouth. During its
course it drops $50 feet from the foot
of the Cuilagh Mountains, where it
rises, 10 the seattle last feature be-
ing the source of it's power to turn
the wheels of industry.
From Loop Head and Kerry Head.
the twin capes at it's entrance to the
sea. it is navigable for all classes of
ships for thirtysix miles, or up to
its junction with the Fergus River
and a considerable world navy might
be hidden within its estuary, which
In some places widens out to ten
miles once. many years ago, the
town of limerick, at the head of navi-
cation on the Shannon, had fond as
pirations of being the greatest port
America could sail up the river and
dock at her wharves, but a turn in
the tide of affairs of the island
caused the city to wither away, and
now few boats except excursion
steamers and pleasure craft drop
their gangplanks along Limeric k S
waterfront.
/, Down through Lough Allen. near
the northwestern coast of Ireland. out
into the central portion of the coun-
try and back again to the southwest.
the river flows, measuring off a por-
ton of land very similar in shape to
Wales, about the same size and in a
corresponding location with reference
to Ireland that Wales bears to Eng
land. 1t has been canaliZed and made
navigable for small vessels as far as
Iough Allen near its source; the
Grand and Royal canals connect it
with Dublin, the Ulster Canal with
Belfast Its volume is obtained from
miles.
Divides Island Historically.
Historically speaking, it has for a
thousand or more years been the di-
viding line between eastern Ireland
which was overrun at various times
by the Danes and the English, and
western Ireland, which is Irish
through and through and where
Gaelic is still the language of the
people.
But the beautiful fertile valley,
with it's green, calm, lush meadows,
than history has hitherto accorded it.
The Danes pushed their boats up to
the head of navigation at Limerick in
the ninth century and managed to
throw bridge across the river. This
was almost the only way of getting
ception of the ford at Athlone, just
below Lough Rec.
Brian Boru led his forces against
the Danes and drove them out after a
struggle which romantically colors
the pages of Irish history. but the
Normans came just a little while later,
took Limerick and erected great
roundtowered castle, from which
they might clinch their hold upon the
country. Scarcely a century passed
that did not know bloody struggle1
along the peaceful river. Edward
Bruce captured the Norman castle in
1916, and Hugh O'Neill held it for six
months against one of the greatest Of
CromwelTs generals. The venerable
old castle, with it's great drumlike
towers and walls ten feet thick,
stands by the rive erside today.
"The portion of the river just above
Limerick is known as the most beau
tiful, and has been dubbed by happy
fishermen the Utopia of Irish an
glers.' It's salmon and trout fishing
is famous enough to make devotees
caress their rods, poles and flies in
retrospect over the hours they spent
at Carrick- on Shannon, Athlone, Kill
ialoe or CaSt1econnel."