Lough
Derg Harbours
Portumna Castle
Terryglass
Kilgarvan
Rossmore
Dromaan
Dromineer
Garrykennedy
Mountshannon
Tuamgraney and Scarriff
Killaloe/Ballina
Portumna Castle
This is the northernmost harbour on the lake. The
berths are of the concrete 'submarine pens' variety,
but it's a delightful place to stop nonetheless.
The harbour is on the edge of the Portumna Forest Park which has waymarked
walks and some fabulous trees.
The harbour is a ten minute walk from the town of Portumna if you walk
at a reasonable pace. The small road passes various ruins and is tree
lined. There's a very good variety of shops, pubs and restaurants in
the town. The castle and its gardens are well worth a visit. Facilities
Shower and toilet block (smart card required for showers)
Water
Pump out
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Terryglass
This harbour is directly across the lake from Portumna Castle. A very
popular place to stop. The harbour is a good size with plenty of space
on the inner walls. The outer walls are fine for a short visit, but it
can get very rocky out there if it's windy. Not a comfortable way to
be woken up in the middle of the night.
Again, the harbour is a ten minute walk from the village where you'll
find two pubs serving good ale and excellent food. You can sit outside
if the weather's fine, though in silage cutting season it can be a bit
noisy. But you can still talk in between the tractors and trailors rumbling
past.
Facilities
Toilet block (no smart card required)
Water
Slip
Holy well (good for eyes)
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Kilgarvan
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Heading south, Kilgarvan is round the corner on the Tipperary bank. You
can see the roof of the big green shed. Care is needed to go around
the correct markers as there are rocks here - you need to go beyond
the turning, then back up again.
There's no town or village here but there is a very classy restaurant
a short walk from the harbour. Most of this harbour is private
but you may be able to tie up by the big green shed if you ask for permission.
The outer wall can be a bit exposed if the wind is coming from the wrong
direction. A lovely, quiet place.
Facilities
Toilet block (no smart card required)
Water (accesible from the outer wall)
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Rossmore
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A little further south and on the Clare side and you'll find Rossmore
Harbour. This is another one where you have to look out for rocks, but
there's no problem as long as you take care to go outside the relevant
markers.
There's nothing much at Rossmore except for peace and quiet. Most of
the time. It's popular with local families in the summer when the weather
is fine - there's good access for swimming. Also popular with fishermen.
If you're feeling adventurous the access to the Woodford River is here.
There's an IWAI jetty at the end of the navigable section. A very pretty
river. For details about how to get up while avoiding the sandbar at
the entrance to the river, click here.
Facililties
Slip (very steep with poor grip)
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Dromaan
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Still on the Clare side is Dromaan Harbour. A delightful spot if you
like it quiet. There's a decent harbour wall plus several 'submarine
pen' jetties, but not much else. Just down the road is the Shannon
Castle Line base in Williamstown Harbour where you can get diesel
from Angus Leavy if you need it. The village of Whitegate is a couple
of miles away - within walking distance if you have stout shoes and
a strong disposition. It's very sheltered here - a great place for
a barbecue when the weather's fine.
Facilities
Slip
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Dromineer
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Dromineer is directly across the lake from Dromaan on the Tipp side.
A bit more lively too. There's a pub serving food and a hotel with
pub attached, also serving food. Both are very close to the harbour.
There is a shop but it's only open sporadically and doesn't sell
much in the way of foodstuffs, so not the place to re-provision.
If you walk along beside the beach you'll come first to the Nenagh
Rowing Club, then (if you follow the road) to Teddy Knight's Chandlery
and Boat Yard.
Facilities
Shower and toilet block (smart card required for showers)
Water
Slip
Pump out (frequently not working)
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Garrykennedy
This harbour is directly ahead of you as you travel south down the lake,
just before turning west towards Mountshannon. A delightful and popular
spot, Garrykennedy has three harbours. The old, high walled stone
harbour is very pretty but also very small and can be difficult if
you have dogs or small children - unless you can berth beside the
steps, there are ladders to climb to get on and off the boat. But
there are now new floating jetties which have eased the congestion
somewhat. There is also a council harbour, but this is generally
full of local boats.
There are two pubs in Garrykennedy and a few houses. Larkins does good
food. There's also a woodland walk that has wheelchair access.
Facilities
Toilet block
Water
Slip
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Mountshannon
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Another very popular harbour, Mountshannon has new floating jetties to
accomodate more boats. The harbour is a decent size with berths against
the wall as well as on the jetties. The village has pubs, restaurants
and a shop selling basic groceries. There's also a petrol station
with a small supermarket attached (follow the road around the harbour
to the left, turn left along the main road and walk for a couple
of hundred metres). You can take boat trips to Iniscealtra (Holy
Island) from here, or anchor of it yourself and dinghy yourself in.
A beautiful and tranquil old religious settlement, it's well worth
a visit.
Facilities
Toilet block
Water
Slip
Pump out (frequently not working)
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Tuamgraney
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The
trip up the Scarriff River is a delight. A twisty,
tree-lined waterway with kingfishers and herons
to keep you company. There's a small harbour
at Tuamgraney if you like the peace and quiet.
A good place for a barbecue, or take a ten minute
walk into the village for good food in the pub.
There's also a historic church to visit.
Facilities
None
and Scarriff
A little further up the river and you come to the end of the navigable
part of the river with the harbour in Scarriff. This harbour has been
recently extended so has accommodation for plenty of boats. Scarriff
has plenty of pubs, restaurants and shops and is a 15 minute walk away.
Go out of the harbour, along the road past the houses, then turn right
at the main road. You'll see the main street going up the hill in front
of you. There's a bank here too with an ATM.
Facilities
Water
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Killaloe/Ballina
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The southernmost harbour on the lake. You can tie up against the wall
either above or below the bridge (depending on your headroom as the
bridge is quite low. You can also go through the bridge, downriver
a small way, then back up the canal and tie up there. Below the bridge
on the river can get a bit rocky at weekends as it's a popular spot
for water skiing and general water sports.
This is a very pretty place, surrounded by mountains and with villages
on either side of the bridge. Killaloe is on the Clare side, Ballina
on the Tipperary bank. There are excellent eateries here, lots of pubs
and shops and a fair buzz about the place - it's popular with land-based
visitors as well as waterways folk. St Flannan's Cathedral on the Killaloe
side is worth a visit.
Facilities
Water
Slip (this is downriver a bit, below the bridge. Accessed just down from
Goosers pub.)
Pump out (frequently not working)
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