River Shannon
Longest river in the British Isles / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The River Shannon (Irish: Abhainn na Sionainne, an tSionainn, an tSionna) is the major river on the island of Ireland, and at 360 km (224 miles) in length,[1] is the longest river in the British Isles.[2][3] It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of 16,900 km2 (6,525 sq mi),[4] – approximately one fifth of the area of Ireland.
River Shannon | |
---|---|
Native name | Abhainn na Sionainne (Irish) |
Location | |
Country | Ireland |
Counties | Cavan, Leitrim, Longford, Roscommon, Westmeath, Offaly, Tipperary, Galway, Clare, Limerick, Kerry |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Shannon Pot |
• location | Glangevlin, Cuilcagh Mountain, County Cavan |
• coordinates | 54.235°N 7.92°W / 54.235; -7.92 |
• elevation | 100 |
Mouth | Shannon Estuary |
• location | Limerick |
• coordinates | 52.657°N 8.66°W / 52.657; -8.66 |
Length | 360 kilometres (220 mi) |
Discharge | |
• maximum | 300 cubic metres per second (11,000 cu ft/s) |
Known as an important waterway since antiquity, the Shannon first appeared in maps by the Graeco-Egyptian geographer Ptolemy (c. 100 – c. 170 AD). The river flows generally southwards from the Shannon Pot in County Cavan before turning west and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean through the 102.1 km (63.4 mi) long Shannon Estuary.[5] Limerick city stands at the point where the river water meets the sea water of the estuary. The Shannon is tidal east of Limerick as far as the base of the Ardnacrusha dam.[6] The Shannon divides the west of Ireland (principally the province of Connacht) from the east and south (Leinster and most of Munster; County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception.) The river represents a major physical barrier between east and west, with fewer than thirty-five crossing points between the village of Dowra in the north and Limerick city in the south.