Notes added January 2025

A lot of fresh water has flowed down the River Shannon, to turn saline in the estuary, since I started this website some 10 years ago. Ireland's population & circumstances have changed significantly in that time. Perhaps the only thing that has changed very little is the speed of delivery of essential infrastructure that Ireland desperately needs. While expressions of "Political Aspiration" and "White Papers" are to be found aplenty, actual delivery of infrastructural projects by our elected politicians is sadly lacking.
Some might say, lacking to the point of political negligence!

When this canal system for the Shannon was originally conceived, I was primarily thinking of combining flood control with navigation to EU Class Va standard. Since that time, the need for a National Water Supply has become evident. So I am now adding a concept drawing for a National Water Reservoir into this Section.

The 7 Kilometre long "Clare Canal", now connects the Shannon Reservoir with the existing Headrace at Ardnacrusha. It is no longer subject to tides or the entry of saline water. This allows the Clare Canal to be used for supplying fresh water. Alternatively, fresh water can be pumped directly from the Shannon Reservoir  to the Headrace Canal at Ardnacrusha and, thence via a canal system to Dublin and the East of Ireland.

Irish Water works to a 25 year Plan. So the fixed diameter pipeline, currently proposed, can be assumed to have a capacity sufficient for the next 25 years only! At the current speed of infrastructure-building in Ireland, a large part of that 25 years could be eaten up by "Project Delays". Not forgetting that this single-use pipeline is already estimated to cost €5 billion or more. Who dares to guess the final pipeline cost?