Tarmonbarry – Shannon village on the line

Overview

The bridge at Tarmonbarry still lifts. The old-style span across the Shannon rises through the cruising season to let taller boats pass, and watching it work is the main reason most people stop. The village (Irish: Tearmann Bearaigh, ‘Berach’s sanctuary’) straddles the county line: the western bank is County Roscommon, and once you cross the bridge eastward you are in County Longford. Around the crossing sit a marina, a public lock gate, a couple of pubs and a riverfront hotel. It is a working river junction more than a destination, which is part of the appeal.

History

Saint Berach (also called Saint Barry) is said to have founded an abbey on the western bank in the 6th century, and a stone shrine to him still stands in the village. Local tradition has the saint turning a large boulder into a boat to cross the river; that boulder is supposed to rest now in Whitehall Church, 2 km north.

For a decade between 1925 and 1935 the village had a stranger claim: hydroplane racing on the Shannon, the boats tearing up and down a stretch of river better known today for slow cruisers and patient anglers.

Notable people

Dr Brigid Lyons Thornton was born nearby at Scramogue. She was active in Cumann na mBan during the 1916 Rising, helped establish the Army Medical Corps, and became the first woman to hold an officer’s commission in the Irish Free State Army, all while practising medicine. Roscommon County Council formally recognised her in 2023.

What to see and do

The lifting bridge and lock gate

The bridge is the landmark and the spectacle, rising regularly through summer to clear taller vessels. Beside it, the canal lock gate is where cruisers queue to pass through the system. In high season the queue can be slow, so this is not the place to be in a hurry on a boat.

Marina and mooring

Public mooring berths run along a stone-cut wall at the marina. Rental boats can be booked online, and the wide, calm stretches here suit unhurried cruising and angling.

Angling

The Shannon around Tarmonbarry holds bream, roach and hybrids. Mooring pegs sit near Whitehall Church on the Roosky road, and a bay roughly 450 m upstream of the bridge is a known mark. The nearby Camlin River and the Feorish River, 3 km off, add tench and roach. Spring through early summer is the most productive spell.

Royal Canal Greenway

The village gives access to the 130 km Royal Canal Greenway, a flat towpath for walking and cycling. Join it at Cloondara, just east, and the path runs all the way to Longford and on to Dublin.

Eating and the shrine

Keenan’s Hotel sits right by the bridge with its own riverfront moorings, a bar and a restaurant. The Purple Onion does locally sourced food and bar meals, with an art gallery upstairs showing regional work. The Shannon Bar and The Lodge are the traditional pubs near the water. St Berach’s shrine, the stone marker to the village’s patron, is a two-minute walk from any of them.

Nearby attractions

• National Famine Museum at Strokestown Park – ten minutes’ drive west, and the most substantial half-day around here for anyone interested in the Great Famine.
• Slieve Bawn – a hill 10 km west with walking trails, a recreational park and a wind farm.
• Rathcroghan Visitor Centre – the ancient capital of Connacht, with prehistoric mounds and a scatter of archaeological sites.

Practical information

Getting there

Tarmonbarry sits on the N5, 8 km west of Longford town. The bridge is the county boundary; cross it eastward and you are in County Longford. Longford town has rail links to Dublin and Sligo.

Seasonal notes

The bridge lifts year-round, but lock queues run longest from June to August. Angling is best from spring into early summer.

Suggested itinerary

Spend the morning by the river watching the bridge work, with coffee at the Purple Onion. In the afternoon, cycle a stretch of the Royal Canal Greenway from Cloondara, or drive the ten minutes west to the National Famine Museum at Strokestown Park.