New boat service on Shannon unveiled

A new passenger boat service on the River Shannon in Offaly is being launched today (Friday) by the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine, Timmy Dooley.

The River Shannon Explorer is a large Catamaran boat, with open, flexible interior and space for multiple purposes.

The River Shannon Explorer will, in the short term, carry passengers from Shannonbridge to Clonmacnoise, with plans to extend sailings later.

Entrepreneurial brothers John and TJ Maher are the driving forces in the project, which has been assisted by a grant from the EU Just Transition Fund.

John found the futuristic 55 seater catameran in Portugal and flew over a Marine Safety Officer to approve the boat. After a number of agreed modifications, the boat was approved to transport passengers in Ireland.

John Maher engaged a Kinsale trawler owner, John O’Mahony, to sail the boat from Lisbon through the Bay of Biscay. It was eventually brought to Banagher for a full refit and Shane Newcombe’s yard did most of the work.

Shane is now River Shannon Explorer skipper, assisted by local crew. Once fully operational and running all year round, it is expected to employ 4 to 6 crew, carrying individuals and families, educational tours, social and community groups and tour parties. The full range of the boat reaches from Athlone to Killaloe, but it will initially be plying daily trips from Shannonbridge to Clonmacnoise.

John Maher, Director of Operations, said: “We are delighted to enable members of the public to enjoy the beauty and majesty of this stretch of the River Shannon, and particularly to see Clonmacnoise through the eyes of the High Kings of Connaught and the Vikings who plied these waters in days gone by. We also look forward to working closely with other tourism and hospitality businesses in the region. We are indebted to Just Transition for their support and encouragement.”