The Shannon Queen remembered in song!

by David Flynn

More than 40 years after it last rocked gently at The Docks in Athlone, the Shannon Queen is afloat once more — not on the river, but in song, written by two local men, Joe Flynn and J.P. Burke, both of whom knew the place very well.

Generations of Athlone revellers remember the Shannon Queen as not just a pub on a boat, or a dancehall, but a place of music, love, banter and chat. The boat was berthed at The Docks on the Connaught side of town, not far from Sean’s Bar.

Throughout most of the 1970s and into the early 1980s, the boat hosted parties, weddings and get-togethers and was the location where many couples met. In the intervening decades, the legend has lived on in local memories.

It was owned and ran by musician, Joe Flynn and his friend, Tommy Kilroy, who was from a long-established business family in Connaught Street and the Batteries.

The memory lives on and now thanks to a new song, the story of those days is re-told for those who remembered and also for the generations who weren’t even born when the ship closed in 1982.

The lyrics of the song, ‘The Ould Shannon Queen’ was written by Athlone author, J.P. Burke (a.k.a. Sean Burke), which included a few ideas and music by the Shannon Queen owner himself, Joe Flynn – now in his 95th year. The song was also sung by Joe, and it has backing vocals by another Athlone musician with the similar sounding name - Joe Glynn. The CD of ‘The Ould Shannon Queen’ was produced by Terry Donovan and graphics of the sleeve was done by Ken Duke.

“The Shannon Queen was something different, unique in its time — and when drinking a pint, you might feel the boat moving, and you were conscious of it, particularly if the weather was up,” said J.P. Burke laughing, while talking this week to the Westmeath Independent. “It was the only floating licensed bar in the town and very popular. It was the brainchild of Joe Flynn, who was already known from the showband era with Syd and the Saints, and Tommy Kilroy. I knew of both of them at the time, but I didn’t know them personally then.”

In the lyrics of ‘The Ould Shannon Queen’, Joe and J.P. also recall the people of that time, including other Athlone musicians who were synonymous with the place, including drummer Stan O’Brien and Chuck Daly, who played slide trombone. Accordionist Joe Glynn is also featured in the song lyrics, and interestingly he displays a humorous role in the backing vocals of the song, by re-creating a time from the 1970s, when he shouts through the music…. ‘Have Ye No Homes To Go To,”. In the lyrics, the author, J.P. calls Joe Glynn, “a musician of pure class”.

The song also reminisces about the stormy night that the Shannon Queen broke free to the other side of the Athlone waters at Burgess Park, which is something that has gone down in history and legend.

The song, which is getting airplay on Athlone local radio also carries the memory of the Shannon Queen into the present day, and has vividly brought the boat afloat, and honours that memory.

“The lyrics came quickly to me, in an hour or two, with only minor revisions afterwards,” said J.P. who has also written eleven novels, some of which featured the lead character, Detective Sergeant Scobie Tierney.

J.P. is now writing his twelfth novel, which will be released later in 2026.

Joe Flynn chose the music of the old traditional song, ‘The Humour is On Me Now’ (made famous by Irish balladeer, Delia Murphy and British chart-topping singer, Ruby Murray), which was put to the lyrics of ‘The Ould Shannon Queen’.

“The Shannon Queen was a unique place, remembered not only by adults but also by the children of the time. On Sunday afternoons, when the bar was closed, the boat took on a different life altogether and it became a haven for local children, who used to enjoy music and games there,” said Joe to the Westmeath Independent. “From 3 to 6pm, we served soft drinks, crisps and peanuts and I remember some Sundays, I took on the role of Captain of the Ship and led the children while we all sang, “The Big Ship Sailed to the Haly Halley”, which is a traditional singing game that was popular for decades. The song is sung while the children march, walk in a circle, or dance.”

Joe said the Shannon Queen has never been forgotten in Athlone, and people almost daily come up to him to reminisce about those times.

“They talk about it as if it was only yesterday, but those conversations inspired me to capture the spirit of that time in song, and working with J.P. and everyone involved was a true pleasure,” said Joe.