River Shannon (An tSionainn)

The longest river in Ireland, flowing generally southward.

The River Shannon divides the west of Ireland (principally the province of Connacht) from the east and south (Leinster and Munster). It is named after Sionann, a river goddess.

It rises in the Cuilcagh Mountain slopes in County Cavan and flows into the Atlantic Ocean at the Shannon Estuary. The river is a major waterway, connected to Dublin by the Grand Canal and the Royal Canal. It has been a vital trade route since antiquity.

At a glance

• Length: 360 km (224 miles)
• Flows through 11 counties
• Named after the goddess Sionann.

Other places of this kind

• The River Liffey (An Life): The river that flows through the heart of Dublin, spanned by the city's famous bridges.
• The River Barrow (An Bhearú): One of the Three Sisters, winding through Carlow's fertile valley.
• The River Lee (An Laoi): The river that splits to cradle Cork city on an island.
• The River Nore (An Fheoir): One of the Three Sisters, flowing through the medieval city of Kilkenny.

The Irish name

The Irish form of River Shannon is An tSionainn. You can hear it spoken, and take apart names like it, in the Placename Explorer. The authoritative record for any Irish place-name is logainm.ie.