The olden days

Its the kind of town that many people wouldn't have discovered were it not for the river Shannon. Ireland's longest river meanders through Shannonbridge, a sleepy town of approximately 1000 people. There was just something about the place as we stepped off the boat, a kind of energy you feel in certain places for no apparent reason.

Now I suppose it did help that I had just dived into the October-cold Shannon water for a dip, which is a tonic which I'd recommend to anyone by the way. The lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 have given Irish people a new found love and respect for our rivers, lakes and ocean waters. When you think of so many landlocked countries or huge countries where one must travel days to reach a sea or ocean, we are extremely lucky that in Ireland you are never more than a two hour drive to our picturesque unspoilt coastline.

Lukers pub

"You can't have the butter on both sides of the bread" is what my Granny used to say to me when I was younger. But, it seems that Lukers pub in Shannonbridge has it cracked. Never before have I seen old world simple living meet modern bar so effectively and seamlessly. I've been in similar pubs before in places like Dingle, Doolin and Durrow, but I can confidently say that this one topped the lot.

The old bar

The old bar is something that must be seen to be appreciated. It is like stepping back one hundred years to much simpler times in our grand little country.

The old hearth was burning away a beautiful fragrant smelling turf fire, the furniture was all 100 or 200 years old, the sacred heart sat proudly on the wall and you could imagine the many men and women who frequented the watering hole over generations trading stories of joy and sadness, happiness and regret, fun and craic and everything in between.

The Irish are a people of storytelling and long before Netflix and broadband, we had tge Seanachí. They were the storytellers who passed stories and tales down through the ages from generation to generation. If the walls of old bar in Lukers had ears, people would pay money to hear them retold.

Creamy creamy pints

You could have the best bar in the world in Ireland, but if the Guinness isn't top notch, it loses a lot of street cred. Luckily Lukers had Guinness that was creamy, cold and delicious and clung to the pint glasses all the way to the bottom, as quality Guinness should. Here, have a look, the proof is in the pudding.

Shannonbridge

Now, of course there's more to Shannonbridge than icy cool river dips and creamy pints of Guinness from one of Ireland's best pubs.

Shannonbridge is a quaint little village located on the River Shannon, in the townland of Raghra. The town borders counties Offaly, Galway and Roscommon, with the majority of the population living east of the bridge in County Offaly. With a population of just 175 at the most recent census, the population of the sleepy village often doubles and triples during the summer months when boats moor up at the pier just beside Lukers.

The town is named Shannon bridge for obvious reasons and the bridge isbone of the oldest bridges still in use over the River Shannon and had been in use since way back in 1757, making it older than our world famous Guinness which was founded 2 years later.

Shannonbridge was fortified by the British in the Napoleonic era. Some of the fortifications, including a fort that now houses a restaurant, are still visible today on the west bank of the river.

Tourism and farming are thr main industries in the village and both are still thriving today. Just remember that if you go pop into Lukers for some food, some pints and some craic.

All the photos are my own and are un-altered or edited in any way

Thanks as always for stopping by.

Peace Out

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