The Cabinet has approved Uisce Éireann’s multi-billion euro plan to extract water from the river Shannon to supply Dublin, the east and midlands region.

The project, which aroused some local environmental opposition when first flagged by Uisce Éireann some years ago, proposes extraction of up to two per cent of the Shannon’s average flow at Parteen basin, which is downstream from Lough Derg.

Estimated preliminary cost of the project is between €4.58 billion to €5.96 billion.

In a statement on Tuesday from his department (which didn’t refer specifically to the Shannon until the third last paragraph), Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien said he is “very glad to have received Government approval today for the Water Supply project to proceed at Approval Gate 1 under the Infrastructure Guidelines”.

“What this means is that Úisce Éireann can now progress the project through the remaining Infrastructure Guidelines approval gates, including the submission of a planning application to An Bord Pleanála in 2025,”he said.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien

“This marks an important first step in what is a multi-billion euro project which will ensure a sustainable water supply for our country both now and into the future,”he said.

“Not only that, but this project will enable much needed housing delivery. One of the key recommendations in the recently published Housing Commission report was to ‘take urgent action to ensure delivery of the critical Water Supply Project for the Eastern and Midlands Region” and with today’s Cabinet approval we are doing just that and showing our commitment to this project and to the future generations,” O’Brien said.

Uisce Éireann CEO Niall Gleeson said the project “is critical for the future of our country”.

“By delivering a secure, climate-proof supply of water for up to 50% of the State’s population it will facilitate increased demand for housing, enable sustainable economic growth and support competitiveness across the region,”he said.

“Crucially it will also help us meet the challenges of climate change by diversifying our water supplies to ensure safe, resilient water services for communities across the region, and reduce the vulnerability to drought and other extreme weather eventsm”he said.

The Department of Housing said the project will provide Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow with a resilient, safe, secure water supply.

“It will also create a treated water supply ‘spine’ across the country with the capacity to serve communities along the route in Newport, Moneygall and Borrisokane in North Tipperary, Dunkerrin and Tullamore in Offaly, and Mullingar in Westmeath,”it said.

“In addition, supplies currently serving Dublin can be redirected back to Louth, Meath, Kildare, Carlow and Wicklow, providing security of supply to homes and businesses, which will support growth and regional development,”it said.

It said that current water supply in the Eastern and Midlands region faces a number of serious challenges, notably the over-reliance on the River Liffey to supply 1.7 million people in the greater Dublin area.

“This dependence on the Liffey (and the two main treatment plants of Ballymore Eustace and Leixlip) results in a serious vulnerability to risks such as prolonged drought and/or contamination. With forecasts showing that the region will need 34% more water by 2044 than is available today, this combination of a growing water supply deficit and lack of supply resilience is not sustainable,”it said.

Uisce Éireann said that its programme of fixing or reducing leaks in Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath to 20% by 2030 is “not enough”.

“The potential solutions to the water supply "need" in the Eastern and Midlands Region have been under review for over 25 years," the department said

"Hundreds of options have been considered. The proposal approved by Cabinet today is the culmination of extensive and detailed appraisal of potential solutions and alternatives including technical, engineering, environmental, financial and economic assessments in addition to widespread stakeholder consultation,”the department said.

“To date, the project team has engaged with over 1,500 stakeholders and Uisce Éireann is committed to continuing engagement with all stakeholders including further consultation with landowners and local communities as the project progresses,”it said.

Uisce Eireann “will submit a Strategic Infrastructure Development application to An Bord Pleanála next year with construction estimated to take 4-5 years,”it said.

Tourism Ireland in Germany is rolling out a new campaign to promote Ireland’s Hidden Hidden Heartlands and cruising holidays on the River Shannon.

This year, 240 inland cruisers on the Shannon are switching to sustainable HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) fuel, reducing their carbon emissions by 92%. So, a key message for Tourism Ireland is that a cruising holiday on the Shannon is more environmentally friendly than ever.

The campaign aims to promote the beautiful landscapes and tranquillity that await German holidaymakers on one of our most iconic waterways. Tourism Ireland also aims to grow business outside of the peak summer months for the inland cruise operators and other tourism businesses in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands.

"In total, the campaign will create over 14 million impressions or opportunities to see what a boating holiday on the Shannon has to offer"

The campaign involves Tourism Ireland sharing engaging photos and videos on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. New pages about cruising on the Shannon have been created for Tourism Ireland’s website Ireland.com; and email marketing with a boating theme has been shared with Tourism Ireland’s database of German consumers. In total, the campaign will create over 14 million impressions or opportunities to see what a boating holiday on the Shannon has to offer.

Nadine Lehmann, Tourism Ireland’s Manager in Germany, said: “Our latest campaign showcases Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands and cruising holidays on the Shannon. Our aim is to inspire German holidaymakers to discover this part of Ireland and enjoy a holiday that allows them to connect with nature and enjoy spectacular landscapes. A key message for Tourism Ireland is that cruising on the River Shannon is more eco-friendly than ever from this year, with the cruisers now using sustainable fuel.”

Read these accounts of Cruising holiday accounts on the River Shannon: 

Hire A Cruiser on Lough Derg & Explore the Shannon

Shannon Cruising On 'The Moone Boy Trail' Through Leitrim & Roscommon

Frank Mullen won’t let Parkinson’s disease deter him from completing an epic 300km paddle of the River Shannon by kayak this summer.

As Dublin Live reports, the 61-year-old Donabate man will set out on 28 June on a planned 10-day adventure to paddle the length of Ireland’s longest river.

Mullen will be embarking on the challenge to raise funds for Parkinson’s Ireland, which has supported him since his diagnosis last year.

Following his neurologist’s advice to “do more” of whatever he does to keep fit, Mullen says: “Exercise these days can be really be looked on as a form of medicine. As a kayaker, I always thought I’d love to do something unusual or challenging in kayaking.”

Dublin Live has more on the story HERE.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has secured convictions against three men for illegal fishing offences on the River Shannon.

Two men were convicted of illegal salmon netting on the River Shannon, and another man has been convicted of possessing an unlawfully captured salmon.

Damien Mallard and Calvin Hughes of St Mary’s Park, Limerick were observed by IFI officers setting a 100-metre salmon net from a boat, spanning almost the entire width of the River Shannon in Limerick city.

Separately, Ger Molloy of St Mary’s Park, Limerick was convicted of possessing an unlawfully captured salmon.

In the early hours of 22 July 2022, IFI officers apprehended Mallard and Hughes and seized a net which the men had retrieved and brought onboard a boat.

With the assistance of An Garda Síochána, the boat was also seized.

The case was heard at Limerick District Court on Friday 8 September this year.

The court heard how Mallard was convicted of previous illegal fishing offences, and a four-month suspended sentence was imposed for two years in October 2020. As the date of the July 2022 offence was within the two-year period of the suspended sentence, the sentence was invoked.

Taking on board the early plea, but also the seriousness of the offences, a one-month custodial sentence was imposed by the court.

Legal counsel for Mallard indicated he would appeal the sentence with general bail conditions attaching to this appeal. This has the effect of staying the operation of the District Court order until such time as the appeal is concluded in the Circuit Court.

Costs of €560 to IFI were granted.

The co-accused — Hughes, who pleaded guilty to the same illegal salmon netting offence — received a fine of €250 and costs of €250 were awarded to IFI.

Separately, in a case heard on Friday 8 September at Limerick District Court, Ger Molloy was convicted of possessing an unlawfully captured salmon.

The court heard how on 1 July 2022, Molloy was observed angling for and catching a salmon by rod and line in the tailrace portion of the River Shannon.

A fine of €250 was imposed, and IFI was awarded costs of €250.

Commenting on the cases, David McInerney of the Shannon River Basin District at IFI said: “The lower River Shannon is open to salmon fishing on a catch-and-release basis only. Salmon numbers in the River Shannon catchment are significantly below levels required to sustain a healthy natural population.

“Any illegal fishing puts further pressure on a very important and iconic wild Irish fish. In 1971, a total of 1.2 million wild salmon returned to Ireland. Last year, that number was just 171,697 — representing a fall of 86 per cent.”

IFI encourage the public to report incidents of illegal fishing, water pollution or fish kills to its 24/7 confidential phone line at 0818 34 74 24.

Musician Niall Breslin has set out on a challenging 300km voyage kayaking the River Shannon from Dowra to Limerick to raise funds for mental-health resources.

Breslin, or Bressie as he’s widely known, is part of a group with five other inexperienced kayakers taking part in The Rising charity challenge, as Newstalk reports.

“I haven’t thought it through in any shape,” Bressie told Newstalk’s The Hard Shoulder before heading to the start in Co Cavan,

“I don’t fit in a kayak as well which is a bad starting point - so, I’m kind of squeezing myself into it.”

Commenting on social media on Friday (30 June) after his first day on the paddle, from Dowra to Carrick-on-Shannon, Bressie said: “It was no what I expected. A real challenge.”

He added: “We had to talk the first 3km because of rocks and how shallow it was. Lough Allen hit us hard. Wasn’t in a great mood. We had to fight every second to get across. We are all exhausted and I also sprained [an] ankle but we are still rocking.

“Thank you so much to everyone who came out to support us today. Really helped get us through.”

Newstalk has more on the story HERE.

The volunteer crew of Lough Ree RNLI were involved in the rescue of 133 people in 42 different incidents on the lake and River Shannon so far this year.

The charity’s volunteers embarked on their first callout of 2022 on the afternoon of St Patrick’s Day and have since gone to the assistance of 40 boats in difficulty on the inland waterways.

Fortunately, all 133 people who needed the charity’s assistance were rescued safely and no injuries were reported.

In the most significant incident, 10 people were escorted to safety when a small boat capsized near the N6 motorway bridge in August, while nine people were on board a cruiser which ran aground on the Hexagon Shoal in June.

Groundings of boats on the Hexagon Shoal accounted for a quarter of all callouts this year.

Speaking at the charity’s headquarters at Coosan Point this week, Lough Ree RNLI lifeboat operations manager Kevin Ganly said: “It appears that the provision of additional markers around the Hexagon Shoal in recently by Waterways Ireland has improved safety in that area of the lake. Nonetheless the charity and its volunteers remain always ‘on call’ to respond to any emergencies.”

The new lifeboat station, which was operational for the first time this summer, has proven to be a particular asset, Lough Ree RNLI says.

In recent weeks volunteer crew from across the Midlands and West have used the facility for casualty care training. The station’s designated slipway at Coosan Point has also contributed to more efficient launches of the charity’s lifeboat Tara Scougall.

The lifeboat station is base for more than 40 volunteers who along with their families generously give of their time and expertise to assist the local community.

An intrepid pair of kayakers are now five days into their 10-day adventure paddling the length of the River Shannon from source to sea.

Eoin Connolly and Ronan McDonnell skipped the usual festive fare as they set out on Christmas Eve in their two-person kayak to tackle the epic 360km route.

And it’s all for a good cause, specifically the Rafiki Network which assists young mothers in Zimbabwe by providing them with support for mental health and income generation.

Follow Eoin and Ronan’s progress on their Instagram page as they aim to complete the challenge in the coming days.

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Works are planned for improving angling facilities on the Nenagh River and other tributaries of the River Shannon in Tipperary and Offaly, according to the Nenagh Guardian.

Details are included in the latest annual report of the Shannon Fisheries Partnership, which covers the Shannon catchment above the ESB-controlled Ardnacrushsa fishery.

The partnership promises “an extensive programme of instream and bank side works which will focus on the improvement of fish stock and fish habitat”.

These works will take place on the Nenagh River, the Little Brosna/Camcor River at Birr and the Mulkear River near Birdhill in tandem with the ESB, Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) and local angling clubs.

The Nenagh Guardian has much more on the story HERE.

A Limerick councillor has hit out at what he branded as the “utter incompetence” of inland fisheries officers after images circulated on social media of as many as 60 salmon allegedly poached from the River Shannon.

As the Limerick Leader reports, the images show the the wild salmon lined up in a front garden, with three men alongside giving thumbs up.

It’s understood that the salmon are thought to have been illegally netted from the tail race at the Ardnacrusha hydro-electric plant.

Commenting on the images, Cllr Emmett O’Brien did not mince his words as he directed his ire at Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI).

“The dogs in the street know that poachers are putting out nets and catching salmon swimming in the tail race,” he said, adding that there is a black market for such salmon throughout Limerick city.

“But bizarrely the IFI officers rarely if ever patrol the tail race but rather seem intent to race up and down the river in large power boats like Navy Seals.”

IFI says it is “currently investigating the circumstances of this incident and is therefore not in a position to comment further at this stage”.

The Limerick Leader has more on the story HERE.

The Inland Waterways Association of Ireland has alerted members over reports of the invasive quagga mussel in the River Shannon.

The bivalve is said to be “abundant in Lough Ree over a wide range of depths” and has also been found in Lough Derg and the stretch of the Shannon between the loughs.

Similar in appearance to another invasive species, the zebra mussel, the quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) has spread over a number of decades from its native waters in Ukraine as far as Mexico. It was first recorded in the UK in 2014.

According to Dr Jan-Robert Baars of UCD’s Invasive Ecology (InEco) laboratory and Dr Dan Minchin of the Lough Derg Science Group, the quagga mussel “behaves in a similar way [to the zebra mussel] and is also a filter feeder removing planktonic organisms from the water column. It has a high filtration rate likely to result in further changes to water quality and nutrient dynamics of, in particular, lakes.

“The quagga mussel is likely to compete with the zebra mussel and native species. Having a wide ecological tolerance and suited to Irish climatic conditions, it is expected to become widely distributed in time.

“It appears to have a preference for cooler water and can settle on finer sediments than the zebra mussel explaining its greater abundance at depth in some colonised lakes elsewhere.”

The scientists warn that the species “is likely to be spread by boats to the upper Shannon, and through the Shannon-Erne Waterway to the Erne. It is also likely to be spread overland by trailered craft. Owners of boats should be made aware they could spread this species from the Shannon.”

In addition, the presence of the quagga mussel “is likely to lead to a further surge in fouling and may have additional impacts on water quality and the ecological integrity of Irish aquatic ecosystems.”

The species is currently under a rapid assessment field study by the InEco lab.