Limerick’s river ‘streetview’ allows users to navigate the Shannon online

UNIQUE images of the river Shannon in Limerick have been made available to a global audience by Google following a major collaboration with Waterways Ireland.

In the first project of its kind in Europe, the entire length of the river Shannon – from Lough Allen to Loop Head – is now available to view on Google Streetview.

The internet giant loaned its Trekker camera to Waterways Ireland last summer and the footage was recorded over a three-month period – producing some spectacular images.

The Shannon Streetview features extensive imagery from Limerick city and of towns and villages in the county which are located along the Shannon Estuary.

Users can navigate the Shannon on their electronic devices – giving a unique perspective of the landscape along Ireland’s longest river.

“It’s very different, we get to experience the lakes and the river a lot from the road when we go on site visits but to actually be able to experience the entire Shannon from top to bottom from the water has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Cormac McCarthy, environmental officer with Waterways Ireland who was tasked with obtaining the footage.

The Google Trekker camera features 15 lenses which take high-resolution photos every two seconds

Dawn Livingstone, CEO of Waterways Ireland says the project, which is now live will help promote tourism and water-based activities along the river Shannon.

“For people who are using the waterway it is a unique opportunity to see where they are going to go and to see where to stop and what to do,” she said.