Author retraces nostalgic journey along Limerick’s River Shannon

A LEADING author has retraced a nostalgic journey along the River Shannon ending at its estuary in West Limerick.

Paul Clement, who authored the biography of Richard Hayward, retraces a journey the film actor undertook in the 1930s along the longest river in Ireland and Britain.

From the Shannon Pot in Co Cavan to the Shannon estuary 344 km south, Mr Clements’s meandering odyssey takes him by car, on foot, and by bike and boat, discovering how the riverscape has changed from the time Mr Hayward undertook the voyage almost a century ago.

While he recreates Hayward’s trip, Clements paints a compelling portrait of twenty-first century Ireland, mingling travel and anecdote with an eye for the natural world.

This year, life has slowed down for many people, and there is a wish to reconnect with surroundings and to discover new places in Ireland.

For those opting for a staycation in 2020, the pages of this book are filled with information and local lore from counties Fermanagh, Cavan, Leitrim, Longford, Roscommon, Westmeath, Offaly, Tipperary, Galway, Clare, Limerick and Kerry.

Mr Clements also gives attention to the hinterland of the river and its people. He considers the work of local people who are concerned about water quality and improving the river’s image as well as those organising festivals, fairs and boating rallies.

While the overall tone of the book is positive, the author feels that the River Shannon and its surrounding environs have been neglected by various agencies, and he is hard-hitting about the lack of investment in small Shannonside towns.

Filled with photographs from the journey and including a full map of the Shannon route, gives a voice to stories from anglers, sailors, lock keepers, bog artists, ‘Insta’ pilgrims, and illuminates cultural history and identity.

Mr Clements is a travel writer and broadcaster. As well as Mr Haywards’s biography, he has also written books based on his travels around the Irish coastline, Irish road trips, and journeys through the Burren.

Shannon country: A river journey through time is available from all good bookshops priced €15 from next month.