One of my favourite holidays was sailing down the Shannon in Ireland. The first time we decided to do this was tempered by extreme nervousness.
Despite assurances from friends who’ve sailed the Shannon waterways before that it’s one of the easiest skills to pick up, the prospect of piloting a 43-foot bruiser of a cruiser can be daunting.
Our three bedroom cruiser had en suite shower/WCs in each cabin, central heating, double steering capabilities (from inside or up top), bow thrusters that make the job of piloting in even the most confined conditions an absolute breeze, outdoor terrace, sunken galley with gas oven, refrigerator, microwave, CD/radio… This is far from roughing it!
Free to cruise wherever the whim takes us, we decided to head down the Shannon and onto Lough Derg, 32,000 acres of silvery water in the embrace of some of the most stunning countryside in the world.
First we have to wait for Portumna Bridge to swing open, pay the toll and join a small flotilla of other cruisers chugging south.
Half an hour later we’re docking at the small but perfectly formed Castle Harbour, where we have lunch on deck before walking it off around the magnificent Portumna Castle, first completed in 1617 but destroyed by fire in 1826 and restored in recent years by the office of public works.
There’s still enough of the afternoon left to brave another short trip across the water to Terryglass, where St Columba founded his celebrated monastery in 548.
Discovering the popular Derg Inn in the quaint village settles it – this is where we’ll moor overnight.
After a sound sleep owing to the gentle rocking of the boat – over-enthusiastic consumption of the Black Stuff may have had a little to do with it too – our choice of first harbour is justified by the discovery of The Headache Well, a religious relic which yields a free mineral water hangover cure. Only in Ireland!
Fortified by a sip – and a full Irish breakfast cooked up in the galley – we embark on our first full day’s sailing, aiming to reach and moor at Dromineer in the south before nightfall.
There’s time to weigh anchor in the middle of the lough and do a spot of fishing after lunch, before slipping into Dromineer late afternoon.
This is home to the third oldest yachting club in the world, Lough Derg Yacht Club, and an imposing 13th century castle under the shadow of which we tie up for the night.
An early start takes us to the beautiful Mountshannon, home to the largest oak in Ireland and ten minutes by outboard from Inis Cealtra, or Holy Island, where St Caimin had his monastery at the beginning of the 7th century.
We spend a fascinating couple of hours on the tiny island, wandering about the ruins of no less than five churches and taking in the 80-foot round tower and the cemetery where not one of the 80-odd marked graves is later than 12th century. On this island there is a stone with a hole through it – this is the marriage stone. So Joe and I decide to renew our vows by clasping hands through the hole in the stone and declaring our undying love for each other. (ahhhh)
We had our bikes with us so it was great for Venetia and Bianca to ride into the villages we also had Gizmo our shih-Tzu with us.
A leisurely half-hour meander ends at the leafy and secluded little harbour of Scarriff.
It’s the perfect spot for a barbecue… that turns into an all-night party with a group from the only other moored cruiser – socialising being another great feature of life on the waterways.
I suddenly miss boating. I think I am going to have to think about cruising the waterways of France now.
Keep Smiling! 
