Creedon's Shannon is a television series produced by

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

and presented by

John Creedon John Creedon (born 1958), also known as "Creedo", is an Irish language enthusiast and veteran broadcaster with RTÉ Radio. Host of ''The John Creedon Show'', weekday evenings 8-10pm on RTÉ Radio 1, he has also filled in for Dave Fanning on '' ...

. The series follows Creedon as he travels down the length of Ireland's largest river the Shannon while stopping along to way to showcase points of interest along the river. The show premiered on 23 July and aired one episode each week for three weeks after. Over the course of the series Creedon travels 360 km through 12 counties from the source of the Shannon to the

Shannon estuary The Shannon Estuary in Ireland () is a large estuary where the River Shannon flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary has Limerick City at its head and its seaward limits are marked by Loop Head to the north and Kerry Head to the south. Th ...

Episode List

Episode 1

The episode begins with Creedon trying to locate the true source of the Shannon. At the time of filming the source was considered to be the

Shannon Pot Shannon Pot () is a pool in the karst landscape in the townland of Derrylahan near Cuilcagh Mountain in County Cavan, Ireland. An aquifer-fed naturally fluctuating pool, it is the traditional source of the River Shannon. It has connections, ...

in Co. Cavan as told by folklore though Creedon meets with

hydrogeologists Hydrogeology (''hydro-'' meaning water, and ''-geology'' meaning the study of the Earth) is the area of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater in the soil and rocks of the Earth's crust (commonly in aquif ...

who perform a dye tracing experiment to find the true source of the river. Shannon Pot#Hydrology He then visits the Arigna Mines on the shores of

Lough Allen Lough Allen () is a lake on the River Shannon in northeastern Connacht, Ireland. Most of the lake is in County Leitrim, with a smaller part in County Roscommon. The lake lies to the south of the River Shannon's source, near the Iron Mountains ...

, with former miner Maurice Cullen. Wildlife enthusiast Colin Stafford Johnson shows Creedon the natural sounds and local wildlife of the River Shannon. Pat McManus and his team of divers from the Athlone Sub Aqua club investigate an unknown ship lost to time on the lake bed of

Lough Ree Lough Ree (), translated to English as ''King's Lake'' or ''King Lake'', is a lake in the midlands of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the second of the three major lakes on the River Shannon. Lough Ree is the second largest lake on the Shannon af ...

for many years.

Episode 2

Creedon travels from

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midland Region, Ir ...

to Killaloe. Using 3D technology he recreates the lost city of

Clonmacnoise Clonmacnoise or Clonmacnois (Irish language, Irish: ''Cluain Mhic Nóis'') is a ruined monastery in County Offaly in Republic of Ireland, Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, Ciarán, ...

. He also learns that Anne Boelyn’s two nieces ended their days in Offaly’s Clonony Castle. Creedon then gets a special dispensation from the

Revenue Commissioners The Revenue Commissioners (), commonly called Revenue, is the Irish Government agency responsible for customs, excise, taxation and related matters. Though Revenue can trace itself back to predecessors (with the Act of Union 1800 amalgamating ...

to make poitin on Lough Derg and then follows the footsteps of High King Brian Boru in Killaloe.

Episode 3

The final episode starts in

ArdnaCrusha Ardnacrusha () is a village in County Clare, Ireland, located on the northern bank of the River Shannon. By road, it is north of Limerick. The name derives from the phrase ''Ard na Croise'' meaning "the height of the cross", due to a large cro ...

where Creedon descends the deepest lough in Europe in ArdnaCrusha's hydroelectric dam. Creedon then goes fishing with

Pat Shortt Patrick Shortt (born 12 December 1967) is an Irish actor, comedian, writer, and entertainer. His role in the 2007 film '' Garage'' led to him receiving the IFTA for Best Actor. He is most notably remembered for his role as Tom in the television ...

, helps renovate a thatched cottage on Horse island and sails Cromwell’s route into

Ballylongford Ballylongford (historically ''Bealalongford'', from ) is a village near Listowel in northern County Kerry, Ireland. As of the 2022 census, it had a population of 415. Geography The village is situated near the estuary of the Ballyline River, ...

, the home of poet

Brendan Kennelly Timothy Brendan Kennelly (17 April 1936 – 17 October 2021), usually known as Brendan Kennelly, was an Irish poet and novelist. He was Professor of Modern Literature at Trinity College Dublin until 2005. Following his retirement he was a prof ...

Awards

'Creedon's Shannon' was nominated for an IFTA (Irish Film and Television Award) for best factual television show. The show won 'Best Broadcasting' at the 'Travel Extra Travel Journalist of the Year Awards'.

Production

Filming of the voyage from start to finish took three months.

References

{{reflist River Shannon Irish television series