Mountshannon Harbour
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The harbour at Mountshannon is a sizable mooring. The extant walled harbour was developed in recent years with a jetty system forming a Marina that has more than tripled the amount of boats that can be catered for.
Fishing, swimming, boating, sailing and other water sports are all accessible from the harbour.
Boats, both rowing & powered, can be rented at the harbour. Peddled powered boats for the children to paddle about the bay in are also available. A ferry service runs on a regular basis to Holy Island which has fine examples of 8th to 12th Century Monastic Archaeological Architecture and stone carving.
Development of Mountshannon Harbour
Many developments have occurred over the years in Mountshannon which include the construction of walls, public toilets, the planting of shrubs and trees, the harbour, the sewerage scheme, the Sailing Club and now currently the Field Theme Park and the scenic walks in the area. These developments have helped make Mountshannon a more attractive and pleasant place to live. Mountshannon harbour was developed by the Office of Public Works between 1971 and 1973. The structure of this harbour was built with large concrete boxes approx. 16 ft. sq., which was cast on the shore line. Then they were floated out and put in position where they were sunk and filled with hard-core and filled with cement. In 1983 it was undertaken to construct public toilets, walls and dressing rooms by Rev. Fr. Tom McNamara, then P.P. This was done with the help from an ANCO (now FÁS) training course and completed in 1984. In 1985 a public meeting was called to discuss certain objectives which were: more use of the Parochial Hall, a play area to be constructed for children and to repair the Bog Road. The meeting was organised by Michael Durack and Paddy Bugler (C.C.). It was chaired by Mr. John Kelly, Principal of Scarriff Community College and addressed by Professor Chris Curran, U.C.G. and Fr. Harry Bohan. As a result of this meeting the Mountshannon and Whitegate Community got together and helped with their machinery or their time to repair the Bog Road. Mountshannon Community Council (which was formed in 1986) became aware of an EC grant which could develop Mountshannon. To qualify for the £80,000 grant, the local community had to match the fund to the tune of £20,000. The Community Council and local people collected £10,000. The shoreline that was to be developed was owned by the County Council, so they undertook to fund the balance of £10,000.
Harbour Development in the Eighties
Now that the funds were collected, Shannon Development, Clare County Council, the Office of Public Works and the Community Council agreed on an action plan. The Pontoon, which was constructed in three days, facilitates 22 cruisers. The concrete harbour was constructed with a view to having cruisers on the outside with a small bay inside to facilitate fishing boats. Finally the recreational area was developed by dredging the shore which was then covered with topsoil. Since then the Community Council, with the help of FÁS and the County Council, have provided picnic tables and seating, undertaken major planting of shrubs and flowers, built footpaths and restored stone walls. The end result is that Mountshannon has one of the best-serviced and most attractive harbours on the river Shannon. Another development has been the Sewerage System. This began in 1989 and was completed and opened in November 1990. This system, which was the first of its kind in Ireland, also generates revenue and minimises pollution at the pier in Mountshannon. This project was undertaken by Clare Civil Engineering. The plant is an aeration treatment and is located on the western side of the village. The plant is designed for 432 populations with future potential for duplication. Due to all the co-ordinated effort, Mountshannon has become a popular resort for swimming, fishing, boating and cruising on the lake.