CHILLING at River Shannon

Ever thought of escaping from city?
Ever pictured yourself going down the river?
Deserted and vicious, perfect for a crime scene?
We did. And made it happen.

Ivan Brigida with a crew of 3 arrived to the marine based on River Shannon, at Banagher, co. Offaly. It was a Friday evening and the plan was to check in the boat, have a beer and check out the surroundings.

Calm and deserted, Shannon was more like a university library where fun happens without much noise, rather than a local bar on Friday evening. But that was just the first impression

Next day the rest of the crew arrived: 2 more guys and a girl. The team was complete, so the journey began.

The start was idle: calming views of Shannon's banks were like a meditation for ones living in a busy city. Chatting and drinking we were moving forward, waiting for the river to widen. After a chilly hour it started to get more exciting.

To enter into fishing area we passed Victoria lock, where we docked and felt like proper sailors for a split second.

Then we waited for a while for a friendly fish to join us. After an hour or two one lucky fellow decided to become our lunch! Yet we let him go, we had enough food from the local grocery store.

It was getting darker, so we docked at Portumna Castle Harbor and our dedicated members made a lovely dinner on the boat.

Pretty full, we went to the shore to check the remarkable Portumna Castle.
A lovely forest park around it and to have several pints in a local pub to finish the day.

Next day we had a fresh start with a quick breakfast onboard. Our plan was to move further down the river, fishing meanwhile.

We stopped at Dromineer for lunch, turned everything we caught into a mouth-watering steamy soup and went to the local cafe. The whole sight of Dromineer was begging us to take a photo shoot. So we did.

(Backstage:)

Shannon suprived us by widening into a proper lake and exposing beautiful landscapes.

Inna professionally navigating our way back, Ivan enjoying fishing.