Bridge

The National Monuments Service's description

Crossing the River Shannon, connecting County Offaly to Roscommon.  A bridge of 17 arches was built c. 1700 at a point where there had been a ford (RO056-018002-) and fish weir (RO056-018003-). In 1755 the Commissioners of Inland Navigation built an extra span on the E bank. In 1845 Thomas Rhodes designed a cast iron swivel bridge to replace this span, which itself was replaced by a concrete span in 1883-4, (Barry 1985, ).  The present day bridge of Shannonbridge was was described by the NIAH as a; 'Sixteen-arch masonry road bridge, completed in 1757, carrying the Ballinasloe Shannonbridge road across the River Shannon and linking Counties Offaly and Roscommon. Concrete fixed reinforced-concrete span added to east end in 1983. Random rubble limestone walls with dressed limestone voussoirs to semicircular arch-rings. Stone corbels to rendered soffits. Dressed limestone string courses to parapets surmounted by dressed stone coping. Full-height upstream and downstream V-cutwaters with pedestrian refuges to parapet. Limestone plaque to east end gives dates for bridges construction and opening to navigation. Modern metal lamp standards to road surface' (NIAH Reg. No. 14805011).  Cross-reference with OF013-037001-.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 24 August 2010

References

Barry, M. 1985 Across deep waters: bridges of Ireland. Dublin. Frankfort Press.