A visit to Castleconnell, Co. Limerick in 2013

A slideshow of photos I took during my first visit to Castleconnell in County Limerick on Tuesday 2nd April 2013.
Castleconnell (Irish: Caisleán Uí Chonaill, historically Caisleán Uí Chonaing) is a village in the northeast of County Limerick. It is on the banks of the River Shannon. It is 11 km (6.8 mi) from Limerick city. The River Shannon next to Castleconnell forms the Limerick-Clare border. Castleconnell is also not too far from the Limerick-Tipperary border which is east of Castleconnell.
The ruins of the 'Castle of Connell' (in fact the castle of a family named Gunning), from which the name of the village derives, was built on a rock outcrop overlooking the bend of the river. It was destroyed in a siege by the army of General Ginkel, fighting in support of the Army of William of Orange at the end of the 17th century. Even today a large chunk of the castle wall lies some fifty feet from the castle, thrown clear across the road by siege cannons. A footbridge over the Shannon in Castleconnell was built during the 1939-1945 Emergency by the Irish Army under Captain Carley Owens and links the village with County Clare. The nearby Mountshannon House is a testament to John FitzGibbon, 1st Earl of Clare, who in the late 18th century was the Attorney-General for Ireland and subsequent Lord Chancellor of Ireland. FitzGibbon was a Protestant hardliner and helped usher in the Acts of Union 1800, which resulted in the Irish parliament's abolition. The house where he and his descendants lived was burnt to the ground by the IRA in the 1920s.
Many fine nineteenth-century buildings overlook the Shannon in Castleconnell. One of these, the former schoolhouse, was for many years home to the Irish Harp Centre. Another, the former convent, is now the Castleoaks House Hotel. A little south of the village lies the ruins of the once-grand Mountshannon house, a Palladian mansion gutted by fire early in the 20th century.
St. Joseph's Church in Castleconnell was consecrated on the 9th August 1863. It is one of three churches in Castleconnell Parish in the Diocese of Killaloe.
All Saints Church of Ireland in Stradbally in Castleconnell was built in 1809. It was enlarged in 1826 and 1842 and the extensions were designed by James Pain. The chancel was modified in 1863. It is one of five churches in the Killaloe Union of Parishes in the United Dioceses of Limerick and Killaloe.
Castleconnell National School was built in the 1960's and was extended in the 1990's.
Castleconnell has a history as a fishing destination stretching back into the 19th century. Main catch was salmon and trout. The local pub Shannon Inn became well known for its fishing clientele that stayed there over the years.
The Shannon Electricity Scheme and its Ardnacrusha dam at Parteen changed the fortunes of the village considerably in the 1930s when it reduced the flow of water south of the dam to approximately one sixth, dropping water levels along the Shannon.
The engineers added a fish lift to the dam, allowing fish to be lifted in a water-filled container and thereby pass upstream to their traditional spawning beds. The river at Castleconnell is also known for its rich bird life, and particularly its swans, many of which are migratory Icelandic whooper swans wintering and breeding on the river.
Castleconnell is the home of Limerick's most successful hurling club. The Ahane GAA club won 19 Limerick Senior Hurling Championships between 1931 and 1948 and provided many of the Limerick team that won All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championships in 1934, 1936 and 1940. Among its most famous players were Mick Mackey and Jackie Power.
The boxer Andy Lee grew up in Castleconnell. He became the World WBO Middleweight champion on 13th December 2014.
Castleconnell boat club has been in existence since 1983.
Castleconnell has a railway station on the Limerick-Ballybrophy railway line. It originally opened on 8 August 1858. The station closed in 1963 but reopened in 1988.
Castleconnell is just west of the R525 Dalys Cross-Montpellier Road. It is also close to the M7 Limerick-Dublin motorway.
The comedian Pat Shortt resides in Castleconnell.