Portumna Bridge

Seven-span road bridge over River Shannon, built 1911, retaining nineteenth-century fabric. Central section resting on Hayes's Island which divides river into two channels. Road supported on steel structure of plate girders with parapets of riveted steel plates. Piers in river on east side of Hayes Island consist of concrete-filled cast-iron cylinders, continuing above parapet level, capped by carved domed caps with finials. Other piers, from bridge of 1834, of dressed limestone masonry the width of bridge, with rounded ends and supporting cut stone parapets. Opening section of bridge over navigation channel, revolving on pivotal support, on Galway bank of river. Abutments on opening span constructed of ashlar limestone masonry retained from nineteenth-century bridge. Detached three-bay single-storey tollhouse on Tipperary side of river, built c.1845, located on Hayes’s Island in centre bridge, having flat-roof porch, addition to rear, hipped slate roof with central stone chimneystack, dressed limestone walls with projecting plinth, rendered walls to addition, and with square-headed and segmental-headed openings with stone sills and two-over-two pane timber sliding sash windows.

This historic crossing point over the Shannon river between counties Tipperary and Galway has a long history of bridges and ferry crossings. The twentieth-century structure seen today was designed by C. E. Stanier of London to the specification of the Tipperary North Riding County Surveyor J. O. Moynan. The steel structure of the main bridge and pivoting swing bridge over the navigation channel are of technical and engineering interest, while the bridge itself is a landmark seen from both sides of the Shannon and continuously in use by both road and waterways traffic. The bridge operator's house retained from the previous bridge is situated near the centre of the bridge and forms an integral part of the complex of bridge and harbour. It is part of a significant group of industrial structures which includes the harbour, warehouses and crane.