Carrick on Shannon Br. — Cortober

A seventeenth-century bridge at the southern end of the town of Carrick on Shannon traversed the River Shannon, which connected the county of Leitrim to Roscommon.  Crossing the river Shannon at a narrow point with rocky ground on either side that had been known as Snámh dá Eán (Swim two birds). A bridge at Carrickdrumrush is depicted on the Down Survey (1656-8) map of County Leitrim (NLI, MS 717).   A wooden bridge was built in 1684 by Maurice Griffith, signalling the foundation of Carrick on Shannon as a town. It was described at the time as a large timber structure, and the tolls were granted to George St. George. It was replaced by a stone bridge of eleven arches in 1718 (Bradley and Dunne 1988, 15).  Present bridge described by the NIAH as a; ‘Five-arch limestone road bridge, built in 1846 by contractor R.A. Gray on behalf of the Commissioners for the Improvement of the Navigation of the River Shannon. Pedestrian underpass to northern quayside. Upstream and downstream U-cutwaters. Coursed cut limestone walls with ashlar parapet, ashlar voussoirs to segmental arch-rings. Carved plaque to parapet detailing history of bridge with bench mark below. Cast-iron lamp standards added to parapet wall c.1990. Bridge links Counties Leitrim and Roscommon’ (NIAH Reg. No. 31807001).  Cross-reference with LE031-005004- Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 24 August 2010