Portumna

Portumna is served with a five-span road bridge over the Shannon. This was designed by C. E. Stanier of London, and completed in 1911, with a central section resting on Hayes's Island which divides the river into two channels. The steel structure of the main bridge and pivoting swing bridge over the navigation channel are of technical and engineering interest, and it is the largest early-twentieth century swing bridge in Europe.. The opening section was replaced in October 2008.[3]

The Shannon at this point consists of two channels divided by Hayes Island, the one on the County Tipperary side being about 79 m (260 ft) wide, and that on the Galway side being about 73 m (240 ft) wide. Each channel is spanned by three pairs of mild-steel plate girders, either 24 m (80 ft) or 27 m (90 ft) in length, resting on 3 m (9 ft) diameter concrete-filled cast-iron cylinders.

Portumna Workhouse from the Ballinasloe road

A number of Poor Law Unions were set up across Ireland during the Great Famine. The Portumna Union was formally declared on 22 February 1850, covering an area of 121 square miles (310 km²) as a subdivision of the Ballinasloe and Loughrea unions.[4]

The Portumna Union workhouse was erected on a 9 acres (40,000 m²) site 0.5 miles (800 m) to the north-east of Portumna. Designed by the Poor Law Commissioners' architect George Wilkinson, the building was intended to accommodate 600 inmates who were badly affected by the lack of both employment and food at the time. Its construction cost £6,700 plus £1,175 for fittings etc., but in recent years the workhouse site has been left semi-derelict. One of the front blocks is, however, used by a local council depot. The Irish Workhouse Centre,[5] opened in the old Portumna Workhouse during summer 2011, is the only centre telling the history of workhouses in Ireland.

Portumna Castle

Portumna Castle gates

The town is noted for Portumna Castle and for the lords that lived there. The castle is actually a semi-fortified house and was built before 1618 by Richard Burke or de Burgo, the 4th Earl of Clanricarde. It was the main seat of the de Burgo family for over 200 years, until it was gutted by fire in 1826.

The castle is located about 200 metres North of Portumna (or 'New') Harbour on Lough Derg, with Portumna Forest Park to the west and the town of Portumna about 300 metres to the north and east.

Following conservation and restoration work, the ground floor of the castle is now open to the public from April–September daily and from September–October on weekends only. The conservation works on other parts of the castle are ongoing. To the north of the castle are formal, geometrically laid out gardens. The castle also includes the restored 17th century walled kitchen garden.

As with many historic buildings a number of local legends have grown up around the castle. One local legend goes that a child fell out of the upper windows. An Irish Wolfhound raced over, broke the child's fall and saved the child. A marker stone now rests on the site. The bones of the dog, called "Fury" according to a marker stone erected at the time of his death, have been found during excavations, and are now on display in the castle itself.[6] However, the veracity of this is doubted. Amongst the oldest families of the area, whose histories run alongside that of the castle, the legend is that the Earl's wolfhound died during the fire, on the balcony alongside the Earl's daughter.

The Irish National Land League's Land War, a plan of campaign to force landlords to reduce rents, started in Portumna. Hubert de Burgh-Canning, 2nd Marquess of Clanricarde was targeted because of his harsh treatment of his tenants. Clanricarde was quoted as saying "if you think you can intimidate me by shooting my agent, you are mistaken." He demanded that the government offer all the protection to which his property was entitled, which they did. When rent day came in November 1886, 4,000 tenants marched with a brass band past the estate office and to the hotel where a group of nationalist members of parliament decided how much rent was to be paid. The tenants then returned to the estate office and offered their rent, which the officer in charge refused to take as it was lower than the amount the landlord had set. The money was then handed over to the MPs for the defence of the tenants. The MP William O'Brien described it as "an artist in political melodrama." One of the main instigators in this drama was Jeremiah O'Driscoll, affectionately known as "cus". Because of the disturbances in Portumna an 1887 act was brought into effect, the Perpetual Crimes Act, in effect the last Irish crimes act ever to be put on the British statute book.

Today, Portumna Castle is a heritage museum of the Flight of the Wild Geese.

Portumna forest park is located on the southwestern edge of the town, on the northern shore of Lough Derg. The park spans almost 600 hectares (1,500 acres) and formed part of the lands of the Earl of Clanricarde, who was seated at Portumna Castle. It was purchased by the Irish government in 1948, and is now owned by Coillte.

Within the park there are forest and lakeside walks, car parking and toilet facilities and observation points. There are also a number of bike-friendly trails.[7] Also within the site are the remains of a Cistercian abbey, dating from the 15th Century and adjacent to the Park is a marina giving access to the Shannon waterway system.

The forest is mainly coniferous but also contains a wide variety of broadleaved trees, both native and exotic. In addition to woodlands there are wide open spaces, green fields, scrub, marsh, water and numerous off-shore islands. This inter mix of forest, open area, water and islands gives a wide choice of habitat to support a great variety of flora and fauna.

Portumna (or 'New') Harbour

Portumna is a tourist destination for boaters, golfers and anglers. The town is at the junction of the River Shannon and Lough Derg, and there are a number of harbours – two of which are on the Portumna side of the river.

These are Connacht Harbour, accessed via the river, which is beside Bridge Road, on the eastern side of the town, and Portumna (or 'New') Harbour which is on the northern shore of Lough Derg beside Castle Avenue, adjacent to the castle and the forest park on the southern edge of the town.

A third private harbour has been recently established on the Tipperary side of the river at Portland House. There are also private moorings at Belle Isle harbour. Pleasure craft can be privately hired at Emerald Star Line cruisers at Connacht Harbour.

In addition to trails within the forest park, Portumna is the southern trailhead of the Hymany Way which here forms part of the Beara-Breifne long-distance walking and cycling trail between the Beara Peninsula in County Cork and Blacklion in County Cavan.[8][9] A free weekly timed 5 km Parkrun takes place on forest paths within the forest park.[10]