The central span of Portumna’s bridge still swings open to let boats through: a steel section that pivots on a mid-river island. Dated to 1911 by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, the bridge carries the N65 over the River Shannon between the town of Portumna in County Galway and Lehinch on the Tipperary side. It is a working road crossing, and if you time your visit for an opening you will see one of the more unusual pieces of working engineering on the midland waterways.
History and engineering
The present bridge replaced generations of ferries and timber crossings. It was designed by the London engineer C. E. Stanier, to the specifications of the Tipperary North Riding county surveyor J. O. Moynan, and finished in 1911. The central pivoting section rests on Hayes’s Island, which splits the river into two channels. The approach spans are carried on mild-steel plate girders sitting on cast-iron cylinders, whose domed, finialled tops give the bridge its outline. The inventory identifies the opening span on the Galway side of the navigation channel.
Not all of it is Edwardian. Several outer piers are dressed limestone kept from an earlier bridge of 1834, and the swing-span abutments reuse nineteenth-century ashlar. In October 2008 the worn Victorian opening gear was replaced with a modern hydraulic unit, a new 28-metre swing span fabricated and installed by W&M Keating Ltd in a three-month contract, and that is what keeps it turning today. A small detached tollhouse of around 1845 still stands on Hayes’s Island, from the days when crossing the Shannon here cost money; the tolls were abolished by an Act of Parliament in 1858.
What to see and do
Crossing the bridge is best made part of a wider wander around Portumna and the Lough Derg shore. Portumna Castle and its walled gardens are close by, and are worth checking separately for a longer visit.
- Time it for an opening – leisure cruisers and the odd barge still use the navigation channel. When one approaches, the barriers drop, the lights flash and the central span swings slowly aside. The opening itself takes only a few minutes, so arrive early and find a safe public vantage point off the carriageway; the rest of the time it is a static, if handsome, road bridge.
- Walking and cycling – the bridge links onto the Lough Derg Blueway, the waterside route running down to Portumna Harbour, and forms part of the Beara-Breifne Way walking route.
- Photography – the riveted steel, weathered limestone piers and the wide Shannon give plenty to work with, best in early or late light with the shoreline of Portumna Forest Park behind.
- Nearby heritage – the Irish Workhouse Centre is a short walk on the Galway side, and Portumna Castle’s restored rooms and walled kitchen garden are close by, along with a 14th-century Dominican friary in the forest park.
Practical information
The bridge is a public road crossing with no fee or booking.
- During an opening – automated barriers and lights close both approaches when the span turns; wait for it to lock back into line before crossing, and leave room for vehicles when the bridge lifts.
- View from a public place – this is a working road crossing, so watch from a public place off the carriageway rather than stopping on the road.
- Parking and facilities – parking near the bridge is not guaranteed, so check locally before you go.
- When to come – river traffic is heaviest in the summer boating season, while winter is quieter, with low light over the water.
By boat
Check Waterways Ireland’s Shannon boater information and its marine notices before leaving. The bridge has seasonal lifting times and the Sunday schedule differs. The published winter timetable gives 9.30am, 10.30am and 11.30am Monday to Saturday and 9.30am and 10.30am on Sundays. Temporary restrictions can override the table. Waterways Ireland lists the bridge number as +353 (0)90 974 1011.
Getting there
The bridge is on the N65 close to Portumna town centre; follow signs for Lehinch on the Tipperary side. For public transport, check current bus times to Portumna before you travel.
The swing takes only a few minutes and the timetable shifts through the year, so if watching it is the point of the trip, check the current opening times with Waterways Ireland before you drive out. Otherwise you will most likely arrive to a bridge that is not going anywhere.