Clonahenoge | |
|---|---|
Townland | |
  Clonahenoge Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates:53°10′07″N8°03′51″W / 53.168574°N 8.064275°W /53.168574; -8.064275 | |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.96 km2 (1.14 sq mi) |
Clonahenoge (Cluain Fheannóg inIrish)[2] is atownland inCounty Offaly,Ireland. It is located at the confluence of theLittle Brosna River and theRiver Shannon.
Hamilton Lock and the Clonahenogecanal were built about 1755 to allow river traffic to bypass theMeelick rapids on the River Shannon.[3] Thelock is now disused, replaced by nearbyVictoria lock, although the lock keepers cottage with roughcast walls (built 1755) is still in use for its original purpose. The lock is listed by theNational Inventory of Architectural Heritage (a service provided by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht) as being of special interest.[4]
Victoria Lock is the first lock on the River Shannon upstream ofLough Derg. The locks dimensions are 142 ft x 40 ft.[5][6][7] The Shannon Commissioners had the lock constructed in the 1840s as part of a widescale upgrade of the Shannon Navigation. The lock is of architectural and technical interest and is still in use today by pleasure boats, both private and fleets of rental cruisers who use the River Shannon and the connecting canals. The cast iron bollards at the lockside were made byFenton, Murray and Jackson Engineers ofLeeds. A detached three-bay single-storey stone lock keeper's house (1843) is constructed from stone with a slate roof pierced by two stone chimneys. Although only single storey with a projecting central bay the house is a pleasing addition to the surrounding 19th-century development. The lock and cottage are both listed by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as being of special interest.[8]
Meelick Martello Tower is aMartello tower constructed on Moran Island in theRiver Shannon. The tower was built about 1811 to protect the river at Meelick where rapids provide a fording opportunity.[9] Unusually the tower is cam-shaped with three gun emplacements. It reinforced the existing defences at Keelogue Battery on Incherky Island.[10]
