Illaunmanagh parkrun Shannon

What to Expect

Illaunmanagh parkrun is a free, timed 5km run held every Saturday morning on the edge of the Shannon Estuary in Shannon town. The course is flat and largely out-and-back, following a mix of tarmac paths and woodland trail past river wetlands that regularly bring birdlife into view - herons and waders are common sights on a still morning. Because it runs beside open water, expect it to be breezy, and conditions can change quickly on the estuary, so a layer for after the run is worth having in your bag. parkrun is entirely free and run by volunteers everywhere it operates, from its origins as a single London 5k in 2004 to the network of weekly events now spread across Ireland; Illaunmanagh is Shannon town’s edition of that same model. It is deliberately non-competitive at the back of the field: walkers, families with buggies and the local clubs’ fastest runners all start together at 9:30am and finish through the same funnel, timed by volunteers drawn from the local running community.

Good to Know

• Every Saturday at 9:30am, year-round except Christmas Day.
• Register once, free, at parkrun.ie before your first run and bring your printed or saved barcode - it is scanned at the finish to log your time.
• The start/finish area is at Slattery Park, beside St Senan’s Rugby Club, Tullyvarraga.
• Dogs on short leads and running buggies are both welcome.
• Post-run coffee is a short walk away at Tea and Tones Cafe, Wolfe Tones GAA Club, Shannon.
• Volunteers are always needed - marshals, timekeepers and barcode scanners can sign up through the parkrun volunteer roster.

Getting There

Slattery Park is in the Tullyvarraga area of Shannon town. Bus Eireann route 343 between Ennis and Shannon stops at Cronan Gardens, a short walk away, and there is ample free parking on site at St Senan’s Rugby Club.