Carrick-on-Shannon

The Shannon Valley
STOP 08 / 08

Carrick-on-Shannon · Co. Leitrim

Leitrim's county town sits where the Shannon widens — part working river town, part weekend party circuit, more interesting than either reputation suggests.

Carrick is a river town first. The Shannon widens here into a navigable waterway, and the marina marks the pulse of the place. In summer the boats queue at the lock — cruisers hired from Athlone or Enniskillen, working their way upstream or down. The lock keeper keeps his own time.

The Costello Memorial Chapel sits at the junction of Main Street and Bridge Street. Edward Costello, a local businessman, built it in 1879 as a burial crypt for his wife Mary Josephine. It is 16 feet by 12, and claims to be the second smallest chapel in the world. Inside: a marble altar, a single stained-glass window, two coffins under reinforced glass. It is genuine and slightly unsettling. Free to enter.

The stag and hen party scene is real and this is not a secret. Weekend nights on the main drag are loud. If that is not your aim, come Tuesday. The pubs are quieter, the river is the same, and the herons are indifferent to your schedule.

Population

4,300

Pubs

15and counting

01 / 08

At a glance.

Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.

01 The river

Shannon navigation hub.

Cruisers, fishing launches, hire boats. The marina is the centre of summer life. The weir creates a soft roar at dusk.

Walks & the riverside → 02 Costello Chapel

16 feet by 12 — the second smallest chapel in the world.

Bridge Street, junction with Main Street. A 19th-century memorial crypt, barely bigger than a garage. Free to enter. Two coffins visible under glass.

Stories & history → 03 The scene

Stag parties Friday, fishermen Saturday morning.

The weekend nightlife is real and loud. The dawn fishing launch is also real. These two Carricks rarely meet — but they share the same river.

What to skip →

02 / 08

The pubs.

None of these are themed Irish pubs, because they don't need to be. A few that earn the trip:

Cryan's Teach Ceoil

Best trad in town, genuinely local

Traditional music bar

The pub for music. Sessions several nights a week, musicians who actually play. Worth finding.

Coffey's Bar

Quieter, regular drinkers

Local pub

If the nightlife circus is not for you, this is the alternative. Conversation over chaos.

03 / 08

Where to eat.

Place	Type	€	Local note
The Oarsman	Gastropub, Bridge Street	€€	Family-run, award-winning, in the Michelin Guide to Eating out in Pubs. Fish is the strong suit — bread is home-baked. Locally sourced. Book for weekends.
Bush Hotel Restaurant	Hotel restaurant, Main Street	€€	The historic hotel on Main Street. Contemporary bistro food from 5:30pm. Good value for a town-centre dinner.

04 / 08

Where to sleep.

Place	Type	Local note
Bush Hotel	Hotel	Historic inn on Main Street. Character, central location, reliable. The bar is its own reason to stay.

05 / 08

Stories & lore.

The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.

16 feet by 12 — second smallest in the world

The Costello Chapel

In 1879 Edward Costello, a Carrick businessman, built a memorial chapel on Bridge Street for his wife Mary Josephine. The building is 16 feet by 12 feet. Inside: a marble altar, a stained-glass window, two coffins — husband and wife, laid under reinforced glass. Edward died in 1891 and was interred beside her. The chapel has no congregation, no services, no parish. It became a curiosity, then an attraction. It sits at the junction of Main and Bridge Streets, free to enter. Whether it is the second smallest chapel in the world depends on your definition of chapel. It is definitely the most unexpectedly moving thing in Carrick.

Reopened 1994 after 150 years

The Shannon Waterway

The Shannon-Erne Waterway linking the Shannon at Leitrim village to the Erne at Belturbet was closed for 150 years before it was restored and reopened in 1994. Carrick sits on the Shannon just south of that junction. In summer, hire cruisers work the river between Athlone and Enniskillen. The lock at Carrick is a quiet spectacle — watch it fill, gates swing, the bow of a boat clearing the stone lip by inches.

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