Shannon Town & Airport

The town Shannon is named after the river on which it is situated - the River Shannon. It is the longest river in Ireland.

Shannon is Clare's newest town. The town grew up as a direct result of the siting of the International Airport there in 1939. Shannon was Ireland's first "artificial" town - it was built and designed by the government. It did not spring from natural growth, as in other Irish towns.

However, this part of Clare was inhabited long before the airport arrived. Around the year 840 A.D. Vikings, travelling by sea, landed at Tullyglass on the the shores of the Shannon. They built the first banks to keep the river out and set about cultivating the land.

In 2000, a new modern section of the airport was opened. It can now handle many more passengers each year. Shannon Airport's importance is held in the fact that it is situated between two cities (Galway and Limerick), and serves much of the west of Ireland.