Shannon

Shannon, principal river of the Republic of Ireland and longest (c.240 mi/390 km) in the British Isles. It rises near Cuilcagh Mt., NW Co. Cavan, and flows S through the Central Plain into Co. Limerick, where it turns west in a broad estuary (c.70 mi/110 km) to the Atlantic Ocean between Loop Head and Kerry Head. Loughs Allen, Boderg, Ree, and Dreg are expansions of the river. The Shannon with its many tributaries drains a region of farmland and peat bogs. Towns along the Shannon include Carrick-on-Shannon, Athlone, and Limerick. The river is connected with E Ireland by the Royal Canal and the Grand Canal; large vessels, however, cannot ascend the river above Foynes. Limerick is the head of estuary navigation. An important hydroelectric plant was built between Lough Derg and Limerick. The fisheries of the river are valuable.

Shannon Airport Industrial Estate (opened 1945), a duty-free international terminal on the river, 15 mi (24 km) W of Limerick, has been developed by the government into an industrial center.

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Shannon¹

Claude (Elwood). 1916--2000, US mathematician, who first developed information theory

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Shannon²

a river in the Republic of Ireland, rising in NW Co. Cavan and flowing south to the Atlantic by an estuary 113 km (70 miles) long: the longest river in the Republic of Ireland. Length: 260 km (161 miles)

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shannon [′shan·ən]

(communications)

A unit of information content, equal to the designation of one of two possible and equally likely values or states of anything used to store or convey information.

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Shannon 

the longest river in Ireland. The Shannon has a length of 368 km (356 km according to some calculations) and drains an area of 15,700 sq km. The river flows through the Central Lowland and passes through a number of lakes, including loughs Allen, Ree, and Derg. Before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean, it forms an estuary with a length of approximately 100 km.

The Shannon is fed by rain. The water level rises in the autumn and winter and falls in the summer. The river never freezes over. The mean flow rate in the lower course is approximately 200 cu m per sec. The Shannon is navigable for almost its entire length, and at high tide oceangoing vessels can sail as far as the city of Limerick. The river is linked with Dublin by the Royal Canal and the Grand Canal. The Ardnacrusha Power Station is on the Shannon above Limerick. The cities of Carrick-on-Shannon, Athlone, Killaloe, and Limerick are situated on the Shannon.