Fish Weir, Bunratty, Co. Clare

Co. Clare |

Water Management

Fish Weir, Bunratty, Co. Clare

On the northern bank of the Shannon estuary, just west of Quay Island near Bunratty West, a row of wooden posts sits embedded in the mudflat of a narrow tidal creek.

Easy to miss and unlikely to feature on any itinerary, it is what remains of a fish weir, a structure designed to trap fish as the tide recedes. Post-and-wattle or post-alignment weirs of this kind work on a straightforward principle: stakes are driven into the riverbed or estuary floor, often strung with wicker panels or netting, creating a fixed barrier that channels fish into a confined space at low water. The posts here run east to west across roughly four to five metres of creek.

The weir has been dated to the post-medieval period, placing it broadly in the centuries after 1600, when the Shannon estuary was well trafficked and communities along its banks depended heavily on its fish. The site was recorded in February 1997 by Aidan O'Sullivan, whose survey of intertidal archaeology along the Shannon documented numerous such features. Post alignments of this kind are rarely spectacular to look at, a few dark stumps protruding from grey mud, but they carry a direct material connection to the working lives of people who fished these waters when Bunratty Castle was already an old building and the estuary was still a working highway.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Fish Weir, Bunratty, Co. Clare. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement