Editing Shannonbridge (section)

== History ==
Shannonbridge gets its name from the bridge connecting County Offaly and County Roscommon. Rachra is generally considered the old name for Shannonbridge, but 'Shannonbridge' was adopted after the building of the bridge in 1757. The military may have initially constructed a village, the 'first Shannonbridge', in the vicinity of Temple Duff graveyard just south of the power station.

Shannonbridge was fortified by the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] in the [[Napoleon]]ic era. Some of the [[fortifications]], including a fort that now houses a restaurant,<ref name="theoldfortrestaurant1">{{cite web |url=http://www.theoldfortrestaurant.com/ |title=Home |publisher=Theoldfortrestaurant.com |access-date=2008-10-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323071249/http://www.theoldfortrestaurant.com/ |archive-date=23 March 2009 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> are still visible today on the west bank of the river.

At Curleys Island between Shannonbridge and Clonmacnoise, there is a legendary ford of Snámh Dá Éan ("swim two birds"). It was here that a proselytising [[Saint Patrick]] ostensibly crossed the Shannon into [[Connacht]], and much later the [[Anglo-Normans]] considered the ford important enough to be guarded by one of their campaign forts. Accordingly, they constructed the great Motte of Clonburren on the Roscommon side of the river, within sight of an even then declining early [[Christianity|Christian]] [[nunnery]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.offaly.ie/offalyhome/visitoffaly/Towns/Shannonbridge/ |title=Shannonbridge |publisher=Offaly.ie |access-date=2008-10-27 |archive-date=19 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071119020210/http://www.offaly.ie/offalyhome/visitoffaly/Towns/Shannonbridge/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2019, a group of Romanian nuns established an orthodox monastery, ''The Life-Giving Spring - Ard Ciaran'', in Shannonbridge.<ref>[https://orthochristian.com/126597.html Romanian Church Acquires Property for Monastery in Ireland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720135638/https://orthochristian.com/126597.html |date=20 July 2021 }} www.orthochristian.com, 23 December 2020.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://orthodoxmonasteryireland.ie/ |title=The Orthodox Monastery of the Life-Giving Spring |access-date=21 July 2021 |archive-date=20 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720160409/https://orthodoxmonasteryireland.ie/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The property ''Ard Ciaran'' was formerly a prayer and retreat centre run by the [[Ursuline order]].<ref>[http://www.ursulines.ie/latest/shannonbridge-leave-taking-and-welcome/ Shannonbridge: leave-taking and welcome] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721085524/http://www.ursulines.ie/latest/shannonbridge-leave-taking-and-welcome/ |date=21 July 2021 }} www.ursulines.ie 20 February 2020.</ref>

[[File:Shannonbridge .jpg|thumb|center|550px|Fort and bridge]]