Eco Showboat at Ardnacrusha; The Free State’s heroic engineering project represented something like a fifth of the state’s resources when it was built. Like all hydro-electric schemes, it radically changed the ecology of the river. While some believe that hydroelectricity is the cleanest form of energy since it releases no carbon into the atmosphere and uses a sustainable resourse, others argue that hydroelectric schemes like the one that begins at Parteen do terrible violence to the natural world by creating a wall between the fresh water course and the sea, stopping the migration of species that need both environments, like salmon and eels.

Artists Chelsea Canavan and Deirdre Power have a unique and intelligent perspective on this important debate, which concerns the future as much as it does history, and that every citizen of Limerick should know about. Added to this is the spectacular visual experience that few people have ever seen: the 100 foot drop through the lock allows boats  to pass from the headrace to tailrace; the spectacular turbine room, the fish traps at Parteen Weir and Killaloe Bridge are all things that Deirdre and Chelsea intend taking on as part of their boat-hitching journey up-river to join the Eco Showboat by Artist collective Cleary Connolly. Deirdre will also act as photographer to take on the shooting these local secrets.

Learn more about the Eco Showboat journey here.

Please note that the details of events listed above are provided by the relevant Local Authorities.