S H A 



\«hich forms itsjunftinn above Banagher. (See our article 

 Canal.) It may be obferved, that the Shannon nearly 

 infulates Connaught with the county of Clare ; and that 

 if a canal, of about four miles in length, were cut from 

 Lou^h Clean to the river Bonnet, which falls into Sligo 

 bay, the infular boundary would be complete, and the Shan- 

 non rendered navigable from fea to fea. 



The bridges over this river are chiefly at the forementioned 

 towns, but there are none below Limerick. In this city 

 there are three, one of which, called Thomond bridge, 

 contains fourteen arches ; and about ten miles higher is 

 O'Brien's bridge, which has nineteen arches. 



The fifheries on the Shannon are numerous and produflive, 

 particularly for fabnon, which is of the fined flavour. 

 Mr. Arthur Young, in his Tour through Ireland, p. 359, 

 obferves of this river, that " befides affording all forts of 

 wild fowl, the quantity and fize of its fifli are amazing. 

 Pikes fwarm and rife to the weight of 5olbs. each. Trout, 

 bream, eel, gillaroos. Sec. are large and abundant, and perch 

 are fo plentiful, that, in fome years, the poor almoll live 

 upon them." It may be added, that not only river fifli, 

 but even fuch as are generally denominated pond and lake 

 fifli, abound here ; fo that what Spenfer fays of the Trent 

 may be truly applied to the bounteous Shannon, which 



" Within itfelf enfeames 



Both thirty forts of fifh, and thirty fundry ftreames." 



The Shannon forms a very important fubjeft in the an- 

 cient hiftory of Ireland. Ptolemy mentions three large cities 

 on its banks, called Rcgia, Macolicum, and Regia Altera. 

 But his editors, Mercator and Ortellius, do not exadlly 

 agree in their maps as to the fituations, and no veftiges re- 

 main to fettle the queftion. The general opinion is, that 

 Regia was on the eatl fide of Lough Ree, and the names 

 correfpond, as Ree fignifies a king, in the Irifli language. 

 Macolicum is fuppofed, from the name, to have been at Me- 

 lick, a village in the county of Galway, and Regia Altera 

 at or near Limerick. 



This river was of great political and military ufe 

 before the Englilh power was eftabliflied in Ireland. 

 It long ferved as a barrier between the territories of 

 provincial kings, and not unfrequently was made the fcene 

 of naval engagements, particularly below Limerick. The 

 following curious inilance is recorded in the Annals of 

 Munfter, and quoted by Archdall. "This year (1065), 

 Hugh O'Ruark, king of Briefne, in company with Thady 

 O'Kelly, king of Maine, were defeated by Hugh O'Con- 

 nor, king of Connaught, who totally overthrew their whole 

 ai'my, and funk and difperfed their fleet on the Shannon." 

 (Monafticon Hibernicum, p. 280.) Even in modern times this 

 river has been occafionally found of great military importance. 

 See our articles Athlone, and Limehick. 



The iflands on the Shannon add an interefting feature to 

 the hiltory of the early progrcfs of Chrillianity in Ireland; 

 particularly from the fourth to the eighth century, when 

 that country enjoyed a repofe unknown on the continent, and 

 was famed the " Infula Sacra el Sanaorum," or, to ufc the 

 words of Dr. Johnlon, " the pious and hofpitablc fchool 

 of the well." During that period many of thofe iflands were 

 dedicated to the fervicc of religion, and numerous veftiges 

 Itill are feen in the remains of churches, abbeys, and 

 other monallic inlUtiitions. The holy ifland in Lough 

 Dcrg has been already noticed, and there are many others of 

 a fimilar dcfcription, which are Hill held in pious venera- 

 tion by the multitude, and are much reforted to on certain 

 feftivals. We fliall mention only another, which is Innif- 

 eattery, in the mouth of the Shannon, about twenty miles 



S H A 



from the ocean, and which is thus defcribed by Archdall. 

 P.49- 



" On the rich and beautiful ifland of Scattery, are the 

 ruins of a monaftery dedicated to St. Senan, who founded 

 here an epifcopal fee about the time of St. Patrick. There 

 are likewife the ruins of feven churches, out of eleven which 

 were here in queen Ehzabeth's time. An ancient round 

 tower of one hundred and twenty feet in height, and in com- 

 plete repair, graces the fcene." For a more particular ac- 

 count of thefe " Infula; facrit Sent," fee Gough's Camden ; 

 alfo Ware, AVilfon, Archdall, &c. 



The views of the Shannon are in many parts highly pic- 

 turefque and fublime. We fliall briefly notice three. The 

 firfl; id from a beautiful hill in Lov/er Ormond, called Knock- 

 fliegowna, /. e. Oonagh's hill, fo named as being the fabled 

 refidence of Oonagh, Spenfer's Fairie Queen. From this 

 eminence the river is feen to an extent of nearly twenty miles, 

 apparently afcending in its courfe. The fccond is from the 

 admired ruins of Carrick O'Gunnel, beyond Limerick ; and 

 the third from Knockpatrick, a lofty hill in the fame 

 county, and much nearer to the fea. It is celebrated by fe- 

 veral writers as commanding the moft grand and interefting 

 profpeft that can be imagined both of the river and the 

 ocean. Among thefe authors may be mentioned Necham, 

 an Englifli poet and divine of the twelfth century ; whofe 

 verfes on tlie Shannon are thought worthy of quotation by 

 Camden, and which we fliall here tranfcribe, annexing a free 

 tranflation. 



" Fluminibus magnis Ixtatur Hibernia, Sineus 

 Inter Connatiam, Momoniaraque fluit. 

 Tranfit per muros Limerici, Knoc Patric ilium 

 Oceani claufum fub ditione videt." 



<' Amid majeftic ftreams, Hibernia's pride, 

 The noble Shannon bids her plains divide. 

 Leinlter and Munlter to the ealtward bear, 

 With Connaught to the right, and lofty Clare ; 

 By Lim'rick's walls he bends his lordly way, 

 While tributary ftreams their homage pay. 

 Till proud Knockpatrick views, from Defmoud's coaft, 

 This world of waters in the ocean loft." 



Shannon, a river of Canada, which runs into the N.E. 

 part of lake Ontario. 



SHANSCRIT, Sanscrit, Samfcrit, Samfcretam, or 

 Hanfcrit language, is the original language of the Hindoos 

 or Gentoos, in which their Shajlah, or Sbajlcr, is writ- 

 ten, &c. 



The grand fource of Indian literature, the parent of 

 almoft every dialeft, from the Perfian gulf to the China 

 fcas, fays the learned Halhed, in the Preface to his Gram- 

 mar of the Bengal Language, is the Shanfcrit ; a language 

 of the moft venerable and unfathomable antiquity, which, 

 although at prefent fliut up in the libraries of Bramins, and 

 appropriated folely to the records of their religion, appears 

 to have been current over moft part of the oriental world ; 

 and traces of its original extent may ftill be difcovcrcd in 

 alinott every diilrift of Afia. It is aftonifliing to find the 

 fimilitude of Shanfcrit words with thofe of Perfian and 

 Arabic, and even of Latin and Greek; and thofe not in 

 technical and metaphorical terms, which tlie fluftuation of 

 refined arts and improved manners might have occafionally 

 introduced ; but in the main ground-work of language, in 

 monofyllables, in tiie names of numbers, and in the appel- 

 lations of fuch things as would be firft difcriminatcd in the 

 immediate dawn of civilization. The coins of Adam, Na- 

 paul, Caflimire, and many other kingdoms, are all llanipcd 

 3 D 2 viitb 



