Shannon Callows Rethinking

A proposal to restore 600 hectares of drained floodplain meadow and river corridor to functioning wetland along the middle Shannon — one of the most significant river rethinking projects ever proposed for Ireland. The callows are internationally important for overwintering wildfowl, but decades of drainage have degraded their ecology. This project would re-establish seasonal flooding regimes, reintroduce wet grassland and fen habitats, and create a connected wildlife corridor from source to sea.

Our Approach

Working with hydrologists from University College Dublin, we would model the river's historic flood behaviour to identify where drain blocking and berm removal could most effectively restore the natural inundation cycle. The project would be delivered in partnership with Bord na Móna as part of the rehabilitation of cutaway bog, combining carbon sequestration goals with biodiversity recovery. Monitoring would track the return of curlew, lapwing, and corncrake over a 10-year period.