The River Shannon - A Journey Down Ireland's Longest River by Aiveen Cooper. This is the story of the Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, and its role in human lives. Aiveen Cooper journeyed on foot, by canoe and in an old Dutch sailing barge all the way from the Cuilcagh Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean between Kerry and Clare Heads. In places along her journey, Aiveen excavated stories of the river intertwined with the story of Ireland, from eels and otters, eskers and islands to ancient kings, myths and monastic settlements, from Viking raids and Napoleonic fortifications to transportation and tourism. She passed through eighteen counties and over a dozen lakes on her way to the Shannon-Fergus estuary, the largest in Ireland. She came to know 'Shannonland' firsthand and in this discursive read the reader gains a sense of the importance of Shannonland and an urge to visit this magnificent river. Hardback. 250p. Collins Press.