Killaloe Lock

A canal was necessary at Killaloe to carry traffic past the rapids on the Shannon.

The lock on the canal controlled the water levels and allowed craft to be moved from one level to another. This was the job of the Lock Keeper, who lived in “The Lock Keepers Cottage” which once stood on the grounds of the present-day Killaloe Library. The job usually passed down from generation to generation.

In 1929 a dramatic change occurred in the river with the construction of a Hydro Electric station at Ardnacrusha, 11.5 miles downstream. The effect on the river at Killaloe was to raise the water level over the rapids making the canal redundant. Prior to this, the canal was in use for 130 years.