SHANNON POT, DOWRA, County Cavan

The Shannon Pot, a 15m pool, is the source of the longest river in Ireland. The water is considered to come from several different sources flowing underground before emerging here at this mystical pool in the shadow of the Cuilcagh Mountains.

The Shannon Pot is also the site of a famous legend. This tells the story of a young girl who was tempted to eat from the forbidden 'Tree of Knowledge' that the magical druids had planted at this site. However, as she bit into the fruit a huge fountain of water sprang up, drowning the young girl and eventually cutting a swathe of water through the country before meeting the sea to the south. The girl's name was 'Sionnan', or Shannon in English, and she gave her name to the river.