Bill creating single authority to manage the River Shannon "dead in the water"The Government has this week confirmed to an Offaly TD that its proposed bill to create a single authority for managing the River Shannon is "no longer" a priority. The River Shannon Management Body Bill was previously included on the Government's priority list for drafting in light of calls to establish a single authority to manage Ireland's longest river. The Minister's response went on to say: "I am working closely with the Shannon Flood Risk State Agency Coordination Working Group to progress existing planned actions and to identify further possible solutions to mitigate flood risk on the River Shannon. The Minister said he would "continue to work to progress existing measures, and to identify further measures, to mitigate flood risk" on the River Shannon. The response was criticised by Deputy Nolan, who said it had been clear to her for some time that the bill to establish a single Shannon authority was going nowhere.

Source: Irish Independent March 19, 2026 10:50 UTC