Shannon Pot
| Shannon Pot | |
|---|---|
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|
| Location | Cuilcagh Mountain, County Cavan |
| Coordinates | 54°14′05″N 7°55′08″W / 54.23475°N 7.919°WCoordinates: 54°14′05″N 7°55′08″W / 54.23475°N 7.919°W |
| Primary inflows | Shannon Cave |
| Primary outflows | River Shannon |
| Catchment area | 12.8 km² |
| Basin countries | Ireland |
| Max. length | 16 m |
| Max. width | 16 m |
| Max. depth | 14.6 m |
Shannon Pot (Irish: Lag na Sionna meaning hollow of the Shannon) is a small lake in the Karst topography found on the slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain in County Cavan, Ireland.[1] An aquifer-fed naturally fluctuating pool, it is the traditional source of the River Shannon.
The pool itself is approximately 16 m (52 ft) in diameter. It was first explored by divers in 1971 to a depth of 6 m. It was later explored by Martyn Farr among others to a depth of 9.5 m from where the water emerges from a 2 m wide fissure.[1] In early 2009 the pot was dived to a depth of 14.6 m by Artur Kozłowski, who entered an unstable chamber. [2]
Towns near the Shannon Pot include Dowra, Blacklion and Glangevlin.
According to legend, the Shannon is named after Sionnan, who was the granddaughter of Manannán mac Lir, or God of the Sea. She came to this spot to eat the fruit of the forbidden, or the Tree of Knowledge, which was planted by the Druids. As she began to eat it, the waters of the pool sprang up and overwhelmed her, drawing her down into it to flow out later across the land, thus the River Shannon sprung up.
[edit] Hydrology
Surveys have defined a 12.8 km2 (4.9 sq mi) immediate catchment area covering the slopes of Cuilcagh. This area includes Garvagh Lough, Cavan, 2.2 km to the northeast of the pot. Water from Garvagh drains into Pollnaowen[n 1] sink, before emerging at Shannon Pot.[1]
The highest point in the catchment is a spring at Tiltinbane on the western end of the Cuilcagh mountain ridge; this sources an unnamed stream which itself feeds into Shannon Cave. Further sinks that source the pot include Pollboy and, through Shannon Cave, Pollahune in Cavan and Polltullyard and Tullyrrakeeragh in Fermanagh.[1]
Surveys suggest that Shannon Pot may once have had a substantially larger catchment area. In times of high flow conditions it has been shown to be hydrologically linked to Badger Pot and Pidgeon Pot beside Florencecourt Forest Park, Fermanagh.[1]
[edit] Notes
- ^ 'Poll nm1:' hole, pit, sink, leak, aperture (The Pocket Oxford Irish Dictionary – Irish-English)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Elmer et al, Philip. Springs and Bottled Waters of the World. Springer. ISBN 3540618414.
- ^ http://wiki.technicaldiving.ie/index.php/Log_na_Sionna_/_Shannon_Pot
