FROM THE GALWAY AND SHANNON PORTS.
.
71 excellent shelter for small vessels in westerly or south-westerly gales, as the holding-ground is good, and there is no strength in the tides.
'Ihe Herring Rocks lie two-thirds of a mile W.S.W.
of Beeves Tower.
They Herring Rocks.
are very dangerous, especially in turning down, as the ebb-tide sets directly down on trum from the Beeves.
They begin to uncover at half-ebb, and at low water there is about a cable's length uncovered; but a tail runs off to the north¬ ward about two cables' lengths, with only three and four feet.
To clear them, keep the highest part of Foynes Island well open of Aughinish Point about W.
A N.,
or the Queen's Meadow on Foynes open of Aughinish Point.
The rocks off Trummera are liable to be mistaken for the Herrings, but there is a clear passage between them of more than a cable's length in width, with 2 5 to 2 fathoms.
Three miles and a half E.
| S.
from the N.
point of Foynes is a tower Beeves, resembling a martello tower, built near the southern edge of a patch of rocks, called the Beeves, lying nearly in the middle of the riwr.
The deep water and general course lie to the southward of them, and this end of the rocks, being very steep-to, may be rounded with safety at a cable's length from the tower.
To the N.
and N.E.
of the Beeves are other patches of rocks, called the Wide Wide Rock, and Cork Rocks, which only cover at high water, and are more or less connected Cork Bock, with the Beeves by foul ground, though between them and the islands at the entrance of the Fergus River there is a passage for small vessels drawing 12 feet, but the bottom Is rocky and uneven.
The leading mark through the best water is Ringmoylan V\ indmill (ruin), just open to the left, or northward of Beagh Castle, E.S
E.
This channel should never be attempted by large vessels.
Three-quarters of a mile south of Beeves Tower is the entrance to the Deel, Deel River, a small river with a channel of 200 feet in width at low water, and a depth of six or seven feet at the lower part, about 21 miles from the town of Askeaton.
Askeaton.
Vessels under 100 tons go up to load grain at small quays along its hanks.
A mile to the eastward of the Beeves is the principal and only navigable River Fergus, entrance to the River Fergus,* which comes from the N.N.E.
amid vast banks of mud, and numerous islets and rocks.
Having passed the Beeves, steer up for Feenish Island till you bring the tall square tower of an old castle (called Finish Island.
Court Brown) in one with a house near the beach, bearing S.S.W.
Keeping this mark on, you may steer up the Fergus till another tall square tower on Cannon Island (Cannon Castle) is in one with the north point of Low Island, W.N.W.
i W.;
which is studded with white houses.
You must then keep rather more to the northward for the round hill of Coney Island, until Cannon Coney Island.
Castle is in one with the peak of Grady Island, W.
iS.;
when you must bear away for the east point of Coney Lland ; you will then shortly come into five and six fathoms, where you must anchor with the sharp peak of Coney Island bearing N.
by E.,
and Cannon Castle W.S.W.
J WT.
in about six fathoms soft muddy bottom.
Beyond this it would be impossible to proceed without a pilut.
The river beyond Coney Island wdnds through vast banks of mud, extending from 1 to 11 miles from the shore, decreasing gradually in width from 600 yards, and varying in depth from nine to three feet up to the town of Clare, nearly seven miles in a direct line, and about nine following the channel.
At Clare the bed of the river is dry at low water, but there is a quay, along-Clare, side of which vessels load.
Clare is a miserable place, though the shipping port of Ennis.
It is a military station.
Ennis.
Pilots may be had at Low Island, but no vessel above 150 tons should go up pilots for the to Clare.
Fergus.
To the westward of this principal entrance of the Fergus, there is a multitude of islands (some of considerable extent) and rocks; among which are various intricate channels, totally unfit for navigation, except for small vessels, on account of their narrowness, the strength of the tides, and the frequent shallows, though there are spots with 10 to 13 fathoms depth.
.
To the eastward Ihe coast of Clare is low and flat; and off Rynany Point, the Rynany Point, mud dries out to the westward with many patches of stone, which are terminated just at the low-water hue by a large mass of rock, called Mylaun Rock.
Outr Mylaun Rock.
side
* $te Plan of the-Fergus.
257.
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