HELLO FROM IRELAND!

 

We are Irish husband & wife team Ruairi Gibbons & Olivia Power .

We own & operate our beautiful boutique hotel barge,

 the MV Shannon Princess, on the river Shannon  here in Ireland.

Together we have over 36 years between us in the restaurant, hotel, yachting & barging worlds.

  We have brought our shared knowledge, experience and passion onboard the SHANNON PRINCESS to create a very personalized & bespoke cruise experience. Along with our crew, we work seamlessly, with one objective- to give our guests a delightful trip.

  

Ruairi as barge skipper and tour guide & Olivia as master chef lead a handpicked professional crew to bring enthusiasiam, energy and commitment to cruise after cruise as guests are enchanted by the barge and the River Shannon.

 

       

 

 

 

 

                                                                        You will be charmed with excellent but friendly service, gorgeous food & wines, and share in a slice of local life and knowledge.

In return it brings us a huge amount of pleasure and satisfaction and many friendships.

 

  

 

 

 

 

Onboard the 10 passenger Shannon Princess we enjoyed

 mixing contemporary luxury with a welcoming atmosphere

 and casual informality.

Personal touches - original oil & watercolour paintings, crafts,art & antiquities by noted Irish & local artists, create a delightful floating living space.

 

The SHANNON PRINCESS is a unique experience- an enchanting waterside atmosphere, traditional hospitality at its best, friendly attentive service and elegant cuisine.

                    

 

 

Olivia grew up in a culture rich with food & hospitality. After college she attended

Ballymaloe Cookery School, and has trained internationally working all over the world in Hotels, Restaurants & Yachts.

An avid forager Olivia often musters guests & crew and heads off for afternoons picking wild fruits & heirloom vegetables. Onboard Shannon Princess food and service are a tribute to Ireland’s abundant natural ingredients and local producers.

Olivia is the first to acknowledge what a great privilege it is, as a chef to continuously use the freshest and highest quality ingredients sourced on a daily basis.

 

 

Ruairi- Owner Skipper & tour guide grew up in the home of sailing in Ireland, “Howth”, a coastal village outside Dublin city. An enthusiastic club sailor, enjoying dingy & yacht racing in and around Dublin bay .While at college Ruairi spent many summers sailing on the Irish inland waterways.

It was during an annual cruise on the Shannon that Ruairi discovered barging - cruising with friends aboard a 20 metre converted traditional Irish Guinness barge... these barges had worked bringing barrels of Stout & Whiskey throughout the Irish waterways from the Guinness Brewery at St. James' gate in Dublin.

Smitten with the river and the joy of messing around with boats, Ruairi shares local history & folklore with guests.