Carrick Bridge and Quay Until the early 19th century, the head of the Shannon Navigation was Drumsna. In the 1840s the improvement of the navigation entailed extensive dredging of the river, the cutting of Jamestown Canal, the construction of locks at
Drumsna and
Knockvicar, and the building of a new bridge and Quays at Carrick-on-Shannon. The new bridge, built in 1846, took the place of a nine arch stone bridge, which in turn replaced a wooden structure. For over a century, until the closing of the Grand Canal Company in 1960, Carrick was a major depot for river trade; timber, cement, hardware, and especially Guinness stout were all transported here from Dublin, Athlone, and Limerick.
Churches St. Mary's
Catholic Church, on the Main Street, is built in the Neo-Gothic style. It was designed by W.H. Hague, a Dublin architect. It was dedicated on 19 October 1879. The church is on a plot of elevated ground. Fr. Thomas Fitzgerald, the priest responsible for its construction, is buried within the chancel in front of the Blessed Sacrament Altar. The town is in the parish of Kiltoghert in the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise. St. George's Church, St. Mary's Close, is the
Church of Ireland parish Church. Prior to 1698, the parish church was situated at Kiltoghert. In that year it was transferred to its present site in Carrick. It was re-built in 1829 and the interior reconstructed in the years 1910–1914. Rev. W.A. Percy who was Rector from 1869 to 1886 was the grandfather of the famous songwriter
Percy French. The Priest's Lane is a long-standing name for the road leading from Main Street to St. Patrick's Park. This was where the Catholic clergy first lived after the relaxation of the
Penal Laws. It is also reputed to have been the home of
Turlough O'Carolan, the harpist and composer when he came to Carrick as a boy with his family from Nobber, County Meath in 1684.
Arts The Dock is an arts centre housed in the renovated 19th century
courthouse building. It was opened in 2005 and hosts a theatre, art galleries, artists' studios, workshop spaces, a coffee shop and bar as well as
The Leitrim Design House. Since 2013, it has held the
Phase One festival held at the beginning of April every year, dedicated to displaying artists and musicians associated with modern or electronic music. The
Carrick Water Music Festival, a week long music and arts festival which began in 2005 is held every July. ==Climate==