History has been made in Limerick this weekend after 35,000 people walked under the River Shannon for the first time ever.
Thousands of people availed of the 'once in a lifetime' opportunity yesterday when pedestrians were invited to walk through the newly constructed Shannon Tunnel, before it opens to traffic later this summer.
The Open Day was organised by tunnel builders Direct Route, and park and ride services were located at various points around the city to ferry visitors from early morning.
Organisers had expected a crowd of 20,000 but by 7pm some 35,000 people had walked through the tunnel.
The €660 million project is part of the Southern Ring Road Phase 2 development which connects the M7 Dublin and M20 Cork roads with the N18 to Galway and Shannon airport.
When opened to traffic it's expected to take 18,000 vehicles of out Limerick city centre daily with a projection of 40,000 motorists using the tunnel by 2020.
No official opening date has been set for motorists eager to use the new facility but Saturday was the first and last chance for pedestrians, cyclists, prams and even dogs to travel the 700 metres under the Shannon.