town were built in the eighteenth century. In the nineteenth century the Shannon Steam Navigation Company had its headquarters here and constructed a canal to bypass the rapids below the town. St. Lua's oratory, built between 1000 and 1150, was moved from Friar's island to the site of the Catholic Church when the hydroelectric scheme at Ardnacrusha was constructed in the 1920s. Killaloe parish is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. Parish churches are Sacred Heart & St Lua's in Garraunboy, St Flannan's in Killaloe and St Thomas' in Bridgetown. Amenities Killaloe is home to the secondary school, St Anne's Community College, which opened in 1987. The University of Limerick has an outdoor pursuits centre near Killaloe on the shore of the lake. Killaloe has marina facilities for private and rented pleasure craft on the River Shannon network. A parkrun takes place in Clarisford Park each Saturday. Natural environment A trap and transport scheme is in force on the Shannon as part of an eel management programme following the discovery of reducing populations within the River Shannon. This scheme is intended to ensure safe passage for young eels between Killaloe Bridge and the Shannon Estuary. People Killaloe was the birthplace of Ireland's noted High King, Brian Boru. He ruled from Kincora, which is believed to have been in modern-day Killaloe. American president Ronald Reagan's history has been traced back to Killaloe, to Brian Boru's father, Cennétig mac Lorcáin. Former Ireland rugby international captain Keith Wood, also the inaugural IRB International Player of the Year in 2001, is a Killaloe native and owner of the Wood & Bell Café and Restaurant. Anthony Foley, also a rugby international, and captain of Munster's 2005–06 Heineken Cup winning team, was also a resident. Brendan Grace, an Irish comedian, also had a house and a pub called Brendan Grace's in Killaloe. It closed in 2011. In fiction Killaloe is the home town of Phineas Finn, the fictional hero of two of Anthony Trollope's Palliser novels, Phineas Finn and Phineas Redux. In Phineas Finn, Killaloe is presented as a lively, if provincial, social centre. Phineas's father, Dr Malachai Finn, is well known and respected 'in counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, and Galway'. Dr Finn is a friend of the Roman Catholic Bishop, another prominent Killaloe resident, and personal physician to the Earl of Tulla, who lives on his estate 'not more than ten miles from