Monthly Archives: April 2009

Roscrea

I’ve updated my page on the Roscrea canals with some photos of Birchgrove, where the Birch family distillery was; this distillery was supplied with turf by canal. I’ve also added a small amount of extra information, some links and a photo of the remarkable Monaincha Abbey, which should be far better known than it is.

Traditional boats and replicas

I’ve put up a page with photos of some of the smaller traditional boats, mostly fishing boats, used on Irish inland waterways and estuaries. This is by no means a comprehensive account: for that you need the book Traditional Boats of Ireland and its website www.tradboats.ie.

More wooden boats

I’ve added a few more photos at the end of my page on wooden boats.

Wooden boats

I’ve moved my photos of wooden boats on Irish inland waterways from pbase.com to here, with a few extra photos added.

The Broadstone Line of the Royal Canal

A new page about a waterway that lost its terminus in 1877, was mostly infilled in 1927 and lost its last section in 1956. But you can still follow the Broadstone Line of the Royal Canal in Dublin. There’s lots of interesting stuff to see, it’s quite scenic — and there are pubs serving good beer nearby.

The Maigue

I’ve put up some photos of this short river navigation, one of the earliest to be tackled in Ireland. It may still be navigable, certainly by small boats and perhaps by something larger. I understand however that the entrance from the Shannon Estuary is tricky and requires local knowledge.

There is a bit of a mystery about the quay in Adare. A stretch of canal has disappeared and the bridge at Ferrybridge has lost its opening arch. But there are still things to see ….

Waterways Ireland workboats

Just as a change from all the pages about lost waterways, I’ve put up a page of photos of Waterways Ireland workboats.

Monasterevan revisited

I’ve added two items to my page about Monasterevan. One is about the ban on Sunday traffic and the other is about how boats got across the Barrow before the aqueduct was built. I’m afraid the items are in the middle of the text ….

The Johnstown navigation

I have considerably expanded my page on the Johnstown (Co Kilkenny) navigation with photos of Johnstown itself and of what seems to have been a bridge over the canal. I have failed to find any written account of this navigation and I would be grateful for any information on it or on any member of the Hely family who may have been an early engineer.

A stout fellow

Uncle Arthur is resting at Ardclough, near the Grand Canal. His brewery is 250 years old this year, but he himself is sadly neglected — and suffering badly from thirst.

In recognition of his major contribution to the development and use of Irish waterways, a small ceremony was held recently at Ardclough, at which he was presented with a bottle of his finest product. This page records the event.