This morning, on the wireless, I heard two people opposing the use of fracking to find gas around Lough Allen in Co Leitrim. Neither of them was convincing. One started by objecting to big multinationals being given licences to investigate the resources available; it is not clear that there was any ban on small native companies or workers’ cooperatives (or soviets of workers, peasants and soldiers) applying for licences, and presumably they could use traditional Irish implements like sleans if they wanted to.
The general line of argument adopted by the objectors was that anything that could go wrong would go wrong, probably all at the same time, wiping out the whole of Irish agriculture (some of which is not in Leitrim) and, er, eco-tourism. There would, the objectors seemed to suggest, be no preventive or mitigating measures and no insurance and the full cost of every accident would be borne by the residents of the area.
Remains of a pier at the brickworks, Spencer Harbour, Lough Allen
But the bit that really annoyed me was the depiction of the area as one of rural seclusion. Yet Lough Allen had canals, railways, coal mines, dams, iron works and brick works.
Spencer Harbour on Lough Allen
The very canal linking Lough Allen to the
rest of the Shannon Navigation owes its very existence to the desire
to carry coal from around Lough Allen to Dublin. And one of the most best tourism initiatives in the area, the Arigna Mining Experience, recognises that heritage.
Part of a brick
Insist on proper assessment and management of risk by all means, but don’t exaggerate it — and don’t ignore Leitrim’s industrial heritage.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Natural heritage, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Rail, Scenery, Shannon, The turf trade, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged Arigna, boats, bricks, canal, Clare, coal, dam, ESB, fracking, gas, industry, Ireland, iron, jetties, lock, Lough Allen, Operations, Shannon, Spencer Harbour, vessels, waterways, workboat
Dromaan at night (December 2011)
Posted in Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Natural heritage, Scenery, Shannon, waterways, Weather
Tagged boats, Clare, Dromaan, Ireland, Lough Derg, night, Shannon, weather
From Twomilegate December 2011
Posted in Ashore, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Natural heritage, Scenery, Shannon, waterways, Weather
Tagged birds, Ireland, Lough Derg, Shannon, sky, Twomilegate, waterways, winter
What body is the “Inland Waterways” referred to in this story? I didn’t think that WI had operations in Co Mayo. Could it perhaps be “inland fisheries” that supplied the boat?
Posted in Ashore, Extant waterways, Ireland, Operations, People, waterways, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged floods, flow, goat, Ireland, Mayo, water level, waterways, Waterways Ireland, workboat
The Limerick Leader has a story that updates my piece on Limerick dredging.
Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations, People, Restoration and rebuilding, Shannon, shannon estuary, waterways, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged boats, bridge, Clare, Custom House, ESB, estuary, floods, flow, Ireland, Limerick, lock, Operations, Pat Lysaght, pontoon, quay, Shannon, vessels, water level, waterways, workboat
Senator Michael Mullins (FG) in the debate on the Second Stage of the National Tourism Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2011 on 30 November 2011:
[...] We need to see that [tourism] business spread to the regions. In my own county of Galway, one of the most beautiful in the country, Galway city and Connemara do very well. However, while parts of east Galway which I represent have wonderful attractions, we do not seem to be on Fáilte Ireland’s radar to the same extent as other parts of the county or country. In Ballinasloe we have a fine marina in which the State invested significantly some years ago. Ballinasloe is on the River Suck which runs into the River Shannon.
One can travel up the River Shannon through Shannonbridge to Ballinasloe. However, we have a little problem and I hope the Minister of State will be able to help us. There is a Bord na Móna bridge between Shannonbridge and Ballinasloe which, when water levels are high, prevents cruisers of a certain size coming up the river to Ballinasloe. We need the Minister of State’s help to get a number of organisations, including Fáilte Ireland, Bord na Móna and Waterways Ireland, together. We also need some money. A solution to the problem, without having to dismantle the bridge, has been found, but it will cost a significant amount of money. We need the Minister of State’s help to resolve that issue in order that we can increase the number of tourists coming to east Galway, particularly Ballinasloe in which we also have fine conference centres. If other parts of the country are not suitable for the holding of conferences, we have a fine new hotel in Ballinasloe that would be capable of handling large conferences.
I would welcome information about the expensive solution to which Senator Mullins refers.
Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations, People, Politics, Shannon, The turf trade, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged Ballinasloe, boats, bridge, floods, Ireland, River Suck, Seanad, Senator Michael Mullins, Shannon, Shannonbridge, vessels, water level, waterways, Waterways Ireland
… nor any drop to drink. I had not realised that WI turned off the water supply at public harbours for the winter — or at least at some of them: Dromineer and Dromaan. I must check when visiting others.
Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Operations, Shannon, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged Dromaan, Dromineer, Ireland, Lough Derg, Shannon, tap, water, Waterways Ireland
I don’t think I’d leave it there ….
Boat on the Abbey River, December 2011
Posted in Extant waterways, waterways, Weather
Tagged Abbey River, Barrington's Hospital. Kitwe, boats, floods, Ireland, Limerick, Shannon
