Pat Rabbitte’s reply to Michael Colreavy; thanks to KildareStreet.
Update 6 February 2014: Fergus O’Dowd [FG, Louth] responded to the Dáil’s most famous canoeist, Ming Flanagan [Ind, Roscommon/South Leitrim], the Rockville navigator, with some more information about eels.
Irish waterways history 