Er … sorry about the outbreak of headlineitis: it’s corresponding with journalists that does it.
The Tipperary Star reports (on paper, not on its website) that Tipperary County Council intends to issue “swipe cards for boating facilities along Lough Derg”. Michael Hayes, the engineer for Nenagh Municipal District Council, said that the cards were sold along the Shannon but that the revenue went to Waterways Ireland whereas the council bore all the costs. He is quoted as saying that “We are pursuing it to have them pay some of the costs”: another threat to WI’s budget.
Councillor Phyll Bugler said that it was “not acceptable” that shower and toilet blocks closed early, although she is not reported to have commented on the cost of having staff to clean the blocks late at night.
I suspect that Waterways Ireland’s income from the smart cards is minimal.
Irish waterways history 
Ah yes, no better spectator sport than two arms of government fighting with each other like a drunk octopus.
A client of mine regularly reminds the accountants in all of its subsidiaries (I look after the accounts of one of them) that there is no bottom line impact to intercompany disputes at a total level and in fact the time spent resolving them costs money.
It is advice that Government bodies would do well to follow.