Waterways Ireland is being forced to pay €2 million to dredge the River Finn to Castle Saunderson. This new sheugh is to be called the Ulster Canal.
Waterways Ireland’s wicked stepmother, the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, has failed to convince the government to come up with any money to fund this insane project. It has therefore decided to force Waterways Ireland to pay for it, at a time when WI’s budget has been cut by 31% over the past six years. That suggests to me that the parent departments, DAHG and the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, are prepared to let the other waterways go hang in favour of a pointless extension of the Erne navigation.
DAHG said:
As the project will be funded from Waterways Ireland’s own resources, additional Exchequer funding will not be required.
Not that Waterways Ireland has any spare money, and it has very few surplus assets. Some years ago DAHG’s predecessor proposed to sell Plot 8, in the Grand Canal Docks at Ringsend, to fund the Clones Sheugh, but the property collapse put a stop to that. It’s still the most valuable saleable asset and it was never clear to me how the property of Waterways Ireland could be seized by its wicked stepmother.
Waterways Ireland has to come up with €1.4 million of the €2 million cost of Saunderson’s Sheugh this year. It hopes to get €900,000 of that from the sale of property. Apart from Plot 8, it has only three surplus assets:
- Percy Place, valued at €650,000 in WI’s 2012 accounts
- 47 Lennox Street, valued at €195,000
- the Hatch Bar, which I presume to be the one at Hazelhatch [is there another?], valued at €45,000.
And that lot adds to €890,000. Add a few quid from the recent sale of old barges and you’ve got €900,000.
Given the details of the Hatch Bar in this Lisney PDF, I presume that what Waterways Ireland is selling is the freehold [but I’m not sure about this: if, Gentle Reader, you know more about it, please leave a Comment below]. Whoever buys it will have the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping to dig a ditch in Co Cavan.
Irish waterways history 
At €45k, I can’t see what else they would be selling (re Hatch Bar). Perhaps if Lisneys can find a buyer for the overall property, they might be willing to shell out the €45k to buy the underlying freehold.
I haven’t been there for a while so I don’t know whether the pub is open for business. bjg
Doesn’t look like it – I drive home that way most evenings. In addition, an equestrian operation has setup in the part of the site immediately to the south of the pub building (the area that looks like a carpark in the photo in the pdf – there is now sand and horse jumping equipment).
There is also a pub on the other side of the bridge, so I can’t see the location supporting two pubs, unless the live aboard community constitute a customer base!
Shame on both governments north and south to destroy such a piece of Irish Heritage and a massive Tourism Incentive if Funded and organised properly But it appears it’s Better to shut it down or wind it down shame on all of us to let it happen stand up an protect our Heritage Thanks Folks
I’m not absolutely clear on what you mean …. bjg
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The Liffey Champion of 24th October 2015 reports that the Hatch Bar is to be reused as an art gallery and will not trade as a public house – the new owners noting that there is a perfectly good pub on the other side of the canal at that point.
Whether or not the freehold of the site was purchased from WI is not recorded.
Thank you. I hope that the Celbridge art market is prospering. bjg