Momentous day on the Ulster Canal

The day work finally began on the Ulster Canal, after many years of planning and consideration. The opening ceremony was attended by many of the local gentry; the royal standard was hoisted, a 21-gun salute was fired, hundreds of people had turned up to see it and “the country people were liberally supplied with ale”. That evening, those most involved dined together in Caledon with toasts to the king, to the queen and the rest of the royal family and to the army and navy.

I suppose that similar festivities would attend the start of work on any canal nowadays, but that was back in 1835, and the canal was the real Ulster Canal.