Category Archives: Built heritage

Mr Mullins’s steamer

Posted on Thursday 21 January 2016 | Leave a comment

Here is a little information about the steamer Cupid, which was owned or used by the contractor Bernard Mullins on the Shannon in the 1840s.

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Posted in Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Historical matters, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Politics, Scenery, Shannon, Sources, Steamers, waterways, Waterways management, Weather

Tagged Athlone, Bernard Mullins, bridge, contractor, Cupid, Limerick, Lough Ree, Samuel Cunard, Shannon, Shannon Commissioners, shannon estuary, steamer, transatlantic packets

Launch at Messrs Bewley and Webb’s yard

Posted on Monday 18 January 2016 | Leave a comment

The first of two new steel canal boats which the above firm are building for the Grand Canal Company was successfully launched on Wednesday. These boats are 60 ft long by 13 ft 2 in beam, and 5 ft 9 in depth of hold, and are designed to carry forty tons on a light draught of water. They are of improved design and construction, and expected to tow very easily. The Canal Company have expressed themselves well pleased with the time of delivery and workmanship, and it is to be hoped no more orders of this kind will go across the water in future. The firm appear to us to be well able to deal with the work of the port. The ss Magnet, of the Tedcastle Line, which had an extensive overhaul at this yard, we believe, gave every satisfaction, and had a most successful trial trip a few days ago. It is to be hoped that more of our local steamship companies will follow the lead of Messrs Tedcastle, and have their work done in Dublin.

The Freeman’s Journal 1 September 1893. From the British Newspaper Archive run by Findmypast Newspaper Archive Limited, in partnership with the British Library.

Some context here.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Historical matters, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Politics, Sources, Uncategorized, waterways

Tagged 1893, Bewley and Webb, boats, canal, Dublin, Grand Canal Company, Ireland, steel, Tedcastle, vessels, waterways

A Grand Canal mystery

Posted on Sunday 17 January 2016 | 2 comments

Boat at Lowtown

Alan Lindley has very kindly sent me, and permitted me to publish, this photograph.

It was taken at Lowtown lock, on the Grand Canal, in 1911 or 1912.

Alan says that the man on the left of the group — with cap, waistcoat and watch-chain, and with a dog standing in front of him — is the lock keeper, Murtagh Murphy, the great-grandfather of the present incumbent, James (Jimmy) Conroy. Murtagh was born in Ballycowan, near Tullamore, Co Offaly, in 1849 and, after working on a Grand Canal Company boat, married a Kildare girl and took the job at Lowtown.

The boat had been described as a passenger flyboat but, as the Grand Canal Company had ceased carrying passengers in 1852, that seems unlikely. And the boat looks much more like a pleasure vessel than a working boat.

If the Grand Canal Company had an inspection launch, this might be it, but I have found nothing to indicate that it did. The boat does, though, seem to have been designed for canal travel: it seems (from the twenty feet or so we can see) to have straight sides and to be well equipped with fenders. It might therefore have been designed to travel on the canals (as well as on other waters).

At least one director of the Grand Canal Company, Henry Samuel (aka Harry Samuel) Sankey, of Fort Frederic, Virginia, Cavan and of 64 Wellington Road, Dublin, did have a launch or pleasure craft on the canal, the Aja, which you can read about here. Incidentally Mr Sankey, who died on 5 December 1925, directed “that no Roman Catholic shall take any benefit” under his will.

Further information about the boat and the people shown in the photograph, and about Mr Sankey’s launch, would be very welcome; please leave a Comment below.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Extant waterways, Historical matters, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Politics, Sources, Steamers, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged Ballycowan, Conroy, director, Grand Canal, launch, lock, Lowtown, Murtagh Murphy, Sankey, steamer

And the prize goes to …

Posted on Friday 15 January 2016 | 1 comment

… Niall Galway, who identified the Cong Canal. bjg

1 Comment

Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Forgotten navigations, Historical matters, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Natural heritage, Operations, Unbuilt canals, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged Cong Canal, Lough Mask

A glass of sherry …

Posted on Thursday 14 January 2016 | 4 comments

… to anyone (other than those present when the photo was taken) who can identify the Irish waterway shown in the new header pic above.

4 Comments

Posted in Built heritage, Engineering and construction, Ireland, waterways

Tagged Ireland, waterway

Blessington Street basin

Posted on Wednesday 13 January 2016 | Leave a comment

Blessington Street Basin (Michael Geraghty 2015)

One of North Dublin’s less-well-known treasures, this is Blessington Street Basin, off the (former) Broadstone Line of the Royal Canal. Thanks to Michael Geraghty for the photo, taken in November 2015.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Forgotten navigations, Historical matters, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Modern matters, Scenery

Tagged basin, Blessington Street, Broadstone, Dublin, Ireland, Royal Canal

Transhipment

Posted on Wednesday 13 January 2016 | Leave a comment

At the Grand Canal Company’s half-yearly meeting on 22 February 1890, a Mr Geoghegan

[…] said he had heard from a gentleman interested in the trade between Dublin and Limerick that it often took six days for Guinness’s porter to be carried by canal from the former of these cities to the latter. The cause of this he believed was the necessity for trans-shipment at Shannon Harbour.

The Chairman disagreed:

As to the delays at Shannon Harbour there had been some, but he believed these had been caused by floods and storms in the river.[1]

The company had commissioned Mr E Lloyd, engineer and general manager to the Warwick and Birmingham Canal Company, to inspect the Grand Canal and to advise the board. It was estimated that his survey would cost between £100 and £120. The chairman accepted that there were

[…] many matters […] which demanded immediate steps, and these entailed considerable outlay. It has been evidenced that before the property of the company could be stated to be in a thoroughly satisfactory condition some further exceptional outlay would be advisable from time to time.[2]

At the next half-yearly meeting, held on 23 August 1890, the chairman said that the company was considering investing in a more rapid transhipment system “from our barges to the Shannon steamers” at Shannon Harbour, in accordance with Mr Lloyd’s suggestion.[3]

The transhipment shed at Shannon Harbour in June 2008, before its canopy was removed

I do not know whether the transhipment shed at Shannon harbour, and the gantry mechanism on which goods could be loaded and unloaded under cover, was built on Mr Lloyd’s suggestion. It would be interesting to know more of the building’s history.

Sources

[1] The Freeman’s Journal 24 February 1890

[2] ibid

[3] The Freeman’s Journal 25 August 1890

From the British Newspaper Archive run by Findmypast Newspaper Archive Limited, in partnership with the British Library.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Historical matters, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Modern matters, Operations, Safety, Sources, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged Grand Canal, Guinness, Lloyd, Shannon Harbour, transhipment shed

Limerick water levels 14 December 2015

Posted on Tuesday 15 December 2015 | Leave a comment

The Abbey River

Abbey Bridge

Baal’s Bridge

Mathew Bridge

Current heading for Mathew Bridge

The Shannon in Limerick

The weir

Plassey

Lots of pumps running and equipment trundling about the place

Trouble at t’mill

T’millstream

Cots on the bank

The Black Bridge getting another hammering

Annacotty

I have been told that the Mulkear River rose very rapidly on Saturday night and that, at one time, it was feared that the (older) bridge would be swept away. I gather that folk working in other areas were called to Annacotty to deal with the emergency.

The old bridge at Annacotty (downstream face)

A tree in the water above the bridge

There’s a weir in there somewhere

The Mill Bar in Annacotty was closed today after being flooded.

The Mill Bar

This, from a small garden beside the bridge, suggests that the Mulkear may have carried and deposited a lot of silt

The Park Canal

I gather that the Mulkear’s waters, added to those of the Shannon itself, raised the level of the Park Canal (the bottom section of the Limerick Navigation). A problem with opening the lock gates, to release the water, meant that a few houses in Corbally were flooded. A Sinn Féin councillor, whose party colleague has been responsible [with her southern counterpart] for slashing Waterways Ireland’s budget in recent years, is quoted as saying

I am in no doubt it was primarily caused by the ineptitude of Waterways Ireland.

Alas, the news story does not tell us the source of the councillor’s certainty.

The article also says that

[…] the force of this water meant it was not possible to open the lock gates by hand.

That is, I think, misleading: neither set of gates has gate beams, so they are not opened by hand.

The upper gates in 2004, shortly after installation. Note the absence of gate beams. Note also the two sluices or paddles on each gate

Control pedestal and gear

The upper gates open today

I see no sign of the paddles or sluices. Perhaps the level is so high that they’re underwater. I must try to check next time I’m at the canal harbour.

Canal lower lock floods 20091128 1_resize

The upper gates in the floods of 2009

In the floods of 2009 the upper gates were held slightly open and all four sluices were discharging water. That would have lowered the level in the canal; it would also, I think, have made it easier to open the gates fully.

I am guessing, but I imagine that on Saturday night some sort of hydraulic machine was brought in this way …

Two bollards have been moved from the gateway and stacked beside it

… and used to push or pull open the near-side upper gate. There seems to be some slight damage to the stone and iron work.

Slight damage

One other possibility that struck me is that silt from the Mulkear might have built up behind the gates, making them difficult to open, but I have no evidence on the matter.

The lower gates

From the outside looking in

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Posted in Built heritage, Canals, Charles Wye Williams, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Historical matters, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Modern matters, Operations, Safety, Shannon, waterways, Waterways management, Weather

Tagged 2009, Annacotty, Anney River, Baal's Bridge, Black Bridge, bridge, cot, flood, gate, harbour, hydraulics, lock, Mulcair, Mulkear, Park Canal, Plassey, Shannon, silt, University of Limerick, water level

ESB water discharge info

Posted on Monday 14 December 2015 | Leave a comment

Here is the ESB’s Notifications page, with info on the rate of discharge from its hydroelectric dams and weirs. Today (14 December 2015) Parteen Villa Weir is discharging 440 cumecs (cubic metres per second or, roughly, ton[ne]s per second down the original course of the Shannon. That’s 44 times the 10 cumec usually discharged and more than replaces the 400 cumec diverted through the headrace to the Ardnacrusha power station. The Shannon is therefore running at its pre-Ardnacrusha levels and the Falls of Doonass have regained their power.

Of course if Ardnacrusha didn’t exist, its 400 cumec would be coming down the original course of the Shannon on top of the 440 cumec already there, which would make for interesting levels of flooding.

That ESB page has a link to this infographic, which shows the sort of information I was trying to get across here. I usually start from Leitrim [village]; the ESB starts slightly further upstream at Lough Allen. Note that the Shannon’s few locks are concentrated upstream of Lough Ree: between them and Killaloe are only two locks, at Athlone and Meelick, so the river’s fall is very slight.

Update 2018: the ESB has a new page with lots of interesting information here.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Modern matters, Operations, Safety, Shannon, waterways, Waterways management, Weather

Tagged Ardnacrusha, Athlone, cumec, ESB, Falls of Doonass, flood, Killaloe, Leitrim, lock, Lough Allen, Lough Ree, Meelick, Parteen Villa Weir, power station, river, Shannon

What’s a cumec, Daddy?

Posted on Saturday 12 December 2015 | 2 comments

I don’t know, but here’s a picture of 415 of them flowing through Castleconnell. [Update 13 December: that may be only 405 cumec.]

415 cumecs on 12 December 2015

Actually, a cumec is one cubic metre of water per second, which is roughly one ton per second, which is a lot of water. And 415 cumec is the amount that, according to the blatts, the ESB is currently letting down the original course of the Shannon from Parteen Villa Weir; the minimum flow in that channel, as seen in summer, is 10 cumec.