Nama to Nature has been planting trees at Keshcarrigan on the Shannon–Erne Waterway, along which far too many developers wanted to sell houses that would have fast boats parked outside. I don’t know whether my photo shows the Waterways estate or a different one.
Keshcarrigan September 2011
h/t Ireland after NAMA.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Natural heritage, Non-waterway, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged boats, canal, Celtic Tiger, Ireland, Keshcarrigan, NAMA, Operations, Shannon-Erne Waterway, trees, waterways, Waterways Ireland
No, not the one in Cork: the one in North Tipperary.
Youghal Quay ~1900
Youghal Quay and Bay ~1900
Formerly used for landing turf from the west side of Lough Derg, Youghal Quay is now a swimming area.
Ladder and diving board. Note the barrier at the landward end
The business end of the barrier
The other side supports a seat
Nice idea.
If you don’t like hanging around airports, Shannon offers you a choice: you can go and look at the estuary instead, which is much more interesting.
Shannon Foynes Port Company workboat Shannon 1 passing Shannon Airport; Ringmoylan Pier in the background
Shannon 1, the successor to Curraghgour II, is a Damen MultiCat.
Shannon Foynes Port Company has updated its website.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations, Scenery, Shannon, shannon estuary, waterways, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged Curraghgour II, Ireland, Limerick, Operations, quay, Rineanna, Ringmoylan, Shannon, Shannon 1, Shannon Airport, Shannon Foynes Port Company, vessels, waterways, workboat
From Robert Mallett MRIA, MSCEI “On certain improved Methods of constructing Valves or Sluices, as applied to Canal and Dock Gates, &c, and similar Works of Hydraulic Engineering” in The Architectural Magazine 1837.
A target for WI to aim for?
A poem by Sir Aubrey de Vere, father of the more famous Aubrey Thomas de Vere. The family estates were at Curraghchase, now a forest park, on the south side of the Shannon estuary and now best known as the home of Caroline Rigney, producer of some of Ireland’s best bacon. Sir Aubrey’s wife was one Mary Rice, of the Mount Trenchard family, one of whose members had a major role in the development of the Shannon in the 1840s.
How beautiful the tints of closing even!
The dark blue hills, the crimson glow of heaven,
The shadows purpling o’er the wat’ry scene,
Now streaked with gold — now tinged with tender green;
And yon bright path that burns along the deep,
Ere the sun sinks behind his western steep,
Soft fades the parting glory through the sky,
Commingling with the cool aerial dye;
While every cloud still kindling in the beam,
In mirrored beauty prints the waveless stream,
Light barques, with dusky sails, scarce seen to glide,
Bend their brown shadows o’er the glowing tide;
And hark! at intervals the sound of oars
Comes, faint from distance, to the silent shores,
Blent with the plaintive cadence of the song
Of boatmen, chanting as they drift along.
But see the radiant orb now sinks apace —
Gradual and slow, he stoops his glorious face;
And now — but half his swelling disk appears —
And now, how quickly gone! he scarcely rears
One burning point above the mountain’s head —
And now, the last expiring beam has fled.
The “light barques” probably included some turf boats.
There are more poems by Sir Aubrey here.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Natural heritage, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Shannon, shannon estuary, Sources, The turf trade, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged bacon, boats, Clare, Curraghchase, de Vere, Dublin Penny Journal, estuary, Limerick, Shannon, waterways, workboat
The lake level seems to be down about a foot. Two rumours purport to account for this: either (a) the powers-that-be want us to get used to a new, lower level, so that we won’t notice when Dublin starts extracting water, or (b) the ESB is generating as much electricity as it can before it starts getting charged for water. Such charges would be covered by the same European Commission reasoned opinion as that mentioned here that might see Waterways Ireland being charged to fill the Grand, Royal and SEW.
Or, of course, it could just be that there hasn’t been much rain. According to Met Éireann’s seasonal summary for winter 2012 [two-page PDF]:
Majority of rainfall totals were below normal for winter across the southern half of the country and in some parts of the east. Rainfall totals were below average in the majority of these parts during December and January, while all stations reported dry conditions in February. Most stations the east and south reported a below average number of wetdays (days with 1 mm or more) and the driest winter since 2006 (6 years).
Ardnacrusha usually runs fewer turbines in summer.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Non-waterway, Operations, Politics, waterways, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged Dublin, ESB, Grand Canal, Ireland, Lough Derg, Royal Canal, Shannon-Erne Waterway, waterways, Waterways Ireland
Irish waterways history 