Category Archives: Engineering and construction

Erne eels

Posted on Saturday 17 May 2014 | Leave a comment

Dr William O’Connor has been checking on eels on the Erne too.

Leave a comment

Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Natural heritage, Operations, People, Sea, Sources, The fishing trade, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged eels, Erne, ESB, waterways

And I’m like wow …

Posted on Friday 16 May 2014 | 1 comment

… as the young folk say nowadays. Searching the National Library catalogue for prints and drawings of the Royal Canal before 1900 brought up the usual suspects but also a very interesting map and this stunning view of Dublin in 1853. Viaducts! Railways! Steamers! Barges being propelled by sweeps!

I couldn’t find the Royal Canal, though.

Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Non-waterway, Operations, Rail, Scenery, Sea, Sources, Steamers, The cattle trade, The turf trade, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged barge, boats, bridge, canal, Dublin, Ireland, Liffey, Operations, quay, Royal Canal, vessels, waterways

Construction

Posted on Wednesday 14 May 2014 | 1 comment

The government’s new election manifesto construction strategy has just been published and can be downloaded here. I wouldn’t bother, though: there’s nothing in it about the Clones Sheugh and it’s written in the sort of turgid prose that won’t fry your brain: it will instead submerge your brain in a slurry pit and hold it under, providing a slow, choking, unpleasant death.

Anyway, the doughty Rob Kitchin has waded through it on our behalf and gives his conclusions here. I don’t share his enthusiasm for National Spatial Strategies and National Development Plans, but I have some sympathy for him when he says

I would have preferred something a bit more holistic, rather than trying to frame a whole bunch of stuff as a coordinated plan.

Michael Hennigan uses the B word.

Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Safety, Shannon, Sources, Ulster Canal, waterways, Weather

Tagged canal, department of arts heritage and the gaeltacht, floods, flow, Ireland, Operations, Shannon, Ulster Canal, water level, waterways

Spring is sprung …

Posted on Wednesday 14 May 2014 | 1 comment

… the grass is riz.
I wonder where the brand new fleet of aircraft is.

I would welcome news of sightings of the fleet of (presumably) floatplanes/seaplanes/amphibians that Harbour Flights is to have operating “early in the new year … from [sic] destinations nationwide”.

There is some discussion on Boards.ie here, by folk who appear to know one end of an aeroplane from the other; the later posts on the second page discuss suitable types of craft.

Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Natural heritage, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Safety, Scenery, Shannon, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged 172, 206, amphibian, boats, Cessna, Clare, Dublin, eagle, floatplane, Harbour Flights, Ireland, Lough Derg, Mountshannon, Operations, seaplane, Shannon, waterways, Waterways Ireland

Canal wildlife …

Posted on Saturday 10 May 2014 | Leave a comment

It seems they don’t live entirely on crushed babies, which is nice.

Leave a comment

Posted in Canals, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Natural heritage, Operations, Safety, The fishing trade, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged Aesculupian, London, Regent's Canal, snake

Rejoice!

Posted on Friday 9 May 2014 | Leave a comment

Waterways Ireland’s annual report for 2012 has now been published and is available for download here [PDF].

The English-language version begins on page 77 of 144; the earlier pages are devoted to an Irish-language version, that tongue being widely used in Belfast North.

The Ulster Scots Foreword gets in twice, but Dawn Livingstone is described as Chief Executive and not, alas, as Heid Fector. In a blow for parity of esteem, only the Foreword has been translated into the Hamely Tongue. And we continue to find “Waterways Ireland” translated as “Watterweys Airlann” in WI’s logo but as “Watterwyes Airlan” in the text. No wonder the shinners are running rings around the unionists [although I see that David Cameron intends to fix that].

Now I must read the report to see if I can spot why its publication was so long delayed, but we must welcome the success of the peace process that has reconciled the NI Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure with the roI Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

I suppose there’s be no chance of the 2013 report being published soon …?

Leave a comment

Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Sources, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged dahg, dcal, department of arts heritage and the gaeltacht, department of culture arts and leisure, Ireland, Operations, peace process, Ulster Scots, waterways, Waterways Ireland

More manure

Posted on Thursday 8 May 2014 | Leave a comment

Carthach O’Maonaigh has kindly provided more information about the Dublin [and Wicklow] Manure Company and I have updated my posting to include that.

Leave a comment

Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Operations, People, Safety, Sources, waterways

Tagged Ballybough, Dublin, Ireland, manure, Operations, Royal Canal, waterways, Wicklow

Eel update

Posted on Wednesday 7 May 2014 | Leave a comment

Dr William O’Connor says that no elver traps are operating on the River Shannon.

Leave a comment

Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Natural heritage, Operations, People, Politics, Sea, Shannon, shannon estuary, Sources, The fishing trade, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged Ardnacrusha, eels, elvers, Ireland, Maigue, Parteen, Shannon

Water

Posted on Tuesday 6 May 2014 | 4 comments

I have written to Waterways Ireland to ask how it proposes to stop the citizenry from stealing the water it supplies to harbours.

Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Operations, Politics, Sources, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged Ireland, Operations, water supply, waterways, Waterways Ireland

Guinness

Posted on Friday 2 May 2014 | Leave a comment

The visit of Her late Majesty Victoria, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Queen, to Messrs Guinness in Dublin in 1900 [h/t Adrian Padfield]. It is not known whether Her late Majesty was forced to drink a pint of Guinness. And here is a less dramatic day at the Guinness wharf.

Pics of Cong here and here; no date given.

Leave a comment

Posted in Ashore, Canals, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Politics, Sources, Unbuilt canals, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged barge, boats, bridge, canal, Cong, Dublin, Guinness, Ireland, Liffey, Operations, Queen Victoria, vessels, waterways