This chart shows the numbers of Shannon lock and bridge passages for the first ten months of the year for ten years from 2003 through 2012.
Figures courtesy of Waterways Ireland
These figures take no account of boats that do not use locks and bridges, eg those that remain on lakes.
The decline continues.
Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Shannon, Tourism, Water sports activities, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged boats, bridge, Clare, Ireland, Killaloe, lock, Lough Derg, Operations, Shannon, Tipperary, vessels, waterways, Waterways Ireland
Robin Evans, chief executive of the Canal & River Trust, was interviewed in the December 2012 issue of Waterways World. CART, a charitable trust, has taken over from British Waterways in England and Wales, but not in Scotland.
Robin Evans pointed out in the interview that, whereas waterways in Scotland get 98% of their funding from the state, CART’s English and Welsh waterways get only 35%. Amongst other things, CART is seeking donations and getting people to volunteer as lockkeepers and in other roles.
I’ll bet the Irish government is looking on with interest.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Natural heritage, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Sources, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged budget, canal, canal & river trust, charitable trust, department of arts heritage and the gaeltacht, donation, Erne, finance, Ireland, Operations, Robin Evans, Shannon, volunteer, waterways, Waterways Ireland
I have updated my page about Royal Canal feeders with some information provided by Nigel Russell of WI to the An Bord Pleanála oral hearing on the Royal water supply scheme.
Incidentally, the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, WI’s parent department in RoI, was among the (few) objectors to the proposed abstraction of water from Lough Ennell, although it was in favour of ceasing to abstract water from Lough Owel [Inspector’s report pp11–12]. Indeed it seemed to have some reservations about the reopening of the Royal Canal, not on economic grounds but because “some important nature consideration issues need to be fully addressed”.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Natural heritage, Operations, People, Restoration and rebuilding, waterways, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged boats, canal, department of arts heritage and the gaeltacht, feeder, Ireland, lock, Loiugh Owel, Lough Ennell, Nigel Russell, Operations, Royal Canal, Shannon, vessels, water level, waterways, Waterways Ireland
The Royal Canal water supply applications have been approved by An Bord Pleanala. There were two separate applications [see here and here] but they were in effect treated as one. There are five PDFs available on each page and I haven’t read all of them yet. However, on a first glance, I note that:
2. The proposed development shall be operated as follows:
(a) Rates of abstraction from Lough Ennell to the Royal Canal shall be as specified in the public notices and, in particular, shall not exceed 43,636 cubic metres of water in any 24 hour continuous period and subject to a total maximum abstraction of 6,586,363 cubic metres per annum.
(b) Abstraction from Lough Ennell to supply the Royal Canal shall cease when the lake level reaches 79.325 mOD Malin Datum, being the crest level of Clonsingle weir, measured at Clonsingle weir by continuous monitoring.
(c) The fish pass at Clonsingle weir shall incorporate a minimum flow of 0.29m3/second.
(d) A minimum flow of 682 m3/day (0.5MGD), taken directly from Lough Owel, and excluding water from the fish farm, shall be retained in the original canal feeder.
Reason: In the interest of protecting the integrity of the Lough Ennell Special Area of Conservation and the ecological interest of the River Brosna and the canal feeder, and in the interest of protecting material assets at Lough Ennell and the River Brosna.
If I remember correctly, the amount of water available from Lough Ennell will not always provide enough (eg in a dry season) to keep the canal full. Still, this is a significant advance for Waterways Ireland and for Royal Canal enthusiasts.
Posted in Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Natural heritage, Operations, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Sources, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged boats, canal, floods, flow, Ireland, Lough Ennell, Lough Owel, Operations, Royal Canal, water level, waterways, Waterways Ireland
WI at work in Killaloe Novemebr 2012.
Old crane being painted
The Marindus weedspraying pontoon. This Marindus may be Marindus Engineering Ltd of Kilmore Quay, Co Wexford
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations, Restoration and rebuilding, Shannon, waterways, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged boats, bridge, canal, Clare, crane, ESB, flow, Ireland, Killaloe, lock, Lough Derg, Marindus, Operations, paint, Shannon, vessels, waterways, Waterways Ireland, weed, workboat
The upper chamber at Ardnacrusha lock
Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Operations, Shannon, waterways
Tagged Ardnacrusha, canal, chamber, Clare, ESB, headrace, Ireland, lock, tailrace, waterways
The Royal Canal meets the River Liffey at Spencer Dock (more or less: older OSI maps suggest that the section between Sheriff Street and the Liffey is Royal Canal Docks, with Spender Docks north of Sheriff Street). Much development has been proposed, and perhaps undertaken, in the area, where CIE (the public transport authority) owned much land.
Now, the Sunday Business Post tells us [perhaps behind a paywall], CIE’s subsidiary Irish Rail, which runs railways, is to sell land at Spencer Dock to a “private sector buyer”. The proceeds will enable Irish Rail to get rid of another 120 workers: it planned to lay off 300 workers this year but only 89 left because Irish Rail could not afford the terms of a voluntary redundancy scheme. The departures will reduce its wage bill.
I don’t really understand why CIE doesn’t simply shut down Irish Rail altogether, with the possible exception of the Dublin commuter services. Even its main-line trains are surely unnecessary now that most major conurbations are linked by motorways, on many (if not all) of which Bus Éireann, another subsidiary of CIE, runs express services. Lunatic ideas like the Western Rail Corridor don’t help, of course, but when, as the SBP reports,
[…] a train was recently left stranded in Galway after a local supplier refused to provide further credit […]
and when the company (again according to the SBP) cannot afford toilet rolls or receipt rolls for credit card machines, it may be that the market is trying to give the owners of the business a message: “close down now”.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Non-waterway, Operations, Politics, Rail, Restoration and rebuilding, waterways
Tagged Bus Eireann, canal, CIE, Dublin, Ireland, Irish Rai, motorway, railways, Royal Canal, Spencer Dock, Sunday Business Post
Irish waterways history 