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?
From The Dublin Penny Journal Vol 1 No 18 27 October 1832
There is a complete list of officers’ salaries here.
My attention has been drawn to this Dáil written question by Joan Burton TD (Dublin West, Labour) and the answer by Éamon Ó Cuív TD (Minister, Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs; Galway West, Fianna Fail).
The layout on the kildarestreet site is not perfect, so I reproduce some of the list here:
The following are the details requested by the Deputy in respect of non-navigable stretches of canals that are within the control of Waterways Ireland and are being or could be restored:
Grand Canal
- Kilbeggan Branch (8.2 miles long) in Co. Offaly and Co. Westmeath
- Part of Naas & Corbally Branch (Corbally Extension) (4.4 miles long) in Co. Kildare
- Barrow Line Part of Mountmellick Branch (0.25 miles long) in Co. Kildare (remaining 11 miles filled in).
Royal Canal
- Part of Royal Canal (11 miles long) in Co. Longford, currently under restoration
- Longford Branch (3 miles long) in Co. Longford.
The Royal Canal main line is currently under restoration and the remaining work necessary to return it to full navigation between Dublin and the Shannon is due for completion in 2010.
Ulster Canal
- 46 miles long in Co. Cavan, Co. Monaghan, Co. Fermanagh and Co. Armagh.
Approval has been given to Waterways Ireland to restore the stretch between Lough Erne and Clones. Present indications are that this stretch could be re-opened by 2013.
And (perhaps because the economy was so successful) we could have waterways everywhere:
It is intended, subject to availability of resources, to carry out feasibility studies and preliminary designs in relation to the Longford Branch, the Kilbeggan Branch and the Corbally Extension, along with extensions to Annagh Upper near Dowra on the Shannon Navigation and to Lough Oughter on the Erne System with a view to possible re-opening. Consideration will also be given to the carrying out of preliminary analysis and assessment of the Mountmellick Branch, as well as the Boyne Navigation (which is primarily a river navigation) and the extension towards Mohill on the Rinn River, as future possibilities for restoration.
“The Irish economy entered severe recession in 2008,” according to Wikipedia’s useful summary of the financial crisis, but Craggy Island (nach maireann, comme on dit) still hoped to drag Ireland into the Canal Age.
Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Tourism, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged Annagh Upper, Boyne, canal, Clones, Corbally, Department of Community Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Dowra, Dublin, Erne, Grand Canal, Ireland, Kilbeggan, Longford, Lough Oughter, Mohuill, Mountmellick, Rinn River, Royal Canal, Shannon, Ulster Canal, waterways
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
… is wasted in asking and answering questions over and over again? I’d have thought that Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) would have realised that the government has discovered neither oil nor a crock of gold and that there is no money for a canal to Clones. The task of finding some is to be delegated to an “inter-agency group”, poor dears. I’d have thought it might be better to give the job to people with experience of unconventional fund-raising; there must be some such people around.
Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Foreign parts, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish waterways general, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Tourism, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged bridge, canal, Clones, department of arts heritage and the gaeltacht, Erne, Ireland, lock, lost, Lough Neagh, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways Ireland
In this post I quoted the Offaly Express report about the Tullamore Dew Heritasge Centre:
As part of a wider redevelopment of the area by Tullamore Town Council, visitors will approach the new Centre along a canal-side boardwalk from which they enter a reclaimed and renovated vintage barge which will house the ticket office and a presentation on the local history of the canal produced in association with Waterways Ireland.
I wondered where the barge would be tied.
It seems that some significant work is to be done, to judge by this Marine Notice from Waterways Ireland:
The Grand Canal
MARINE NOTICE 16/2012
Tullamore Canal Corridor Project – Preliminary Notice
Waterways Ireland wishes to advise masters and owners that planned improvement works in the vicinity of the Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre in Tullamore will require the closure of the canal from 5 November 2012 until 4 March 2013.
Masters and owners are requested to take account of this closure should they have plans to cruise beyond Tullamore during this period.
Incidentally, I’m all in favour of anything that promotes the canal and sells Irish whiskey, but are all new heritage centres going to be marketing devices and shops?
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Non-waterway, Restoration and rebuilding, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged barge, Dew, Grand Canal, Ireland, Tullamore, Waterways Ireland, workboat
… once you’ve recruited the staff for your new government economic and evaluation service, could you send a few of them round to the DAHG to examine the Clones Canal proposal?
Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Foreign parts, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Operations, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Ulster Canal, waterways
Tagged boats, bridge, canal, Clones, Erne, Ireland, lock, lost, Lough Neagh, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways Ireland
Ballynatray House ...
The waterway page that has received most visits since this website was set up is that covering the Bride, the Munster Blackwater and the Lismore Canal.
... and boathouse on the Blackwater
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Scenery, Tourism, waterways
Tagged Ballynatray, Blackwater, boats, Bride, Cappoquin, Ireland, Lismore, Munster, waterways, Youghal
Irish waterways history