Category Archives: Operations

Water levels

Posted on Tuesday 17 July 2012 | Leave a comment

Not on the Shannon or on the Erne but on the Mississippi. It seems the level is now 53 feet below the flood level of last May and eight to ten feet below normal.

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Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Operations, Waterways management, Weather

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Tidal Barrow

Posted on Tuesday 17 July 2012 | Leave a comment

One of the government’s proposed schemes for saving the economy is a bypass of New Ross:

The N25 New Ross Bypass will provide approximately 13.6 kilometres of new road from Glenmore at the eastern border of Kilkenny and crossing over the River Barrow via a new bridge into Wexford.

That means it will cross around here. You should be able to see Glenmore west of the Barrow. The crossing will be in the area of navigation under the authority of the New Ross Port Company.

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Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Operations, Politics, waterways, Waterways management

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Lasering bridges

Posted on Tuesday 17 July 2012 | Leave a comment

Here is a one-page article from the July/August issue of Engineering Inc, the magazine of the American Council of Engineering Companies. It’s about an American firm called Collins Engineers Inc, of Chicago, which is listing and assessing bridges and some other structures owned by Waterways Ireland. The project will run through 2015. The link relies on Flash, alas; if you prefer a PDF, try this link.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Operations, Restoration and rebuilding, Waterways management

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NSMC latest

Posted on Tuesday 17 July 2012 | 1 comment

The joint communiqué from the latest North-South Ministerial Council inland waterways sectoral meeting, held on 9 July 2012, is here as a web page and here as a PDF.

The exciting bits:

  • WI provided more moorings, sponsored 101 events, maintained the waterways [see below], published its restaurant guide and list of events and continued involvement with the Waterways Forward project
  • WI is developing its budget and business plan for 2012 [isn’t that a bit late?]
  • the NSMC “noted” WI’s annual report and draft accounts for 2011
  • the NSMC allowed WI to sell some stuff
  • WI has thought of some funding options for the Clones canal (but citizens can’t be told what they are). An “inter-agency group”, “set up to examine all possible options to advance the project”, will meet in July; the options “will be explored taking account of fiscal constraints”, although it’s not clear whether the unfortunate members of the “inter-agency group” will do the exploring or whether some more authoritative body, like the Troika, will make the decisions. But as the canal is said to be such a good investment, it may be that a public-private partnership will develop it under the Irish government’s €2 billion stimulus package.

The waterways maintenance part includes the claim that “97.5% of waterways remain[ed] open during the months of April and May”. That depends on how you measure things, though. The summit level of the Royal Canal was closed for almost the whole of that two-month period, so the canal (one seventh, about 14%, of WI’s waterways) was impassable throughout.

 

 

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Forgotten navigations, Ireland, Operations, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Sources, Ulster Canal, Waterways management

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Absolutely nothing …

Posted on Wednesday 11 July 2012 | 3 comments

… to do with the Clones Canal ….

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Foreign parts, Forgotten navigations, Ireland, Non-waterway, Operations, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Ulster Canal, Waterways management

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RNLI on Lough Derg

Posted on Monday 9 July 2012 | Leave a comment

8 July 2012

Lifeboat on the way

Nearly there

Coming alongside the casualty

Helm Colin Knight

Preparing to tow

Under way

Heading for Williamstown

Almost there

 

 

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Posted in Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Shannon, waterways, Waterways management, Weather

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WI gets tough on the Erne

Posted on Monday 2 July 2012 | Leave a comment

Press release just in from WI, reproduced unchanged

Waterways Ireland has successfully undertaken the prosecution of two boats owners on Lough Erne for breaching the 48 hour mooring Bye-law. The defendants received a caution and undertook to comply with the Bye-laws in the future.

Waterways Ireland communicates regularly with boat owners about the Bye-laws and has produced a publication “Good Boating Guide” advising boat owners of the Bye-laws on Lough Erne.

Having recorded breaches of the 48 hour mooring Bye-laws, Waterways Ireland wrote to the boat owners advising of the breach and after subsequent breaches were noted, Waterways Ireland reluctantly brought the prosecutions under the Bye-laws.

The Magistrate, Mr. Kennedy, commented that “the Prosecutions were properly brought and it is important that people comply with the Bye-laws. “

Brian D’Arcy, Waterways Ireland’s Director of Operations stated “Waterways Ireland had no option but to prosecute following the increasing numbers of local boat owners abusing moorings provided for visiting tourist boats. Waterways Ireland provides moorings free of charge to enable tourists and touring boat owners to access attractions, services, towns and villages. Particularly in Enniskillen, the moorings facilitate the tourism economy as boaters spend in shops and restaurants; reduced access means less income for the town. Waterways Ireland would like to ensure all boat owners are made aware of their responsibilities when using public moorings and do not leave their boats moored in one location on a public mooring for more than 48 hours.”

Comment

I wonder when we’ll see the corresponding prosecutions on southern waterways.

Update

More details in the Impartial Reporter.

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Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Politics, Sources, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management

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Guinness Liffey quay 1902

Posted on Monday 2 July 2012 | Leave a comment

A photo and some info here,

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Steamers, waterways

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Old sod

Posted on Friday 22 June 2012 | Leave a comment

I have long maintained that the histories of Irish waterways and of Irish bogs are inseparable. Here is an interesting piece from the invaluable Kildare Online Electronic History Journal [o si sic omnes] about turf-cutting competitions at Allenwood in 1934. A lanky old sod was present, but so too were relics of old dacency [and see here for the origin of the phrase with interesting links between hats and sashes], perhaps anxious to accommodate themselves to the new regime. [Major de Courcy Wheeler, whose command of the First Official Language was undoubtedly enviable, is mentioned here.]

Waterways, industrial heritage, economic history, social and political history … they are not to be separated.

 

 

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Sources, The turf trade, waterways

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The flash lock at Killaloe

Posted on Thursday 21 June 2012 | Leave a comment

An account of a passage here.

I have been told that the gates will not open (or will not be opened) if the upstream level is higher than the lower by some unspecified amount.

 

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Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Restoration and rebuilding, Shannon, Steamers, The cattle trade, waterways, Waterways management, Weather

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