Category Archives: People

Rescue boats on Irish inland waterways

Posted on Sunday 20 January 2013 | Leave a comment

I’ve moved my photos of rescue boats to a new page and added photos of some more services. Still a lot missing, though.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Shannon, shannon estuary, Suir, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management

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Dublin

Posted on Sunday 20 January 2013 | Leave a comment

Dublin City Public Libraries have some nice photos available online. The section on the Port of Dublin includes 1926 aerial photos of the Guinness wharf and of Spencer Dock (not busy) and Grand Canal Dock (including the section beyond the railway line, now filled in). There is also a photo of a steam barge at the Guinness wharf. In the Commercial Dublin section, I saw two businesses beside the Grand Canal, Ever Ready Batteries at Portobello and Gordon’s Fuels at Harold’s Cross.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Sources, Steamers, waterways, Waterways management

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Hoffa loaf?

Posted on Tuesday 15 January 2013 | Leave a comment

Nothing to do with waterways, but I was struck by what I hope was an unplanned turn of phrase in this account of the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa:

“All this speculation about where he is and he’s not,” Zerilli said. “They say he was in a meat grinder. It’s all baloney.”

Well, you know, one rather hopes not.

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Posted in Foreign parts, People

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Fuel shortage continues

Posted on Monday 14 January 2013 | 1 comment

As far as I can see, from the new list published by Revenue today. there is still only one trader along the Shannon who is licensed to sell marked fuel (green diesel).

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Posted in Economic activities, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Politics, Shannon, waterways, Waterways management

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One for the Phizzers

Posted on Friday 11 January 2013 | 2 comments

Quite a few visitors to this site come to read about the Broadstone. Here is a piece about the pontoon bridge used at the Broadstone between (AFAIK) 1847 and 1877. It was designed by Robert Mallet and it is interesting to see how an inventive engineer solved the peculiar problems of the Broadstone site.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Rail, Restoration and rebuilding, The cattle trade, The turf trade, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management, Weather

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Ireland needs promissory notes

Posted on Thursday 10 January 2013 | Leave a comment
                                                                                        Chamber of Commerce, Limerick
10th March 1826
Right Honble Earl of Limerick
 
My Lord
By desire of the Directors of the Chamber of Commerce, I have the honour to forward to Your Lordship a petition to the House of Lords from that Body, praying that the proposed measure of prohibiting the issue of promissory notes payable on demand for sums under five pounds may not be extended to Ireland. The Directors request that you will please to present it and give it your support, if your opinion on the subject coincides with theirs.
 
I have the hon …
John McNamara, President
 
(A like letter to Mr [Thomas Spring] Rice [MP], with a Petition to the House of
Commons)
 

From the Limerick Chamber of Commerce letter book page 89.

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Posted in Economic activities, Ireland, People, Politics, Shannon, Sources

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The Fergus estuary

Posted on Tuesday 8 January 2013 | Leave a comment

I have a page about the Fergus estuary here with links from that page to others about places on the estuary (including Paradise).

Mediaeval fishweir at the Boarland Rock in the Fergus Estuary © Dr Aidan O’Sullivan, UCD 2008

Mediaeval fishweir at the Boarland Rock in the Fergus Estuary © Dr Aidan O’Sullivan, UCD 2008

The UCD School of Archaeology has, for many years, been investigating the Fergus estuary and has found remarkable evidence of settlement and activities on the estuary stretching back to the Iron Age (about 100 BCE) and the Bronze Age (almost 800 BCE). Read about the project here and see more photos of mediaeval fishweirs and earlier artefacts here.

The photo above is used in accordance with the terms set out here.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Natural heritage, Operations, People, Scenery, shannon estuary, Sources, The cattle trade, The fishing trade, waterways, Waterways management, Weather

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Doing the old girl proud

Posted on Monday 7 January 2013 | 1 comment

A few days ago, in a post about the Blarna, I pointed out that the last vessel to be built at the Alexandra Basin in Dublin was Waterways Ireland’s Coill-an-Eo, of which I have photos here. With all the new kit Waterways Ireland has got in the last few years, I was slightly worried that Coill-an-Eo might be retired, sold off or — worse — scrapped, although this news from Arklow Marine Services last October was reassuring. Well, Our Northern Correspondent has been in Roosky and has sent us these pics, with permission to reproduce them here.

Coill-an-Eo 1

Coill-an-Eo 1

1-Coill an Moon 005

Coill-an-Eo 2

Doesn’t the old girl look good? Hats off to Waterways Ireland and to Arklow Marine Services.

 

Update: I’m told that Mooney Boats of Killybegs also worked on the Coill-an-Eo, so hats off to them too. [h/t & © jc]

Further update: Aeroblast Services in Limerick have been on to say that they carried out the blasting and painting contract, and a fine job they did too [the last bit is what I said, not what they said]. Interesting pics of the work under way on their site here.

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Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Restoration and rebuilding, Shannon, waterways, Waterways management

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You can run …

Posted on Monday 7 January 2013 | Leave a comment

… but you can’t hide. Harbour hoggers, and folk not meeting the new canals requirements, should watch out.

WI's eye in the sky

WI’s eye in the sky

[h/t & © JC]

[yes, I know]

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Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Shannon, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways management

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Northsouthery 121212

Posted on Sunday 6 January 2013 | 3 comments

The North/South Ministerial Council reports here [PDF] on the most recent inland waterways meeting, which was held on 121212. Not much happened (or at least not much that is being revealed to the citizens and subjects). Sponsor departments are to think about having a board; there is still no money for the Clones Sheugh but an interagency groups is to find some [hint: look under the end of a rainbow] and it was John Martin’s last appearance as he will be retiring in March and the search for a new CEO has a process (which is important).

The interesting bit is that WI is to transfer some property at Harvey’s Quay, Limerick, to Limerick City Council, which is making a boardwalk. And something similar is happening in Tullamore. You’re nobody nowadays unless you have a boardwalk; their usefulness in Irish weather is not proven.

Finally, I noted a certain modesty in WI’s aims for 2013, no doubt in keeping with the tenor of the times:

Ministers discussed the main priorities for Waterways Ireland in 2013 and noted progress on the 2013 Business Plan and Budget. The priorities for 2013 include:

• ensure the navigations are open and all existing facilities operational during the main boating season from April to October
• to actively promote the waterways to extend and expand recreational use of the waterways in all its forms.

 

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Shannon, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management, Weather

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