Category Archives: Politics

WI CEO update

Posted on Friday 22 March 2013 | Leave a comment

I mentioned yesterday that the job of Waterways Ireland Chief Executive had not yet been advertised. It has now.

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Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Operations, People, Politics, Sources, waterways, Waterways management

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DCAL

Posted on Thursday 21 March 2013 | Leave a comment

I have been searching the website of Northern Ireland’s Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure [DCAL to its friends] for the minutes of the meetings of its departmental board. Unfortunately I have not been able to find any link to them on the site. The site search engine will find them, but in an unpredictable order. It may be best, therefore, to use these terms in your favourite web search engine:

dcalni “departmental board meeting”

The most recent minutes I found were those for January 2013.

I can’t find anything similar for the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, alas.

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Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Ireland, Operations, People, Politics, Waterways management

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WI CEO

Posted on Thursday 21 March 2013 | 6 comments

John Martin, Chief Executive (or, as we say in Ulster Scots, Heid Fector) of Waterways Ireland, was due to retire at the end of March 2013. The job has not yet been advertised and Mr Martin has been asked to stay on until his successor has been appointed.

His retirement was not a surprise: for instance, as I reported here, Ministers thanked him at the North-South Ministerial Council meeting on 121212:

Ministers thanked John Martin CEO of Waterways Ireland who is due to retire in  March next year for his contribution to the Body and noted the process for appointing a new CEO.

So why the delay? It is of course possible that headhunters are beating the bushes seeking retired chief executives of waterways bodies who could be persuaded to apply, but I would have thought that a public position should be publicly advertised. I have asked the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for information.

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Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Shannon, Sources, Uncategorized, waterways, Waterways management

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NAMA the boat-owner

Posted on Wednesday 20 March 2013 | Leave a comment

I asked NAMA (or rather its PR agency) how many private pleasure craft (boats) are “in NAMA”, having been owned by individuals or companies whose loans are now with NAMA.

I was told that “[…] the Agency has had an interest in less than five boats; all bar one of these have been sold.”

My guess is that that means four boats, which is not many, although I don’t see why private pleasure craft should be business assets (other than for, say, hire firms) in the first place. I don’t know whether any of them were based on inland waterways.

I have not asked banks or other lenders how many boats they have had in their fleets.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Politics, Sources, Water sports activities, waterways

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Buying diesel

Posted on Tuesday 19 March 2013 | Leave a comment

The Revenue Commissioners’ latest list of holders of marked fuel trader’s licences doesn’t seem to have any new names on it. So, as far as I can see, there are no licensed sellers on the Grand Canal, the Royal Canal, the Barrow, the Shannon–Erne Waterway or that part of the Erne in the republic. There are seven licensed sellers on the Shannon, with none north of Carrick-on-Shannon or south of Portumna. The seven licensed sellers are (north to south):

  • CarrickCraft, Carrick-on-Shannon
  • Emerald Star, Carrick-on-Shannon
  • Rooskey Craft & Tackle, Rooskey Quay
  • Hanley’s Marina, Ballyleague (opposite Lanesborough)
  • Quigley’s Marina, Killinure, Lough Ree
  • CarrickCraft, Banagher
  • Emerald Star, Portumna.

If I’ve left anybody out, please let me know and I’ll correct my error.

Note that the requirement for a licence includes anyone delivering green diesel, or keeping it for delivery, so that purporting not to charge for the diesel makes no difference.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Politics, Shannon, Sources, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management

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Quoth the raving …

Posted on Monday 11 March 2013 | Leave a comment

… never! More? No, not if you mean Shannon-based fuel suppliers: I can’t find any more on the latest list.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Operations, Politics, Scenery, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways

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Neglect of lock repairs forces canal to close …

Posted on Monday 11 March 2013 | Leave a comment

… in Germany.

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Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Operations, Politics, waterways, Waterways management

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Mark Twain and the Cammoge drownings of 1849

Posted on Wednesday 6 March 2013 | 3 comments

Mark Twain wrote:

There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact.

I have indulged in just such conjecture about the design of the ferry boat in use at Cammoge in 1849, crossing the outlet from Poulnasherry Bay, west of Kilrush on the Shannon estuary. The news reports of the time give very little information about the design of the boat, and the reliability of that information is questionable, which makes my speculation even more dangerous. Nonetheless, I thought it might be useful to set out some thoughts on the subject in the hope that other folk, who know more about the background, the location or naval architecture than I do, might be able to help to clarify the design.

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Posted in Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Shannon, shannon estuary, Sources, The turf trade, waterways, Weather

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No new thing …

Posted on Monday 4 March 2013 | Leave a comment

… has arisen: Friday’s list of holders of marked fuel traders’ licences did not, as far as I could see, include any new Shannon-based suppliers. Oh well; there should be more news tomorrow.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Politics, Shannon, Water sports activities, waterways

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Shannon Leisure Development Co Ltd

Posted on Monday 25 February 2013 | Leave a comment

No, me neither, but it seems to mean CarrickCraft, which now has Marked Fuel Trader’s Licences for its bases at Banagher and Carrick-on-Shannon, thus swelling the host of the elect.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Politics, Shannon, Sources, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management

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