Users -v- visitors. Pic of Laura Lucy here.
Even though I can describe brigs, brigantines, barques, barquentines and ships (as well as ketches, yawls, schooners and snows and a few more), I have no interest in these so-called “tall ships” events. However, the Pelican‘s rig (seen from the ferry the other day) is worthy of notice.
Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Politics, Sources, Tourism, Water sports activities, Waterways management
Tagged boats, bridge, Dublin, Ireland, Laura Lucy, Liffey, Operations, Sam Field Corbett, vessels, waterways
In February 2012 Waterways Ireland published a study of the River Barrow called The Barrow Corridor Recreational, Tourism and Commercial Product Identification Study. I’ve devoted a lot of time to the document and I confess that, although I’m in favour of WI’s conducting these studies, I found this one rather disappointing. The principal problem, as I see it, is that the document just doesn’t hang together: it is not clear how the recommendations derive from the analysis. I also thought that its recommendations on navigation were weak, suggesting a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the Barrow.
I haven’t finished putting my thoughts on the subject together because I want to do the study justice, but I have put up six pages about the report, linked from an overview page here. I need to give the navigation page a little more thought; when it’s finished I’ll link it to the overview page and mention the matter here.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Natural heritage, Non-waterway, Operations, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Steamers, Suir, waterways, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged Barrow, boats, canal, floods, flow, Grand Canal, Ireland, Nore, Suir, vessels, waterways, Waterways Ireland
On 8 August 2012 Waterways Ireland applied to Kildare County Council for planning permission for a development at Sallins:
The construction of a new 210m fixed timber house boat mooring facility for 12 boats with electric and water service supply bollards, 45m of a fixed timber short term mooring facility, car parking bays for 12 cars, access pathway suitable for disabled access, and a sewage pumpout for boats.
The application is at pre-validation stage. Submissions are to be made by 11 September and the “due date” is 2 October 2012. The file number is 12645. I can find no additional documents or details.
To see the application, go to this page and install the download before clicking on “Link to Full Planning Enquiry System”. Cookies will have to be enabled.
IRBOA doesn’t seem to have the news on its site yet, but it is interesting to compare the current proposal with what was discussed at the IRBOA meeting in Sallins on 8 March [2011, I think].
Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Tourism, Waterways management
Tagged boats, bridge, canal, Grand Canal, houseboat, IRBOA, Ireland, Kildare, Operations, quay, residential boating, Sallins, vessels, Waterways Ireland
I am to speak at Jamestown, near Carrick-on-Shannon in Co Leitrim, on Saturday 4 August 2012. Jamestown is having its heritage festival, and large numbers of old (converted) barges will be there. I will be giving one of four talks; mine is entitled
Down with barges: why cots were the really important vessels on Irish inland waterways.
I will be citing His Late Majesty Henry VIII, Fid Def, in support of my contention.
Here is some of the background to my thinking. If you would like to hear more, do come along on the day: the talks are open to all.
Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations, People, Politics, Shannon, Sources, Suir, The cattle trade, The fishing trade, The turf trade, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged barges, Barrow, boats, cots, Erne, floods, Ireland, Kilrush, Limerick, Lough Derg, Lough Neagh, O'Briensbridge, Operations, Shannon, Suir, turf, vessels, waterways, workboat
… (a) correct ideas and (b) camper vans come from?
Correct ideas, as everyone is undoubtedly aware, come from three kinds of social practice: the struggle for production, the class struggle and scientific experiment.
Camper vans (or RVs: song on this page requiring Flash) may come to WI harbours because they’ve studied the Safe Nights Ireland website, which (inter alia) lists all the public toilets in Ireland (many counties have none) and the WI facilities.
Incidentally, I have been told that WI now welcomes camper vans, having persuaded Bord Fáilte that the economy won’t collapse if it recognises the reality that the vans use the harbours. However, I haven’t seen that in writing anywhere; if anyone can point me towards a reliable source, please leave a Comment below.
Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Non-waterway, Operations, Politics, Shannon, Sources, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged boats, camper vans, Ireland, Killaloe, Mao Zedong, RVs, Shannon, waterways, Waterways Ireland
Waterways Ireland and a local authority have cooperated in opening a canalside walking and cycling path!
And an excitable minister opened it, saying
This has huge potential for tourism but it also has a huge knock on effect for communities in the health benefit facilities like this bring and this, in turn has benefits in reducing the press on our health services as well. I want to see more walkways because I want to see more people out walking and seeing the natural beauty that we here in Ireland are blessed to have around us.
And rightly so. But you don’t need an expensive canal in order to provide a walk.
Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Forgotten navigations, Irish waterways general, Natural heritage, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged Ballinamore, boats, bridge, canal, Clones, department of arts heritage and the gaeltacht, Erne, Ireland, Lough Neagh, Michael Ring, Operations, Shannon, Shannon-Erne Waterway, Ulster Canal, walk, waterways, Waterways Ireland
According to the Irish Times, writing about Clones:
[…] But people are trying hard to turn the tide: cleaning its buildings, promoting its hand-made lace, and hoping that the Monaghan part of the Ulster Canal will be re-opened.
The latter was a promise of former taoiseach Bertie Ahern. Clones is endearingly resistant to trends – it is still the proud capital of Irish country and western music although some admit that the best dancehall is Blacklion’s “ballroom of romance”.
I think Clones must be the last town in Ireland to cling to Bertie’s word.
Oh well, if Bertie says so ….
Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Foreign parts, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Non-waterway, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged Bertie Ahern, canal, Clones, department of arts heritage and the gaeltacht, Erne, Ireland, Lough Neagh, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways Ireland
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.
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:
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.
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
Tagged boats, canal, Clones, department of arts heritage and the gaeltacht, Erne, Ireland, Lough Neagh, North/South Ministerial Council, Royal Canal, Ulster Canal, water level, waterways, Waterways Ireland
Irish waterways history