Category Archives: Scenery

One for liveaboards

Posted on Tuesday 25 September 2012 | Leave a comment

A Polish/German artist is showing an exhibition in Chelsea about an English houseboat community. Indie story here and photos here; if googling for “What the water gave me”, include the artist’s name Dubno to avoid results about a song by a hip beat combo. WI can count its blessings.

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Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Foreign parts, People, Scenery

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Urination in Co Clare

Posted on Friday 21 September 2012 | Leave a comment

In County Clare, urination has a long and distinguished history. Here is a piece about one early example: while it was not on inland waters, I hope that the involvement of the Head Pacificator, renowned for his efforts to promote the Shannon, as well as of two authors who provide useful information about the river, will excuse the inclusion.

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Posted in Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Scenery, waterways, Weather

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Praise for Kilrush

Posted on Wednesday 19 September 2012 | Leave a comment

Kilrush across the creek

It was highly gratifying to witness the animation that prevailed in Kilrush — the neatness of the little shops, the flagged pathway, and the absence of accumulated dirt, so prominent and offensive a peculiarity of most small towns in Ireland. The people about Kilrush (whose population is 5000) are handsome, and appear considerably more intelligent than in many other places.

Jonathan Binns The Miseries and Beauties of Ireland Vol II Longman, Orme, Brown and Co, London 1837

 

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, People, Politics, Scenery, Shannon, shannon estuary, Sources, Steamers, The cattle trade, The fishing trade, The turf trade, Tourism, waterways

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Bealkelly Woods

Posted on Monday 17 September 2012 | Leave a comment

Bealkelly Woods, on the south side of Scarriff Bay near the mouth of the Scarriff River, will host another CELT Weekend in the Woods on 29 and 30 September 2012:

CELT Weekend in the Woods – 29th / 30th September – Bealkelly Oak Woods, Tuamgraney, Co.Clare.

Choose from 17 traditional and ecological skills introductory courses: Wood Carving, Longbow making, Felt-craft, Needle-felting, Basketry, Herb Lore, Sugan Chair making, Silversmithing, Natural Building, Coppersmithing, Blacksmithing, Bowl & Spoon making, Knife making, Musical Instrument making, Spinning / Weaving & Natural Dyeing, Dry-stone and Lime-mortar Walling, – and, for 8-14yrs, Adventure Bushcraft.

Cost 130 euro (concessions and group rates available). Free camping. Good lunch and refreshments available – also evening pizza from clay oven. Music and song round campfire Sat night. See website for more info.

More info on the CELT website.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Natural heritage, People, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Shannon, waterways

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Another attack on canalside trees

Posted on Friday 14 September 2012 | Leave a comment

[Jeremy] Bentham would have been further interested to know that the Great Agitator[Daniel O’Connell] and Purcell O’Gorman, during a tedious journey by canal boat from Dublin, amused themselves firing pistol-shots at the trees on either side.

W J Fitzpatrick ed Correspondence of Daniel O’Connell The Liberator Vol II 1888

O’Connell refused to take part in duels but was said to be an excellent shot. More on Daniel O’Connell and inland waterways here.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Natural heritage, People, Politics, Scenery, waterways

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The Underpants Gnomes and the Shincliffe Traveller

Posted on Thursday 6 September 2012 | Leave a comment

Here is an article from 1792 about the virtues of the River Shannon. It was written by an unidentified Traveller from Shincliffe, near Durham. It is interesting as an earlyish example of the Irish waterways cargo cult which, it has been pointed out to me, resembles the business plan of the underpants gnomes.

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Posted in Ashore, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Natural heritage, Operations, People, Politics, Scenery, Shannon, shannon estuary, Sources, The cattle trade, Tourism, waterways

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Raising the dead

Posted on Wednesday 5 September 2012 | Leave a comment

North Tipperary LEADER Partnership (lead), Clare Local Development Co. and Galway Rural Development Co. intends to contract an individual or company with relevant experience who will work in conjunction with the Lough Derg Marketing Strategy Group to identify tourism projects that would be eligible for funding under the Rural Development Programme. The aim, through animation and capacity building, is to assist the tourism sector in the three regions with the supports they require to develop Lough Derg as a key destination for water based activities combined with a range of very high quality walking, cycling, heritage and culture and food experience.

More info here; not sure whether you need to register to see it.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Operations, Politics, Scenery, Shannon, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management

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Buggering up the Barrow

Posted on Friday 17 August 2012 | Leave a comment

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.

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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

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Bring back the Black

Posted on Friday 17 August 2012 | Leave a comment

The Black Bridge at Plassey has been closed since the floods of November 2009. Its reopening seems to have a low priority; I suspect that is because the importance of the bridge in Ireland’s technological, economic, entrepreneurial and political history is not widely appreciated. Here is a page explaining some of the background and suggesting a context within which reopening might be justifiable.

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Posted in Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Natural heritage, Operations, People, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Shannon, shannon estuary, Sources, Steamers, The cattle trade, The turf trade, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management, Weather

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A very interesting photo …

Posted on Friday 10 August 2012 | 1 comment

… here.

h/t PW

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Posted in Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Scenery, Shannon, Sources, Steamers, The cattle trade, Tourism, waterways

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