Category Archives: Scenery

Get me a duck punt

Posted on Tuesday 14 June 2011 | Leave a comment

I have updated my page about the designation of the Shannon and Fergus estuaries as a Special Protection Area for our feathered friends. The more I learn about this proposal, the less I like it.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Natural heritage, Operations, People, Politics, Rail, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, shannon estuary, Steamers, The cattle trade, The turf trade, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged birds, boats, Clare, estuary, Fergus, industrial heritage, Ireland, Kilrush, Limerick, Shannon, turf, vessels, waterways

Watch the birdie

Posted on Monday 13 June 2011 | Leave a comment

Some thoughts on the proposed Special Protection Area for our feathered friends on the estuaries of the Shannon and the Fergus.

How much tax did the birds pay last year? And if (as I suspect) they’ve been keeping their wealth offshore, and contributing little to the rescue of the German banks, how come they get more say in estuarial activities than I do?

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Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Natural heritage, Non-waterway, Operations, Politics, Scenery, shannon estuary, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways

Tagged birds, birds directive, department of arts heritage and the gaeltacht, estuary, Fergus, Ireland, Shannon, shotgun, special protection area, waterways

Garryowen and Dover Castle

Posted on Wednesday 11 May 2011 | Leave a comment

In 1840 the rival steamers Dover Castle and Garryowen competed for traffic on the Shannon Estuary. While I know of no pictures of the steamers (if you know of any, please let me know), we have a reasonable amount of information about their operations. I discuss some aspects of those operations here. For an explanation of the page title, see here, but do not be diverted down this byway.

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Posted in Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Scenery, shannon estuary, Sources, Steamers, The cattle trade, The turf trade, Tourism, Water sports activities, Waterways management

Tagged boats, bridge, Cahercon, Cahircon, Cappa, Charles Wye Williams, Clare, Dover Castle, Fergus, Foynes, Garryowen, Glin, Ireland, jetties, Kerry, Kilrush, Labasheeda, Limerick, Limerick Reporter, lock, Loughill, Maria Frances Dickson, Operations, quay, Red Gap, Shannon, Steamboat Quay, Tarbert, turf, vessels, waterways, Wellesley Bridge

Deaths at Portlaw

Posted on Wednesday 11 May 2011 | Leave a comment

On 7 April 2010 two canoeists were drowned at a weir in Portlaw, on the River Clodiagh. The Marine Casualty Investigation Board report on the matter has just been published. It says inter alia:

This weir cannot be run.
The design of this weir made it impassable regardless of the waterflow over it.
The weir at Portlaw is, by design, next to impossible to escape
from without the use of lifebuoys and or an access ladder.

The report does not say who designed and built this weir or when it
was done. I have asked Waterford County Council for information.

According to the Irish Independent, the families of the canoeists are considering legal action.

Some news stories about weirs at Portlaw here, here and here.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Scenery, Suir, Water sports activities, Waterways management

Tagged boats, canal, canoe, Carrick-on-Suir, Clodiagh, drown, floods, flow, Frank Fahey, Ireland, kayak, lock, lost, Martin Cullen, MCIB, Operations, Paudie Coffey, Portlaw, Suir, vessels, Waterford, waterways, weir

Clontarf to Clondra II

Posted on Wednesday 20 April 2011 | Leave a comment

Maark Gleeson of Clontarf Yacht & Boat Club has kindly given me details of the Club’s recent trip along the Royal, with notes on the time taken and some useful advice, especially about the tides in Dublin.

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Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Tourism, Water sports activities, Waterways management

Tagged 12th lock, Abbeyshrule, Blanchardsstown, boats, bridge, canal, Clondra, Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland, Liffey, lock gate, lock key, patroller, Poolbeg, Richmond Harbour, Royal Canal, Shannon, tide, waterways, Waterways Ireland, yacht & boat club

Somebody bet on the Beagh

Posted on Wednesday 30 March 2011 | Leave a comment

A quay on the south side of the Shannon Estuary, with bollards from the H Lee foundry and with a castle for sale. Pics taken on a grey day, just right for a muddy estuary ….

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Irish waterways general, Operations, Scenery, shannon estuary, Steamers, Tourism, Water sports activities, Weather

Tagged Askeaton, Ballysteen, Beagh, boats, castle, estuary, H Lee, Ireland, jetties, Limerick, lost, Operations, quay, Shannon, steamer, turf, vessels, waterways

Crovraghan continuity

Posted on Saturday 19 March 2011 | 1 comment

The cattle-carrying lighters and other interesting boats at Crovraghan.

Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Scenery, shannon estuary, The cattle trade

Tagged boats, cattle, Clare, Crovraghan, Darina Tully, Fergus, ferry, gandalow, gandelow, ganlo, Illaunbeg, Ireland, islands, lighter, Operations, Paradise, Shannon, Shannon cot, T R Henn, vessels, Waterways Ireland, workboat

Rosscliff

Posted on Friday 18 March 2011 | Leave a comment

Rosscliff is a cattle port on the Fergus estuary. It is not clear whether this is the location of the quay referred to by Lewis and the Parliamentary Gazetteer in their entries for Ballinacally (Ballynacally).

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Scenery, shannon estuary, The cattle trade

Tagged Ballinacally, Ballynacally, boats, carvel, cattle, Clare, clinker, creek, Darina Tully, Deer Island, Fergus, ferry, gandalo, gandalow, gandelow, ganlo, Ireland, jetties, lighter, mud, Operations, Paradise, quay, Shannon, vessels, workboat, yawl

Location

Posted on Wednesday 16 March 2011 | Leave a comment

Page 84 of Ruth Delany’s The Shannon Navigation (Lilliput Press 2008) has a drawing with this caption:

A drawing by Edward Jones which it is thought might depict the Shannon Commission’s survey in progress at an unidentified location possibly down the Shannon Estuary. (Courtesy of the Society of Antiquaries of London)

I suggest that the drawing is of Saleen, on the Ballylongford Creek in Co Kerry, on the lower reaches of the Shannon Estuary. The first word written on the drawing looks like “Sawline”, which might be a version of “Saleen”.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Operations, People, Scenery, shannon estuary, Sources, The turf trade, Waterways management

Tagged Ballylongford, boats, Edward Jones, Ireland, Kerry, Operations, quay, Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ruth Delany, Saleen, Shannon, Shannon Commissioners, Trinity College, turf, vessels, waterways

Kensal Green

Posted on Monday 28 February 2011 | Leave a comment

The way to Paradise.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Non-waterway, People, Scenery, shannon estuary, Steamers

Tagged Ballycorick, Bickerdyke, Clare, estuary, Fergus, five arches, Henn, Ireland, Limerick, Paradise, Shannon, turf, waterways