Recorded lock and bridge passages for the first ten months of the year for both private and hired boats.
Hired down, private flat
Because these figures take no account of boat movements that do not use locks, they do not record much private boat usage: sailing, fishing, powerboating, waterskiing and other activities on the lakes.
Recorded lock and bridge passages for the first ten months of the year.
Shannon private boats 2003–2012
In almost every year, the last two months, November and December, saw far more private boats than hired boats moving.
Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations, People, Scenery, Shannon, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged boats, bridge, flow, Ireland, Operations, Shannon, vessels, waterways, Waterways Ireland
Recorded lock and bridge passages for the first ten months of the year.
Shannon hire trade 2003–2012
I’ve used the first ten months because so far I have 2012 figures for only the first ten months. In previous years, only once did the number of hire passages in November and December exceed 100, so the total for any year is not very different from that for ten months.
I would like to know why there has been such a long decline.
Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations, People, Shannon, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways
Tagged boat, boats, bridge, canal, cruise, hire, IBRA, Ireland, Operations, Shannon
Meelick Weir today
Almost level.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Drainage, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Shannon, waterways, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged canal, ESB, farmers, floods, flow, Galway, Ireland, lock, Lough Derg, Meelick, Offaly, Operations, Shannon, Victoria Lock, water level, waterways, Waterways Ireland, weir
Learned Readers will be aware that you can moor cheaply for the winter in a Waterways Ireland Shannon harbour; see Marine Notive 111/2012 about half way down this page.
Now, anyone paying commercial rates in a Shannon marina will tell you that WI’s charges represent extremely good value: cheaper even than a year’s canals permit.
But I have noted recently that there seem to be only four boats in Dromineer for the winter). Pottering about today, I found Portumna Castle Harbour deserted.
Portumna Castle Harbour December 2012
Terryglass had more boats, but most of them are on the county council’s jetty with only seven on the Waterways Ireland extension.
Terryglass December 2012
There were only four boats on the west bank below the bridge in Portumne. There were a few more in Connaught Harbour, but all in all the numbers were lower than I had expected. And I don’t think they’re in Shannon Harbour, which seemed to have fewer boats than usual.
So have boat-owners found that their insurers won’t cover them if they are not in supervised marinas, or out of the water, for the winter? Are private marinas, especially those that can haul boats out of the water, more crowded than usual? Or has the number of boats decreased even more drastically than I had imagined?
I don’t know. Readers’ observations welcome.
Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Shannon, Water sports activities, Waterways management
Tagged boat owner, boats, Clare, Galway, Grand Canal, haul out, insurance, Ireland, Limerick, Lough Derg, marina, Offaly, Operations, Shannon, Tipperary, vessels, waterways, Waterways Ireland
In Irish Passenger Steamship Services Volume 2: South of Ireland (David & Charles, Newton Abbot 1971), D B McNeill writes:
In the autumn of 1964 the Ormonde Hotel at Nenagh took delivery of the Hilda from Holland. She is a modern canal cruising launch with central heating and a transparent roof. She is used for local trips on Lough Derg.
She is described as a single-screw motor vessel with a diesel engine but no further details are given. I would welcome more information about the Hilda; a photo would be very nice.
Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Scenery, Shannon, Sources, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways
Tagged boats, Dromineer, Hilda, Ireland, launch, Lough Derg, Nenagh, Ormond, Shannon, Tipperary, vessels, waterways
His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant took a trip on the Shannon Estuary in July 1856 on the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company’s vessel Erin-go-Bragh. He was greeted by demonstrations of loyalty from the populace, had dejeuner on board off Scattery Island and heard an address from the proprietary, clergymen, merchants, traders and inhabitants of Kilrush, read to him by Colonel Vandeleur. Here is the Freeman’s Journal‘s account of the trip.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Natural heritage, Operations, People, Politics, Scenery, Shannon, shannon estuary, Sources, Steamers, The cattle trade, Tourism, Uncategorized, waterways, Weather
Tagged boats, Brandon, caterer, Clare, Cratloe, Erin-go-Bragh, estuary, Fergus, Foynes, Garryowen, Goggin, Howard, Ireland, jetties, Kerry, Kilrush, Limerick, Lord Lieutenant, Monsell, Monteagle, Operations, quay, Scattery, Shannon, Stafford, steamer, Tervoe, Vandeleur, vessels, waterways
The search term most often used to find this site is Ardnacrusha, which scores 1655, almost twice as many as the next term, the generic Waterways (875). But other variants occur too: Ardnacrusha Lock is at position 3 (768), Ardnacrusha power station 18 (274), ESB Ardnacrusha 21 (225), Ardnacrusha ESB 33 (169), Ard na Crusha 43 (140), Ardnacrusha hydroelectric power station 58 (120), Ardnacrusha dam 86 (89); Parteen Weir is at 14 (369).
Thus I deduce that Ardnacrusha is by far the most popular artefact on Irish inland waterways.
Here is the full top twenty.
1 Ardnacrusha 1,655
2 Waterways 875
3 Ardnacrusha lock 768
4 Wooden boat 728
5 Skies 613
6 Athlone 573
7 Strancally castle 483
8 Lough Erne 480
9 Homemade boat 460
10 Wooden boats 453
11 Irish waterways history 451
12 Boats 448
13 Irish waterways 393
14 Parteen Weir 369
15 Flying Fifteen 344
16 Homemade boats 333
17 Pioner Multi 301
18 Ardnacrusha power station 274
19 Johnstown Co Kilkenny 247
20 Ormond Castle 237
Most hits on this site come from searches rather than links.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Non-waterway, Operations, Shannon, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged Ardnacrusha, canal, Clare, ESB, Ireland, Killaloe, Limerick, lock, Operations, Shannon, waterways
This chart shows the numbers of Shannon lock and bridge passages for the first ten months of the year for ten years from 2003 through 2012.
Figures courtesy of Waterways Ireland
These figures take no account of boats that do not use locks and bridges, eg those that remain on lakes.
The decline continues.
Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Shannon, Tourism, Water sports activities, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged boats, bridge, Clare, Ireland, Killaloe, lock, Lough Derg, Operations, Shannon, Tipperary, vessels, waterways, Waterways Ireland
WI at work in Killaloe Novemebr 2012.
Old crane being painted
The Marindus weedspraying pontoon. This Marindus may be Marindus Engineering Ltd of Kilmore Quay, Co Wexford
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations, Restoration and rebuilding, Shannon, waterways, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged boats, bridge, canal, Clare, crane, ESB, flow, Ireland, Killaloe, lock, Lough Derg, Marindus, Operations, paint, Shannon, vessels, waterways, Waterways Ireland, weed, workboat
Irish waterways history 