Three men were killed and several wounded in the attack on Mr Malcolmson’s boats, near Clonmel, on Thursday evening. The populace, it is believed, were instigated to plunder the flour from no other motive but that of absolute distress. Stones flew like hail on the boatmen and police who escorted the cargoes, but not until very severe hurts were received, did the latter fire among the crowd, and on the third volley they dispersed.
The Limerick Chronicle, Wednesday 16 May 1827
Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, People, Politics, Sources, Suir
Tagged boats, Clonmel, flour, Ireland, Malcolmson, mill, police, Portlaw, Suir
Saturday 10 May 1845
[…] On our way to Rooskey this Morning we visited Cloneen [Clooneen] & Cox shoal and they were going on very well with about 60 Men
I ordered them to double that Number to my astonishment I found 4 Policemen Barricked in one of our houses and a new Barrick erecting for 30 or 40 more Men this was being done in consequence of three villains placing themselves on the opposite bank of the River and deliberately firing four rounds of Ball from Blunderbuses some of which went into the office and from the marks made by one Ball must have been only a few inches from striking Joe Lambs head — afterwards the villains retired to the Bogs — the object of this outrage was revenge on the Men for not striking for 1/6 [8p] Pd day — the average being about 1/2 [6p] — which is considered at present ample
From David Brooke ed The diary of William Mackenzie, the first international railway contractor Thomas Telford Publishing, London 2000
What the blurb doesn’t say is that Mackenzie was the contractor for works on four areas of the Shannon, working for the Shannon Commissioners in the 1840s. He was responsible for Killaloe, Meelick, Banagher and Rooskey and also held a dredging contract.
Lanesborough to Rooskey showing Lough Forbes
Clooneen (Cox) is the area at the upstream end of Lough Forbes; other Clooneens lie to the north on the east side of the river. Joe Lamb was the ganger.
Clooneen (Cox)
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Operations, People, Politics, Shannon, Sources, waterways
Tagged Clooneen, Cox, dredging, Ireland, Joe Lamb, Lough Forbes, Mackenzie, Operations, Shannon, Shannon Commissioners, shoal, vessels, waterways
TOOMGRANEY, situated in the county Clare, province of Munster; famous for the vagaries of a Sir William Read.—Fair days, Thursday after Trinity, and October 10.
Thus the Rev G Hansbrow in his An Improved Topographical and Historical Hibernian Gazetteer; describing the various boroughs, baronies, buildings, cities, counties, colleries, castles, churches, curiosities, fisheries, glens, harbours, lakes, mines, mountains, provinces, parishes, rivers, spas, seats, towers, towns, villages, waterfalls, &c &c &c, scientifically arranged, with an appendix of ancient names. To which is added, an introduction to the ancient and modern history of Ireland [Richard Moore Tims; William Curry, Jun and Co; John Robertson and Co, Dublin; King and Co, Cork; Marks, Waterford; Simms and Mairs, Belfast; Campbell, Derry; M’Kerin, Limerick; Wheelock, Wexford; Collins, Drogiieda; Dunlap, Coleraine; Purcel, Tralee; Kyte, Cashel; Blackham, Newry; Bole, Castlebar; Devir, Westport; and other booksellers; 1835].
Tuamgraney is on the Scarriff River, which flows into the west side of Lough Derg on the Shannon; it has a small quay on a sharp bend in the river.
Posted in Ashore, Extant waterways, Ireland, People, Shannon, Sources, waterways
Tagged Clare, East Clare, Hansbrow, Ireland, Lough Derg, Scarriff, Shannon, Sir William Read, Tuamgraney, waterways
From the Rev G Hansbrow’s 1835 publication An Improved Topographical and Historical Hibernian Gazetteer; describing the various boroughs, baronies, buildings, cities, counties, colleries, castles, churches, curiosities, fisheries, glens, harbours, lakes, mines, mountains, provinces, parishes, rivers, spas, seats, towers, towns, villages, waterfalls, &c &c &c, scientifically arranged, with an appendix of ancient names. To which is added, an introduction to the ancient and modern history of Ireland Richard Moore Tims; William Curry, Jun and Co; John Robertson and Co, Dublin; King and Co, Cork; Marks, Waterford; Simms and Mairs, Belfast; Campbell, Derry; M’Kerin, Limerick; Wheelock, Wexford; Collins, Drogheda; Dunlap, Coleraine; Purcel, Tralee; Kyte, Cashel; Blackham, Newry; Bole, Castlebar; Devir, Westport; and other booksellers:
The City Bason is the pleasantest, most elegant and sequestered place of relaxation the citizens can boast of; the reservoir, which in part supplies the city with water, is mounded and terraced all round, and planted with quickset hedges, limes and elms, having beautiful green walks between, in a situation which commands a most satisfactory prospect of a vast extent of fine country to the south. The entrance is elegant, by a lofty iron gate, and the water that supplies it, is conveyed from the neighbouring mountains.
A couple of canally sites I hadn’t come across:
Industrial Heritage Ireland, by the way, has been watching the Clones Canal campaign. This suggests that the campaign is being cranked up, although I don’t know what the poor buggers from the NI Strategic Investment Board are doing in the group: pouring money into holes in the ground is not (pace Keynes) usually seen as an investment.
It is reported, nonetheless, that IWAI folk are confident that public money will be wasted on the ghastly project, thus subsidising their hobby. And it seems that a gang of Irish parliamentarians, following the tradition established in Grattan’s Parliament, are keen to distribute pork: there is nothing in the press release to suggest that any of the poor dears have any interest in assessing the costs and benefits of the Clones Canal proposal. In the unlikely event that any of them is interested, the pages starting here might be useful. And interested parliamentarians might like to check on any cost-benefit analyses done (or revised) since it was found that the canal would cost €45m, not €35m.
Posted in Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Foreign parts, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Sources, Ulster Canal, waterways
Tagged boats, canal, Clones, department of arts heritage and the gaeltacht, Erne, Ireland, Lough Neagh, Operations, Ulster Canal, Waterways Ireland
Cases, however, occasionally arise in river navigation, wherein it is not possible to avoid collision, either with vessels, barges, or boats; as, for instance, in the pool, near the Tower, &c, owing to the very crowded condition in which such places are generally found; being surrounded on every side by one or the other. In such a dilemma the only alternative is to stop the [paddle-]wheels, and let the vessels close together as easy as possible, taking care to guard the sides and paddle boxes with fenders, and using every endeavour to boom each other off; after which, let the Steamer drift with the tide, but watch an opening among the vessels for escape, and, so soon as it offers, set her on at rather better than half speed, in order to insure a command of her.
It is somehow consoling to know that even Commanders RN have been known to collide ….
The quotation is from Commander Robert Otway RN An Elementary Treatise on Steam, more particularly as applicable to the purposes of navigation, with a familiar description of the engine; Shewing the manner of its management in giving the Rotatory Motion; how started, eased, and stopped; the Nature and Properties of Steam, on both High and Low-pressure principles; its introduction into, and discharge from, the Cylinders, illustrated; as, also, how to ascertain the quantum of Actual Pressure at which the Engine is working; and the manner of Condensing Steam explained; together with a General Account of the operations of the Engine-Room; shewing the Accidents to which Steam Boilers are liable, and means of prevention; and, further, the Economy of Coals, how to be effected, &c, &c G Poore, Plymouth 1837.
This is a very readable book, available here as a free Google PDF, giving an interesting insight into the problems of the early naval steamers — and of their engineers.
Posted in Engineering and construction, Industrial heritage, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Sources, Steamers, waterways
Tagged 1837, boats, engine, engineer, HMS, navy, Otway, paddle-steamer, river, steam, steamer, Thames, vessels
There is quite a modern branch of trade risen up in Ireland — I mean the exportation of Dublin porter. I am not a proprietor in the brewery, and, in praising the beverage, which I consider most excellent, I cannot be considered to be actuated by interested motives. But, it is a curious fact, that, a few years ago, Ireland was an importing country of porter, while, at the present moment, a very considerable export trade is growing up in Dublin.
In this point, and, perhaps, in this point only, I fully expect the learned member for Dublin [Daniel O’Connell MP] to concur with me. I only venture to entreat hon. Members opposite, who wish to give some activity to the trade of their country, to encourage the fermentation of the vat, rather than the fermentation of politics. By so doing, they may greatly improve our trade and our internal condition; and, if they will but take my advice, I, for one, shall be ready, most heartily, to drink their healths in their own porter.
Thomas Spring Rice, MP for Cambridge (and previously for Limerick), Joint Secretary of the Treasury, in a House of Commons debate on the repeal of the Act of Union on 23 April 1834. On this site, you’ll find more on Daniel O’Connell here and on Uncle Arthur here.
The Abbey Theatre has announced that it has bought Nos 15–17 Eden Quay, Dublin 1. No 15 was the address of the main offices of the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company.
From the Dublin Almanac of 1845
The company crest is said to be still on the wall. Abbey Street Old seems to run between the two premises; no doubt there will be some means of avoiding any problem.
I wish the Abbey Theatre well in its extension, but I hope it will find some way of honouring the memory of the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company and of the underrecognised Charles Wye Williams.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Operations, People, Restoration and rebuilding, Shannon, shannon estuary, Sources, Steamers, The cattle trade, Tourism, waterways
Tagged Abbey Theatre, Charles Wye Williams, City of Dublin Steam Packet Company, Dublin, Eden Quay, estuary, Fergus, Grand Canal, Ireland, Irish Sea, Shannon, steam, steamer, waterways, workboat
Irish waterways history 