Category Archives: The cattle trade

A very interesting photo …

Posted on Friday 10 August 2012 | 1 comment

… here.

h/t PW

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

Tagged Ballina, boats, Clare, Ireland, Killaloe, lawrence, Lough Derg, Operations, Shannon, steamer, vessels, wreck

Plasticine

Posted on Thursday 9 August 2012 | 2 comments

Why, when speaking of the branded product Plasticine, did [do?] Irish teachers insist on using the Irish word marla? Even that word was, according to Terry Dolan’s Dictionary of Hiberno-English [Gill & Macmillan, Dublin 2004; new ed forthcoming], derived from the English marl.

At least in the nineteenth century, marl was a valuable manure or fertiliser and, on Lough Derg, Mr Head of the Derry Estate introduced a system of dredging it from deep water. Read about it here.

Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Scenery, Shannon, Sources, Steamers, The cattle trade, waterways

Tagged "marl dock", boats, broadford, Clare, Derry Castle, Derry estate, dredging, Dublin Society, fertiliser, Hely Dutton, Ireland, Killaloe, Lough Derg, manure, marl, Mr Head, Operations, Scarriff, Shannon, shelly, Spaight, Tipperary, vessels, waterways, workboat

Barges, cots and subaltern waterways studies

Posted on Wednesday 1 August 2012 | Leave a comment

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.

Leave a comment

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

The flash lock at Killaloe

Posted on Thursday 21 June 2012 | Leave a comment

An account of a passage here.

I have been told that the gates will not open (or will not be opened) if the upstream level is higher than the lower by some unspecified amount.

Leave a comment

Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Restoration and rebuilding, Shannon, Steamers, The cattle trade, waterways, Waterways management, Weather

Tagged boats, bridge, canal, Clare, ESB, flash lock, floods, Ireland, Killaloe, lock, Lough Derg, Operations, Shannon, vessels, water level, waterways, Waterways Ireland

Dunally Line

Posted on Monday 21 May 2012 | 1 comment

The Birdhill Tidy Towns group has a heritage trail on its website and it was there that I first heard of the Dunally Line, AKA the R496. Tipperary North Riding County Council also uses the name [.DOC] and it is also used in several places on OpenStreetMap.

I would like to know more about the date, purpose and circumstances of the construction of the Dunally Line.

Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Operations, People, Shannon, Steamers, The cattle trade, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged Ballina, Clare, Ireland, Killaloe, Shannon, steam, Tipperary, waterways

I don’t know much about art …

Posted on Friday 18 May 2012 | Leave a comment

… but an excuse to talk about the working history of the Shannon is not to be dismissed. I’ll be at this event in Limerick on Saturday 26 May 2012, delivering a “brief and engaging presentation” (well, there’s got to be a first time for everything). If you’re interested in the sort of stuff this site covers, email the organisers to reserve a place.

Leave a comment

Posted in Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Natural heritage, Operations, People, Politics, Shannon, shannon estuary, Steamers, The cattle trade, The turf trade, waterways

Tagged boats, bridge, canal, estuary, Fergus, Ireland, Killaloe, Kilrush, Limerick, lock, Shannon, turf, waterways

The surprising importance of the Shannon steamers in the 1830s

Posted on Wednesday 25 April 2012 | Leave a comment

A short, lavishly illustrated talk in Killaloe Cathedral, Co Clare, at 6.00pm on Sunday 29 April 2012, as part of the Waterways Ireland Discover Killaloe and Ballina thingie.

Leave a comment

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

Tagged boats, bridge, canal, Clare, CoDSPCo, Dublin, estuary, Fergus, Garryowen, Grand Canal, Ireland, jetties, Killaloe, Kilrush, Lady Lansdowne, Limerick, Liverpool, lock, Lough Derg, Montpelier, O'Briensbridge, Operations, quay, Royal Canal, Shannon, turf, vessels, waterways, workboat

Estuarial islands

Posted on Thursday 5 April 2012 | Leave a comment

The Shannon Fergus Islands Group is seeking consultants to undertake

research on access, tourism and agricultural sustainability of the islands while identifying how best to deliver on the vision being ever mindful of the primary constraints of physical access limitations and environmental designation.

Leave a comment

Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Natural heritage, Operations, People, Politics, Scenery, Shannon, shannon estuary, The cattle trade, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged boats, estuary, Fergus, Ireland, islands, Shannon, waterways

Competition closed

Posted on Friday 30 March 2012 | Leave a comment

Nobody has attempted to identify this quay, so the competition is now closed and I’ll drink the sherry myself.

It is, of course, the downstream quay at Clarecastle at the head of the Fergus Navigation.

Clarecastle downstream

Here is the upstream quay, just around the corner.

Clarecastle upstream

The upstream quay bears the following inscription.

Inscription at Clarecastle

I really must return and get a better photo when it’s less slippy. Note that, although this is on tidal waters, Thomas Rhodes was the engineer.

Did you know that Clarecastle still has its own port authority? Go to this excellent pub and ask John Power about it. His brother (Dr Joe) wrote the definitive history of Clarecastle. John has lots of interesting old photos and maps on display in a really good traditional pub. He’s got a facetweet thingie too.

Leave a comment

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

Tagged boats, Clarecastle, Commissioners, estuary, Fergus, Ireland, Operations, quay, Shannon, Thomas Rhodes, vessels, Waterways Ireland

Weld eggs …

Posted on Saturday 17 March 2012 | Leave a comment

… on the Royal Canal.

Leave a comment

Posted in Ashore, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Shannon, Sources, Steamers, The cattle trade, waterways

Tagged boats, bridge, canal, Dublin, eggs, Ireland, Isaac Weld, Killashee, Lanesborough, Operations, Royal Canal, Shannon, Tarmonbarry