Category Archives: The turf trade

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

Tagged Annaghbeg, Black Bridge, boats, bridge, canal, Charles Wye Williams, City of Dublin Steam Packet Company, Clare, floods, Grand Canal, Ireland, John Brownrigg, Killaloe, Kilrush, Limerick, Limerick Navigation, Liverpool, livestock, lock, lost, Lough Derg, Manchester, Montpelier, O'Briensbridge, Operations, P&O Line, Plassey, quay, Shannon, Thomas Rhodes, Tipperary, turf, vessels, water level, waterways, Waterways Ireland

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.

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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

Moyasta

Posted on Sunday 24 June 2012 | Leave a comment

Good news for the West Clare Railway.

New speed limit on the N67 at Moyasta

And there are more engines.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Non-waterway, Rail, Restoration and rebuilding, shannon estuary, The turf trade

Tagged Clare, Jackie Whelan, Kilkee, Kilrush, Moyasta, N67, Shannon, turf, West Clare Railway

Old sod

Posted on Friday 22 June 2012 | Leave a comment

I have long maintained that the histories of Irish waterways and of Irish bogs are inseparable. Here is an interesting piece from the invaluable Kildare Online Electronic History Journal [o si sic omnes] about turf-cutting competitions at Allenwood in 1934. A lanky old sod was present, but so too were relics of old dacency [and see here for the origin of the phrase with interesting links between hats and sashes], perhaps anxious to accommodate themselves to the new regime. [Major de Courcy Wheeler, whose command of the First Official Language was undoubtedly enviable, is mentioned here.]

Waterways, industrial heritage, economic history, social and political history … they are not to be separated.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Sources, The turf trade, waterways

Tagged Allenwood, canal, de Courcy Wheeler, de Valera, Grand Canal, Ireland, long fellow, politics, Robertstown, waterways

British power

Posted on Friday 15 June 2012 | Leave a comment

The Sunday Business Post [paywall] reports that a British energy firm called SSE plc [formerly Scottish and Southern Energy plc], which already owns Airtricity, intends to buy Endesa Ireland. SSE’s press release is here.

Endesa owns the power stations at Tarbert, on the Shannon Estuary, and Great Island, at the junction of the Barrow and Suir estuaries; both are covered on this website. Endesa also owns a power station at Rhode, near the Grand Canal, and one in Co Mayo. It seems that SSE will also acquire options on sites at Lanesborough and Shannonbridge.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish waterways general, shannon estuary, The turf trade, waterways

Tagged Barrow, Endesa, energy, Grand Canal, Great Island, Ireland, power station, Rhode, Shannon, SSE, Suir, Tarbert, turf, waterways

Grand Canal basin: barriers of various kinds

Posted on Tuesday 29 May 2012 | Leave a comment

The Dublin People has the story.

Don’t those fluorescent colours look disgusting? Enough to give you a headache. Bring back the gas works, say I: at least they could cure whooping cough.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, The turf trade, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged boats, bridge, canal, Dublin, Grand Canal, Ireland, moorings, Operations, vessels, waterways, Waterways Ireland

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.

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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, 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

Irish Times catches up …

Posted on Tuesday 15 May 2012 | Leave a comment

… with this site, reporting on both Seol Sionna and the gandalows, which were covered here and here.

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Posted in Built heritage, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Shannon, shannon estuary, Steamers, The turf trade, Tourism, waterways

Tagged boats, Clare, estuary, gandalow, Kilrush, Limerick, Poulnasherry, Querrin, Shannon, turf, turf boat, waterways

Seol Sionna launch

Posted on Friday 11 May 2012 | Leave a comment

Seol Sionna under construction

The reproduction 25′ Shannon estuary hooker Seol Sionna will be launched at Querrin, Co Clare, on Saturday 19 May 2012, with celebrations continuing at Carrigaholt (home of the sublime Long Dock pub and eatery) on the following day [h/t dbm].

Canoe at Querrin. The second syllable of “canoe” rhymes with “go”

The pier at Querrin was built by the Shannon Commissioners; one of their marker stones (there are four at Querrin) is shown above.

Whaddya mean, you don’t know where Querrin is?

Remember, if the turf boats had not established the tourist traffic to Kilrush and Kilkee, the Shannon estuary steamers might never have got going and there might never have been a P&O line.

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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, Operations, People, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, shannon estuary, Sources, Steamers, The turf trade, Tourism, waterways

Tagged boats, estuary, Ireland, Kilkee, Kilrush, Querrin, Seol Sionna, Shannon, steamers, turf, turf boats, vessels, 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.

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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, 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