See the Irish Times and the Guardian.
Download your copy of Kerry County Council’s road safety calendar here [PDF].
Not that this piece of idiocy will ever be passed but, if it is, tourists should avoid Co Kerry, lest they be mangled by a Kerry farmer, pissed as a newt, wobbling around the roads in his tractor.
What qualities — apart from being a publican — do you need to be elected in Co Kerry?
Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Ireland, Non-waterway, People, Politics, Tourism
The number of Shannon-side operations holding Marked Fuel Traders’ Licences [XLS] has doubled since last week: Ciaran Fallon of Rooskey is joined by Quigley’s Marina at Killinure. Congratulations to Brian Quigley.
So there are now two licence-holders on the Shannon. Still no sign of IBRA members (save that Quigleys supplies Waveline) but no doubt they will appear soon.
E&OE: the list now covers 170 pages and I may have missed someone. If so, sorry; let me know and I’ll post the information.
Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Politics, Shannon, Sources, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged boats, Ciaran Fallon, green diesel, Ireland, Killinure, Lough Ree, marked fuel trader's licence, Quigleys, Rooskey, Roosky, Shannon, vessels, waterways
I see that Emerald Star offer what they call a Southern Shannon Cruise, which starts at Carrick-on-Shannon and goes all the way south to … Athlone. Athlone may be in the midlands, yes, but not in the south.
Locaboat tells us that
All the countries of Europe have agreed to facilitate access to hire-boats which are duly equipped and certified, and operate in tourist areas where there is little commercial shopping [presumably “shipping”].
In France, Germany [list of areas], Ireland, Holland, Poland and the Venice Lagoon Locaboat has received permission from the local authorities for their boats to be hired without licence. Initial instruction, both theoretical and practical, is given at the point of embarkation, enabling you to quickly master your boat and grasp the essential rules of navigation. You will then be given a licence that is valid for the duration of your stay.
When you’re starting from Ketzin in Germany, however, a boating licence is obligatory. This is not valid for citizens from countries that don’t have a boating license (e.g. Great Britain or Denmark).
This suggests that Ireland does have a boating licence, which is the first I’ve heard of it.
On its English-language front page, incidentally, Locaboat bigs up the fact that licences are not required in Poland:
Licence free hiring now also in Poland
Good news: Due to a new regulation, since 1st August 2010 a boating license is no longer required for our boats in Poland! Now a barge trip in the natural paradise of the Masurian Lake District becomes even more attractive.
And very nice it looks too. I wonder whether the Polish lakes have provided extra competition for the Irish.
Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Restoration and rebuilding, Shannon, Sources, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged Ballinamore, boats, bridge, canal, Clondra, Erne, Ireland, Locaboat, Operations, penichette, Royal Canal, Shannon
I asked IBRA about the absence of its members from Revenue’s list of holders of Marked Fuel Trader’s Licences. I was surprised by the absence as I believe IBRA members to be compliant with Revenue demands; for example, they (and I) are amongst the few making Mineral Oil Tax returns.
I am happy to say that IBRA members have registered for the new licence and are compliant with the requirements, but it seems that the Revenue lists are not up to date. That raises the possibility that other waterways-based traders have been omitted; if that is so, I would be glad to hear of them.
In the Foreword to his latest book, Portraits of Mountshannon (East Clare Heritage, Tuamgraney 2012), Ger Madden writes of the changes to Mountshannon since 1993:
The Aistear, the children’s playground, the pre-school building, the floating jetties at the harbour, additional restaurants and shops have been hugely positive and successful. The same cannot be said for housing. Ten years of reasonable prosperity for some, has resulted in new private holiday homes built on the fringes of the village and others planned. They are not associated with the needs of the community. The majority of the owners have not the slightest interest in the history, culture or welfare of the community they have chosen to display their wealth.
Any such owners wishing to develop an interest in the history of Mountshannon could not do better than to start with Ger’s book. It’s A4 landscape, with an aerial colour photo of Mountshannon on the front and a map on the back. Inside, the foreword gives a brief overview of Mountshannon’s history. Then follow 52 pages, each with a black and white photo and each covering a building, a tree or a place of interest in and around Mountshannon. Their locations are shown on the map on the back cover.
But, although architectural information is provided, the book is not about the buildings per se. Each page is a window into Mountshannon’s history and, together, they provide a rich account of the place and its people over the centuries. Part of the interest is in the fact that buildings you might pass by without noticing turn out to have interesting stories attached to them. Nor are they all about the distant past: I was glad to see that Mountshannon’s more recent claim to fame, as the last telephone exchange in the country to be automated, was recognised here (although I suppose that too may seem like the distant past to younger readers).
I highly recommend the book. If you’re in the area, you’ll probably know better than I where to get copies; if you’re not, you might ask East Clare Heritage.
Ger runs boat trips to Holy Island during the summer.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Natural heritage, Operations, People, Scenery, Shannon, Sources, Steamers, The cattle trade, Tourism, waterways
Tagged boats, Clare, East Clare, Ger Madden, Holy Island, Ireland, Lough Derg, Mountshannon, Shannon, Tuamgraney
Ger Reid, the Ardnacrusha lockkeeper, retired at the end of December 2012. Ger has guided many boats through the locks over the years and has always been cheerful and reassuring as well as informative, helpful, reliable and competent. He will be sadly missed but I wish him well in his retirement.
Meanwhile, I have heard that Limerick City Council has decided not to renew Pat Lysaght’s contract for work on the river and has suggested that Waterways Ireland should retain him. Pat’s most important role, though, in assisting boats passing through Limerick (220 in 2012), has always been voluntary. Were Pat to cease to provide that service, I think the number of boats visiting Limerick would be greatly reduced.
Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Natural heritage, Operations, People, Shannon, shannon estuary, Tourism, waterways, Weather
Tagged Ardnacrusha, boats, bridge, canal, Clare, ESB, estuary, Ger Reid, Hunt Museum, Ireland, Killaloe, Limerick, Limerick City Council, lock, Lough Derg, Operations, Pat Lysaght, pilot, Shannon, vessels, water level, waterways, Waterways Ireland, workboat
Irish waterways history 