Category Archives: Tourism

The Repealer

Posted on Tuesday 25 September 2012 | Leave a comment

Here is a brief account of a trip from Waterford to new Ross by steamer in 1842.

Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Politics, Scenery, Steamers, Suir, Tourism, waterways

Tagged Barrow, boats, Cheekpoint, Daniel O'Connell, Dunbrody, Kohl, New Ross, Repeal, Repealer, steamer, Suir, Waterford, waterways

Praise for Kilrush

Posted on Wednesday 19 September 2012 | Leave a comment

Kilrush across the creek

It was highly gratifying to witness the animation that prevailed in Kilrush — the neatness of the little shops, the flagged pathway, and the absence of accumulated dirt, so prominent and offensive a peculiarity of most small towns in Ireland. The people about Kilrush (whose population is 5000) are handsome, and appear considerably more intelligent than in many other places.

Jonathan Binns The Miseries and Beauties of Ireland Vol II Longman, Orme, Brown and Co, London 1837

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

Tagged 1837, Clare, estuary, Ireland, Jonathan Binns, Kilrush, Shannon

A use for the Royal

Posted on Friday 14 September 2012 | Leave a comment

In an article on making use of the Royal Canal, I wrote:

[…] I am neither active in user groups nor a confidant of Waterways Ireland, so it is quite possible that folk have developed, or are developing, some plans to increase use of the Royal and Grand Canals (and the Barrow): plans that involve boats rather than, say, cyclists or walkers, who don’t actually need a functioning canal, just wayleaves and interesting artefacts to look at. I’d like to see such plans published on the Waterways Ireland website, but I haven’t found anything there.

But it seems that the cyclists may get in first. According to a report in today’s Irish Times [which may eventually disappear behind a paywall]:

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar has instructed the National Roads Authority to examine possible routes for a cross-country cycle path from Dublin to Galway, similar to the award-winning Great Western Greenway in Co Mayo.

Mr Varadkar, who is also responsible for tourism and sport, said he wanted to secure funding for the project he predicted had the potential to bring in at least €15 million per annum. While a proposed route remained to be decided, the Royal Canal was an “obvious candidate” for the stretch outside Dublin from Mullingar to Maynooth, he said.

[…] Mr Varadkar said the proposed Galway-Dublin facility should be open to walkers as well as cyclists, like the Great Western Greenway.

Nothing wrong with any of that, of course. And perhaps walking and cycling routes could be developed in other ares, eg from Belturbet to Clones ….

Notice, by the way, that the news story mentions the National Roads Authority and the National Transport Authority. But which body is not mentioned?

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged boats, bridge, canal, cycle, cycling, Dublin, Galway, green route, Ireland, Maynooth, Mullingar, Royal Canal, towing-path, towpath, trackway, Ulster Canal, Varadkar, walking, Waterways Ireland, wayleave

The Underpants Gnomes and the Shincliffe Traveller

Posted on Thursday 6 September 2012 | Leave a comment

Here is an article from 1792 about the virtues of the River Shannon. It was written by an unidentified Traveller from Shincliffe, near Durham. It is interesting as an earlyish example of the Irish waterways cargo cult which, it has been pointed out to me, resembles the business plan of the underpants gnomes.

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Posted in Ashore, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Natural heritage, Operations, People, Politics, Scenery, Shannon, shannon estuary, Sources, The cattle trade, Tourism, waterways

Tagged 1792, black cattle, Clare, estuary, Galway, Ireland, Kerry, King's County, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Offaly, Roscommon, Shannon, Shincliffe, Shinkliff, Tipperary, traveller, Westmeath

Raising the dead

Posted on Wednesday 5 September 2012 | Leave a comment

North Tipperary LEADER Partnership (lead), Clare Local Development Co. and Galway Rural Development Co. intends to contract an individual or company with relevant experience who will work in conjunction with the Lough Derg Marketing Strategy Group to identify tourism projects that would be eligible for funding under the Rural Development Programme. The aim, through animation and capacity building, is to assist the tourism sector in the three regions with the supports they require to develop Lough Derg as a key destination for water based activities combined with a range of very high quality walking, cycling, heritage and culture and food experience.

More info here; not sure whether you need to register to see it.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Operations, Politics, Scenery, Shannon, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged Clare, Galway, Ireland, Killaloe, Limerick, Lough Derg, Shannon, Tipperary, tourism, waterways

Liffey

Posted on Wednesday 22 August 2012 | Leave a comment

Users -v- visitors. Pic of Laura Lucy here.

Even though I can describe brigs, brigantines, barques, barquentines and ships (as well as ketches, yawls, schooners and snows and a few more), I have no interest in these so-called “tall ships” events. However, the Pelican‘s rig (seen from the ferry the other day) is worthy of notice.

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Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Politics, Sources, Tourism, Water sports activities, Waterways management

Tagged boats, bridge, Dublin, Ireland, Laura Lucy, Liffey, Operations, Sam Field Corbett, vessels, waterways

Committing golf

Posted on Tuesday 21 August 2012 | 3 comments

What is the World Corporate Golf Challenge? And why is Waterways Ireland sponsoring it?

Or is it?

Google found about ten mentions of an event called the “Irish qualifier” for the “Waterways Ireland World Corporate Golf Challenge” including this one from the NI Chamber of Commerce, which you might expect to have better things to do with its time. However, despite what some sites suggest, I suspect that (unless it has lost its penkas completely) WI is sponsoring only the “Irish qualifier” and not the entire worldwide event. WI’s website search engine returns no relevant information.

The World Corporate Golf Challenge (I’m already reaching for the sickbag) doesn’t seem to have heard of Ireland (or of Waterways Ireland), although it lists Northern Ireland as a participating country. So is this an “Irish qualifier” or a “Northern Irish qualifier”?

The WCGC, whose website tells us where the 2010 final will take place, seems to work by licensing organisations to run local competitions. The Northern Ireland licence is held by Lough Erne Resort, where the 2012 “Irish qualifier” will be held on 25 September; it has delegated the organising of the event to Posnett Golf, which will have a special offer but doesn’t yet know what it is. The resort was placed in administration in May 2011 and may now be for sale.

But why is WI sponsoring this event? It’s just going to attract a pack of Nigels and Patricks who, on a Tuesday, should have their feet under their desks saving the Northern Ireland economy. And all of them have already, I suspect, heard of Lough Erne, and of golf, so I don’t see what WI expects to gain from this.

Incidentally, have you ever noticed that golf is essentially a less exciting variant of Eeyore’s game?

But Eeyore wasn’t listening. He was taking the balloon out, and putting it back again, as happy as could be ….

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Ireland, Operations, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged Erne, golf, sponsor, Waterways Ireland

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

Sallins

Posted on Tuesday 14 August 2012 | 2 comments

On 8 August 2012 Waterways Ireland applied to Kildare County Council for planning permission for a development at Sallins:

The construction of a new 210m fixed timber house boat mooring facility for 12 boats with electric and water service supply bollards, 45m of a fixed timber short term mooring facility, car parking bays for 12 cars, access pathway suitable for disabled access, and a sewage pumpout for boats.

The application is at pre-validation stage. Submissions are to be made by 11 September and the “due date” is 2 October 2012. The file number is 12645. I can find no additional documents or details.

To see the application, go to this page and install the download before clicking on “Link to Full Planning Enquiry System”. Cookies will have to be enabled.

IRBOA doesn’t seem to have the news on its site yet, but it is interesting to compare the current proposal with what was discussed at the IRBOA meeting in Sallins on 8 March [2011, I think].

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Tourism, Waterways management