Category Archives: Waterways management

Revising the Royal

Posted on Friday 22 February 2013 | 1 comment

Ewan Duffy of IndustrialHeritageIreland and I have both, in recent times, uncovered new information about the history of the Royal Canal after it was taken over by the Midland Great Western Railway in 1845: a period that, because (I think) of the absence of company archives, is not well covered in published histories of the Royal. Ewan today said that he will be posting new material about the stretch from Lock 1 to Lock 5 on 30 March 2013, so watch that space.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Non-waterway, Operations, Rail, Restoration and rebuilding, Steamers, waterways, Waterways management

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Dargan, O’Regan, steam and the Newry Canal

Posted on Wednesday 20 February 2013 | Leave a comment

I wrote here about Simon O’Regan’s passenger-carrying screw steamer tried on the Grand Canal in Dublin in 1850. I am grateful to John Ditchfield for pointing me to an article about what happened next: steam trials on the Newry Canal in 1850, but this time with a lumber (freight) boat.

I would welcome more information about Simon O’Regan or about the use of steam power on the Newry Canal.

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Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Rail, Restoration and rebuilding, Sources, Steamers, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways management

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Across the wires the electric message came …

Posted on Wednesday 20 February 2013 | Leave a comment

… “He is no better, he is much the same”, as the late poet laureate so well put it. Fuel supply on the Shannon is perhaps of less significance than the illness of one so elevated as a Prince of Wales (despite the Athlone connection), but “much the same” describes the list of holders of marked fuel [green diesel] traders’ licences: I see no change on the latest list.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Shannon, Sources, waterways, Waterways management

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Be very afraid ….

Posted on Tuesday 19 February 2013 | 2 comments

Just in from Waterways Ireland.

Waterways Ireland to Begin Enforcement of Mooring Bye-laws on Grand & Royal Canal and Barrow Navigation

Waterways Ireland will begin enforcement of the mooring Bye-Laws on the Barrow Navigation, Grand Canal and Royal Canal on the 19th March 2013. A Marine Notice will be issued on the 19th March to this effect.

The enforcement process will begin with non-permitted, sunken and abandoned boats already on the system. The first step in the process is notification. Continued non-compliance with the Bye-laws may result in the craft being removed from the navigation and stored at the owners cost.

A one year permit for passage and 5 day mooring costs €126. A year-long mooring permit for a single location costs €152. For boats already on the canal system, both permits must be applied for in advance of the 19th March 2013 and be on display on the boat by the 31st March 2013.

New boats visiting the Grand Canal, Royal Canal or Barrow Navigation for longer than 1 month may apply for the CMP in advance of arrival on the system and must apply for the Extended Mooring Permit as soon as they plan to remain for longer than five days in a single location.

The application process is simple using a form that can be downloaded from www.waterwaysireland.org or sent out by post from Waterways Ireland Tullamore (Tel no 057 9352300).

Waterways Ireland has extended the number of Authorised Officers, who under the Bye-laws have the authority to undertake enforcement.

More information is available from Shane Anderson, Assistant Inspector of Navigation: Tel no +353 (0)87 286 5726, Email shane.anderson@waterwaysireland.org .

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Sources, waterways, Waterways management

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Grand Canal Dock improvements

Posted on Tuesday 19 February 2013 | Leave a comment

L & M Keating at work here.

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Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations, People, Restoration and rebuilding, Sources, waterways, Waterways management

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Clones

Posted on Tuesday 19 February 2013 | Leave a comment

From the Clones Regeneration Partnership Ltd website:

PROJECT OFFICER » Unfortunately the Clones Regeneration Partnership Canal Officer post has come to an end ….

Though I disagreed with the case put forward by Gerry Darby, I am sorry to hear of his departure. My main criticisms of the Clones Sheugh proposal are directed at the Irish government.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Foreign parts, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways management

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The corncrake and the decline of religion

Posted on Monday 18 February 2013 | Leave a comment

On 13 February 2013 the Irish Times reported that a farmers’ representative had told politicians that

Farmers in the Shannon callows are facing extinction along with the corncrake and wading birds […].

He wanted taxpayers’ money to be spent on stopping the river flooding its flood plain.

Back in the days when people believed in gods, they would have known what a flood meant: it was a message from a deity, telling them to stop whatever they were doing. On the Shannon, either people have stopped believing in gods or they are having some difficulty in interpreting the message, despite its having been delivered over and over again for hundreds of years. If it were interpreted properly, or even if landowners had a modicum of common sense, they would realise that they should either cease trying to earn a living along the banks of a river that floods regularly or adapt their expectations or their activities to take account of the floods (one thinks of rice paddies …).

In the years 2009–2011 net subsidies to agriculture in the Midland region were 114.4% of the operating surplus. For the Border, Midland and Western region as a whole, the figure was 110.4%. In other words, agriculture in those regions is, on balance, a form of outdoor therapy for landowners: it is not an economic activity, and there is no point in taxpayers’ spending any more money on it.

 

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

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Wexford

Posted on Monday 18 February 2013 | 2 comments

Here is a great account of the development of Wexford Harbour, with a history of its shipping here.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Natural heritage, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Rail, Scenery, Sources, Steamers, The fishing trade, waterways, Waterways management

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The dangers of canal bridges …

Posted on Friday 8 February 2013 | Leave a comment

… to Her Majesty’s mails.

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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, Sources, waterways, Waterways management

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Big it up for Hanley’s Marina

Posted on Monday 4 February 2013 | Leave a comment

Yes, folks: the high point of your week — the inspection of the updated list of holders of Marked Fuel Trader’s Licences [.xls] — will be even more exciting this week, with a 50% increase in the number of traders licensed to sell green diesel along the Shannon. Welcome Hanley’s Marina at Ballyleague, Lanesborough, to the fold: there are now three places on the Shannon where you can buy green diesel.

Mind you, there are still none south of Killinure, none in Carrick-on-Shannon, none on the [RoI] Erne ….

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Posted in Economic activities, Ireland, Operations, Politics, Shannon, waterways, Waterways management

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