Waterways Ireland’s proposed new moorings on Lough Erne. Note that the links at the bottom of the page [which do not include this or this] are to PDFs.
The “heaviest cruisers”, eh? Hmph. And “egress” is not the mot juste. But let us not carp: perhaps the idea will, in time, be applied on some southron waterways too.
Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Natural heritage, Operations, Safety, Scenery, Sources, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged boats, buoy, Erne, Ireland, mooring, Operations, vessels, waterways, Waterways Ireland
The European Commission is taking the UK government to court because it
… does not require fuel distributors to have two separate fuel tanks to distinguish between the lower tax marked fuel and the fuel subject to the standard rate.
As a result, owners of pleasure craft sometimes (poor dears) find themselves with no choice but to buy red diesel and they may not pay the right amount of tax, which is no doubt a cause of great sadness to them.
As I (and the Irish Examiner) reported some time ago, the Commission is also coming after Ireland’s ludicrous arrangement. Ireland was to respond to the Reasoned Opinion by 16 June 2014; the Revenue Commissioners have not told me how (or indeed whether) they responded.
Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Sea, Sources, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged boats, European Commission, green diesel, Ireland, marked gas oil, mineral oil tax, Operations, red diesel, UK, waterways
T W Freeman “Tullamore and its environs, Co Offaly” in Irish Geography (Bulletin of the Geographical Society of Ireland) Vol 1 No 5 1948 (based on material collected in 1947):
The original geographical advantage lay in the canal, which placed it on the main line from Dublin to Limerick around 1800, but canal traffic, though still important, is no longer crucial.
However …
Social activities in Tullamore include a wide range of clubs for athletics, dances, bridge, a modern cinema, and the occasional extra shows and matches that mean so much to the people of a country town and its surroundings. On the athletic side the new swimming pool is the most attractive recent addition (but no mixed bathing) ….
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Operations, People, Politics, Sources, Water sports activities, waterways
Tagged Dublin, Grand Canal, Ireland, Limerick, mixed bathing, Operations, swimming pool, Tullamore, waterways
Waterways Ireland has no staff on temporary contracts but has 32 on seasonal contracts.
Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Operations, People, Politics, Safety, Shannon, Sources, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged department of arts heritage and the gaeltacht, employees, Ireland, Operations, seasonal, staff, temporary, Waterways Ireland
I am grateful to Waterways Ireland for letting me have the Shannon traffic figures for June 2014. All the usual caveats apply:
On the other hand, the figures do include the Shannon’s most significant tourism activity, the cruiser hire business. And they are our only consistent long-term indicator of usage of the inland waterways.
Total (private + hired) traffic for the first six months of each year
Total traffic is down again, but only slightly. The decline does seem to be levelling off and a continuation of the relatively good weather could increase usage.
Private-boat traffic for the first six months of each year
Private traffic is down slightly on last year, but it has been pretty much the same for three years. I had thought that the good weather might have caused something of an increase, but on the other hand my own impression of Lough Derg traffic (not reflected in the passage figures) is that it has been fairly light.
Hire-boat traffic for the first six months of each year
For hire-boat traffic, there is no sign of an upturn, although the drop on last year’s figures is not very large.
Changes since 2003: private and hired boats
That table amalgamates the two before it, but shows the figures as percentages of the 2003 figures. For private boats, the Celtic Tiger (nach maireann) caused an increase; that effect has worn off and usage has not changed much since about 2011. For hired boats, the decline began long before the Celtic Tiger idiocy.
From 75/25 to 50/50
Hired boats were once the major users; private boats have almost caught up.
How to save money
I don’t know how much the various locks cost to run, so I can’t work out any measure of value for money, but the sea lock in Limerick and the Lough Allen Canal must surely be candidates for the chop.
Posted in Built heritage, Canals, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Shannon, shannon estuary, Sources, Tourism, Uncategorized, waterways, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged boats, bridge, canal, Ireland, Limerick, lock, Lough Derg, Operations, Shannon, Shannon traffic, vessels, waterways, Waterways Ireland
Irish waterways history 