Do my eyes deceive me?
The still-unopened mooring pontoons below the bridge at Ballina (bottom of Lough Derg) seem to have sprouted an extension.
Here is what they looked like in 2009.
The upstream end of the Ballina pontoons in February 2009
Here they are in the floods of November 2009.
The upstream end of the Ballina pontoons in the floods of November 2009
And here they are in January 2011, seen from downriver.
The upstream end of the Ballina pontoons in January 2011
Well I never.
Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Irish waterways general, Operations, Weather
Tagged Ballina, boats, bridge, Clare, floods, flow, Ireland, jetties, Killaloe, Lough Derg, Operations, pontoon, Shannon, Tipperary, water level, waterways, Waterways Ireland
As part of its new mooring scheme at Killaloe, Waterways Ireland has commissioned contractors (L&M Keating Ltd) to carry out various works including the installation of a lock at the upper end of the canal, beside the Phoenix boathouse and just downstream from the Pierhead. The lock is to control access to the canal; presumably the stop planks in the existing lock chamber will be removed, allowing boats to pass down under the bridge.
The lock under construction
As I understand it, this lock is to have a single pair of gates. Boats wishing to pass through will tie up temporarily and use a squawk-box (or similar technological marvel) to communicate with the bridge-keeper at Portumna, who will cause the gates to be opened and then, presumably, closed after the boat has passed through. This system will prevent the use of the canal by cads and bounders using jetskis, speedboats and other excrescences.
Stanked off and pumped out
However, the water through Killaloe Bridge has a gradient or slope, especially in flood and when Ardnacrusha power station is running. The canal above the lock will be at the higher level; the canal below the lock will be fed from the bottom end, where it rejoins the river. So is there not likely to be a difference in height at the lock? Is this the equivalent of a flash lock?
I’m sure there is an engineering answer to this; I would welcome enlightenment.
Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Operations, Weather
Tagged boats, bridge, canal, Clare, ESB, flash lock, floods, flow, Ireland, Killaloe, L&M Keating Ltd, Limerick Navigation, lock, Lough Derg, Operations, Phoenix, Shannon, stank, vessels, water level, Waterways Ireland
The view from Dromod 30 December 2010.
Dromod
The Swiss Army Knife is no longer sprawling across the canal above Noggus Bridge on the Grand: it’s parked in the middle of the canal, closer to the bridge.
Posted in Ashore, Extant waterways, Irish waterways general, Operations, Scenery, Weather
Tagged boats, Boderg, Bofin, bridge, canal, Dromod, Grand Canal, harbour, ice, Ireland, Noggus Bridge, Shannon, Swiss Army knife, vessels, waterways, Waterways Ireland, workboat
I don’t know if you remember, but a few months ago we had sunshine, and it was warm outside. Back then, at the end of May in fact, I went on the Industrial Heritage Association of Ireland‘s tour of Carrick-on-Suir, Clonmel and areas in between.
In Carrick, Ralph O’Callaghan showed us some of the sights and addressed the group in the Heritage Centre. Here are some of the things he showed us.
Ralph O'Callaghan shows a model of a yawl (a horse-drawn boat used to carry goods between Carrick and Clonmel)
This yawl is equipped for sand-dredging
Note the large rudder
The yawl
A steel shoe for one of the 30' poles used by Suir and Barrow boatmen
A hand-made net for snap-net fishing
After lunch, I was fortunate to be one of two people who got a trip in Ralph O’Callaghan’s canoe, from Kilsheelan upstream to the Anner bridge just downstream of Sir Thomas’s Bridge, which is itself downstream of Clonmel.
I have set up a small (approx 120-photo) slide show to give an idea of the conditions on the Suir at the time. The water level was low after several dry weeks, but the previous winter’s floods may have left more silt than usual. At any event, a successful passage required Ralph’s skills and his intimate knowledge of the river and its weirs. You can see some of the weirs, and the gorgeous scenery, in the show.
I am very grateful to both Ralph O’Callaghan and Fred Hamond for facilitating the boat trip and for sharing their immense knowledge of the Suir.
If you like interesting boats, you’ll like Ralph’s canoe.
Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Non-waterway, Operations, Scenery, The fishing trade, Weather
Tagged Anner, apple, Black Weir, boats, bridge, Bulmers, canal, canoe, Carrick-on-Suir, Clonmel, fishing hut, floods, flow, Gurteen, Gurteen Le Poer, IHAI< Ferd Hamond, Ireland, Killaloan, Kilsheelan, lost, Magners, Neal's Weir, Operations, orchard, Power's Weir, quay, Ralph O'Callaghan, Rodrigo Flash, Sir Thomas's bridge, Slievenamon, Suir, Tikincor, vessels, water level, waterways, weir
Two recent stories of people in canals in freezing weather. This one had a happy ending; this one didn’t.
Posted in Ashore, Extant waterways, Irish waterways general, Weather
Tagged Boyne, bridge, canal, drowning, Grand Canal, Inchicore, Ireland, lock, LUAS, Oldbridge, Operations, rescue, waterways
Work in progress on the new moorings above the bridge in Killaloe.
WIP Killaloe 12 December 2010
Below the bridge, the downstream end of the canal has been blocked by a fallen tree. The ESB boats (62M and the tug) have been moved to the dockyard side (I don’t know whether that has anything to do with the blockage) and the path down the side of the marble mill has been blocked by a locked gate. It is climbable, but being burdened I did not attempt it.
Killaloe canal blocked
Posted in Ashore, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations, Weather
Tagged 62M, blocked, boats, bridge, canal, Clare, fallen tree, Grand Canal, Ireland, jetties, Killaloe, Lough Derg, moorings, Operations, piling, Shannon, tug, waterways, Waterways Ireland, workboat
The Grand Canal from Noggus Bridge 11 December 2010
Haughton's Shore (Shannon Erne Waterway) 11 December 2010
Garadice Lough frozen 11 December 2010
It’s cold outside.
Posted in Ashore, Extant waterways, Irish waterways general, Weather
Tagged boats, bridge, canal, Garadice Lough, Grand Canal, Haughton's Shore, ice, Ireland, lake, Noggus Bridge, Shannon-Erne Waterway, waterways
Photographed 11 December 2010 from Noggus Bridge (N62) on the Grand Canal, south of Ferbane. As the Swiss Army Knife has been parked there for some time, I presume its function is to block boat access to Shannon Harbour while work is under way there. But wouldn’t some planks, or a couple of padlocks at Lock 32, have been cheaper?
Swiss Army stop plank
If it is parked there for some other reason, I would be glad to know of it.
Irish waterways history 