Big it up for Waterways Ireland

Posted on Tuesday 15 March 2011 | 2 comments

Waterways Ireland and the National Trails Office have come together to develop a technical specification, including code of practice and risk assessment for canoe and small vessel trails in Ireland.

The National Trails Office started work on the classification of water based trails in its publication,”Classification and grading of recreational trails.” The purpose of this tender is to develop this process further and produce a technical specification, including a code of practice and risk assessment for the future development of canoe and other small water vessel trails on the rivers and waterways of Ireland.

Tender notice on the eTenders Public Procurement website here, but you may need to be registered to get the bumpy.

This is a Jolly Good Idea and much to be encouraged. There are some suggestions for possible trails (mostly not on WI waters) on this site.

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Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Natural heritage, Operations, Tourism, Water sports activities

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Splashing the (marine) cash

Posted on Tuesday 15 March 2011 | 1 comment

Extract from the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Casualties) Act 2000:

Advances by Minister for marine or natural resources based tourism or heritage projects.

46.—The Minister may, from time to time, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, advance to a person, out of monies provided by the Oireachtas, for the purposes of marine or natural resource based tourism or heritage projects, such sums, by way of grant or loan, as the Minister may determine and upon such terms and conditions as he or she considers necessary.

That provision has nothing whatsoever to do with marine casualties. It seems to allow ministers to splash the (taxpayers’) cash to anyone they favour. The provision should be repealed immediately.

I presume that the minister, at the time when the act was introduced, did not notice the oddity of this inclusion.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Industrial heritage, Irish waterways general, Natural heritage, Tourism

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Fry’s Irish delight

Posted on Monday 14 March 2011 | 1 comment

Railway heads may wish to boogie on over to this site to look at a fifteen-minute video of the Fry Model Railway, which is to be evicted from its home at Malahide Castle.

The National Museum thinks saving the Fry isn’t really quite its sort of thing; no doubt it’s busy with its collection of frocks. It appears to possess one model steam railway locomotive; it has no steam engine, no diesel engine, but lots of stamps and coins.

The Fry includes some waterways items.

 

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Non-waterway, Operations, Rail, Tourism

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WI and residential boaters

Posted on Monday 14 March 2011 | Leave a comment

Here is an opinion piece about Waterways Ireland’s letter to the residential boaters (live-aboards) at Sallins on the Grand Canal.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Waterways management

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Liffey dissent

Posted on Friday 11 March 2011 | Leave a comment

Here is a potentially interesting case about rights on rivers.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Forgotten navigations, Natural heritage, Operations, Water sports activities

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Western Rail Corridor

Posted on Thursday 10 March 2011 | 1 comment

The Irish Times reports that numbers of passengers on the Western Rail Corridor from Limerick to Galway are at about two thirds of the level assumed in the “business case”.

Well I never. Who could have known?

No more restoration.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Rail, Restoration and rebuilding

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Intricate channels and interesting boats

Posted on Wednesday 9 March 2011 | Leave a comment

Another of the quays on the west side of the Fergus estuary: Lackannashinnagh, near Killadysert (Kildysert).

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Rail, shannon estuary, Steamers

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Ulster Canal to lead to united Ireland, says French blogger

Posted on Tuesday 8 March 2011 | Leave a comment

Google’s translation:

A great work that does not really captivates crowds in Ireland, unfortunately, apart from a few enthusiasts navigation, and it is a pity because the symbolic significance of these waterways, crisscrossing the island as a vector of unity, has not escaped the Dublin government has unblocked 35 million euros in 2007 to renovate the Ulster Canal, a waterway linking artery, once renovated, Belfast to Limerick (277 km apart for motorists).

More in French here.

Can it be that Craggy Island wants the Ulster Canal as a “vector of unity” rather than as a contribution to the economic development of Clones? Or that the Ulster Canal is (comme on dit) a Fenian plot? Surely not!

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Irish waterways general, Operations, Restoration and rebuilding, Tourism, Waterways management

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Goodbye Craggy Island?

Posted on Tuesday 8 March 2011 | Leave a comment

RTE is reporting that the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs may be broken up. Oh dear.

But no doubt its elements will continue the fight to build the Clones canal.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Irish waterways general, Operations, Restoration and rebuilding, Tourism, Waterways management

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Up the creek

Posted on Tuesday 1 March 2011 | Leave a comment

Ballycorick Bridge is north of Ballynacally, on the western side of the Fergus estuary in Co Clare. There is a small quay just below the bridge; Samuel Lewis mentioned the trade to that quay in 1837, and it stayed in use until the 1950s.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Irish inland waterways vessels, Natural heritage, Operations, shannon estuary

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