Foxton locks drained

Posted on Saturday 10 February 2018 | 3 comments

Jonathan Calder reports on the open day at the locks, now drained for maintenance.

Read about the Foxton inclined plane (nach maireann) here.

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Posted in Built heritage, Canals, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Historical matters, Industrial heritage, Operations, waterways, Waterways management, Weather

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Killaloe/Ballina talk on steamers

Posted on Wednesday 7 February 2018 | Leave a comment

Wednesday 28 February 2018, Wood & Bell café, Killaloe, 7.00pm; details here.

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Posted in Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Historical matters, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Passenger traffic, People, Politics, Rail, Roads, Sea, Shannon, Steamers, The cattle trade, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management

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Tax evasion for boat-owners

Posted on Thursday 1 February 2018 | 2 comments

Yes: it’s that time of year again, when the owners of diesel-powered private pleasure craft, or at least those of them who have been filling their boats with Marked Gas Oil, can decide whether to join the small elite who pay the Mineral Oil Tax or to stay with the vast majority who ignore the tax and thus become tax evaders. [I cannot see how non-payment could be classified as mere tax avoidance.]

Revenue has been so overcome by the numbers wishing to pay that it hasn’t actually got around to printing the form for 2018 (covering diesel bought in 2017), but I am told that last year’s form can be used. The tax is described here and the requisite form, PPN1, can be downloaded by clicking on “Related forms” on that page.

 

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Posted in Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Modern matters, Operations, Politics, Water sports activities

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Get out of jail free cards

Posted on Monday 22 January 2018 | Leave a comment

An American innovation.

Nothing like that in Ireland, of course.

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Posted in Foreign parts

Victoria’s secrets

Posted on Sunday 21 January 2018 | 2 comments

Victoria uncovered, as you’ve [probably] never seen her before: very interesting photos by Niall Galway here.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Historical matters, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Modern matters, Operations, People, Restoration and rebuilding, Shannon, waterways, Waterways management, Weather

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Shannon Princess

Posted on Thursday 18 January 2018 | 3 comments

The African Queen, formerly the Shannon Princess (1), is for sale.

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Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Shannon, Tourism

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The Officer

Posted on Saturday 13 January 2018 | 5 comments

I see from the blatts that Dickie Fletcher, who set up the Galley cruising restaurant in New Ross, bought a boat called The Officer after the Ross and before the St Ciarán and St Brendan. I had not heard of The Officer before; I would welcome information (leave a Comment below) about its past and (if any) present.

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Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Historical matters, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Passenger traffic, People, Ulster Canal, waterways

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The bells of St Clement’s

Posted on Friday 12 January 2018 | Leave a comment

Isn’t economic history fun?

In this article, we argue that the mafia arose as a response to an exogenous shock in the demand for oranges and lemons, following Lind’s discovery in the late eighteenth century that citrus fruits cured scurvy. More specifically, we claim that mafia appeared in locations where producers made high profits from citrus production for overseas export.

h/t Matt Levine, the thinking man’s guide to Wall Street.

 

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Posted in Economic activities, Foreign parts

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Maggie May: Liverpool 1840

Posted on Tuesday 9 January 2018 | Leave a comment
Brothels

31st December 1839: 591
31st December 1840: 568
Decrease: 23

Number of those existing in 1839 which were still open on 31st December 1840: 435
Number opened in 1840: 133
Number closed in 1840: 156

Proprietors having given up keeping these houses: 88
Proprietors having been reformed: 35
Proprietors in prison: 20
Proprietors having been transported: 4
Proprietors having died: 9

Number of prostitutes 31st December 1839: 2057
Number of prostitutes 31st December 1840: 2083
Increase: 26

Average number in each house: 3½

Houses, not Brothels, in which Prostitutes lodge

31st December 1839: 184
31st December 1840: 199
Decrease: 15

Number of those existing in 1839 which were still open on 31st December 1840: 156
Number opened in 1840: 43
Number closed in 1840: 28

Proprietors having given up keeping these houses: 19
Proprietors having been reformed: 8
Proprietors having died: 1

Number of prostitutes 31st December 1839: 347
Number of prostitutes 31st December 1840: 406
Increase: 59

Average number in each house: 2

Source

Adapted from Table No 181 “Statement of the number of brothels, prostitutes, prostitutes’ lodging houses, mendicant’s [sic] lodging houses, and houses for the reception of stolen property, within the jurisdiction of the Liverpool Police, during the year 1840” in Tables of the Revenue, Population, Commerce, &c of the United Kingdom and its Dependencies Part X 1840 compiled from official returns HMSO London 1842

 

 

 

 

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Foreign parts, Historical matters

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Killaloe Bridge

Posted on Tuesday 9 January 2018 | Leave a comment

A new bridge for Killaloe:

We may here state that in the projected improvements of the Shannon, the rapids will be lowered, a new bridge erected, and the navigation of the river between Killaloe and Limerick materially altered.

James Fraser, Landscape Gardener and Designer of Rural Improvements A Hand Book for Travellers in Ireland, descriptive of its scenery, towns, seats, antiquities, etc with various statistical tables. Also an outline of its mineral structure, a brief view of its botany, and information for anglers William Curry, Jun and Company, Dublin; Longman and Company, London; Fraser and Co, Edinburgh 1844

It took a while, but the new bridge seems to be on its way. The old bridge — which has been altered in many ways over the years — has done enough and deserves to be relieved of the volume of traffic crossing it daily.

Anyone intending to create any further delays to the bypass should be invited to go and boil his or her head.

 

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Historical matters, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Roads, Shannon, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management

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