Tag Archives: Dublin

Prothero

Posted on Tuesday 20 March 2012 | Leave a comment

This site includes several extracts from F E Prothero’s 1896 and 1898 accounts of small-boat trips on Irish waterways. This short page shows what I know about Mr Prothero; I would welcome further information.

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Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Natural heritage, People, Scenery, Shannon, shannon estuary, Sources, Tourism, Ulster Canal, Water sports activities, waterways, Weather

Tagged Barrow, boats, Clones, Dublin, Erne, estuary, Fergus, Grand Canal, Ireland, Killaloe, Limerick, Lough Derg, Lough Neagh, Prothero, Royal Canal, Shannon, Ulster Canal, waterways

Weld eggs …

Posted on Saturday 17 March 2012 | Leave a comment

… on the Royal Canal.

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Posted in Ashore, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Shannon, Sources, Steamers, The cattle trade, waterways

Tagged boats, bridge, canal, Dublin, eggs, Ireland, Isaac Weld, Killashee, Lanesborough, Operations, Royal Canal, Shannon, Tarmonbarry

Royal Canal: speed of lock operation

Posted on Tuesday 13 March 2012 | Leave a comment

From Robert Mallett MRIA, MSCEI “On certain improved Methods of constructing Valves or Sluices, as applied to Canal and Dock Gates, &c, and similar Works of Hydraulic Engineering” in The Architectural Magazine 1837.

A target for WI to aim for?

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

Tagged Dublin, Ireland, lock, Royal Canal, waterways

Liffey barges

Posted on Tuesday 13 March 2012 | Leave a comment

From The Dublin Penny Journal Vol 1 No 18 27 October 1832

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Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Sources, waterways

Tagged barge, Dublin, Ireland, Liffey

More on WI’s non-houseboat policy

Posted on Sunday 11 March 2012 | Leave a comment

A year ago, in March 2011, I wrote about Waterways Ireland’s attempt to reorganise the liveaboard boats on the Grand Canal at Sallins. That attempt ultimately failed, and WI’s provision of houseboat moorings at Shannon Harbour was likewise unsuccessful: usually reliable sources tell me that two spaces have been allocated, but to non-residential boats.

Amongst the concentrations of boats parked on the Grand Canal (most of them disregarding the five-day rule), the proportions of residential boats are [I think: I know of no reliable statistics] higher at Hazelhatch and Sallins, both at the eastern end, rather lower at Lowtown and lowest at Tullamore and Shannon Harbour.

It seems that WI’s focus has shifted away from the residential boats, which it tried to tackle last year, to the non-residential boats: it has recently issued Marine Notices warning that the five-day rule will be enforced at hard-edged [ie the best] moorings on Tullamore’s “spur line” and between the 35th Lock and Griffith Bridge at Shannon Harbour. However, no notices have so far been issued about Lowtown, Sallins or Hazelhatch.

I think WI is right to separate the residential issue from the parking, but it will be interesting to see what is planned for the eastern end of the canal.

Incidentally, all of this smacks of Kremlinology, trying to deduce policy positions from minor clues, and is necessarily speculative. It would be really nice if WI published policy proposals on its website, invited comments and then formally promulgated the final policies.

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Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations, Sources, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged boats, bridge, canal, Dublin, Grand Canal, Hazelhatch, Ireland, kremlinology, liveaboard, lock, Lowtown, Operations, residential boating, Sallins, Shannon Harbour, Tullamore, waterways, Waterways Ireland

An unofficial temporary Royal Canal closure?

Posted on Friday 9 March 2012 | Leave a comment

A correspondent writes:

Trees in the cut (photo reproduced by kind permission of the copyright owner)

I walked the stretch of the Royal Canal from Drumcondra to Leixlip last Sunday. Just before Callaghan Bridge there was considerable work being done felling trees along the bank. Hopefully no boater tried to pass this way over the weekend […]. Several trees lay across the width of the canal, and a very large section of what looked like plywood was also floating on the surface.

I understand from WI’s website that winter closures affect locks from the 8th eastwards, but no Marine Notice suggests closures just west of the 12th (although closures were expected from the 33rd westward). Perhaps anyone planning to navigate on the long level between the 12th and 13th should check with Waterways Ireland.

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Posted in Ashore, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Natural heritage, Operations, Scenery, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged 12th, Blanchardstown, Callaghan Bridge, deep sinking, Dublin, Leixlip, long level, Royal Canal, trees, Waterways Ireland

A waterway for everyone in the audience

Posted on Friday 9 March 2012 | Leave a comment

My attention has been drawn to this Dáil written question by Joan Burton TD (Dublin West, Labour) and the answer by Éamon Ó Cuív TD (Minister, Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs; Galway West, Fianna Fail).

The layout on the kildarestreet site is not perfect, so I reproduce some of the list here:

The following are the details requested by the Deputy in respect of non-navigable stretches of canals that are within the control of Waterways Ireland and are being or could be restored:

Grand Canal

Kilbeggan Branch (8.2 miles long) in Co. Offaly and Co. Westmeath

Part of Naas & Corbally Branch (Corbally Extension) (4.4 miles long) in Co. Kildare

Barrow Line Part of Mountmellick Branch (0.25 miles long) in Co. Kildare (remaining 11 miles filled in).

Royal Canal

Part of Royal Canal (11 miles long) in Co. Longford, currently under restoration

Longford Branch (3 miles long) in Co. Longford.

The Royal Canal main line is currently under restoration and the remaining work necessary to return it to full navigation between Dublin and the Shannon is due for completion in 2010.

Ulster Canal

46 miles long in Co. Cavan, Co. Monaghan, Co. Fermanagh and Co. Armagh.

Approval has been given to Waterways Ireland to restore the stretch between Lough Erne and Clones. Present indications are that this stretch could be re-opened by 2013.

And (perhaps because the economy was so successful) we could have waterways everywhere:

It is intended, subject to availability of resources, to carry out feasibility studies and preliminary designs in relation to the Longford Branch, the Kilbeggan Branch and the Corbally Extension, along with extensions to Annagh Upper near Dowra on the Shannon Navigation and to Lough Oughter on the Erne System with a view to possible re-opening. Consideration will also be given to the carrying out of preliminary analysis and assessment of the Mountmellick Branch, as well as the Boyne Navigation (which is primarily a river navigation) and the extension towards Mohill on the Rinn River, as future possibilities for restoration.

“The Irish economy entered severe recession in 2008,” according to Wikipedia’s useful summary of the financial crisis, but Craggy Island (nach maireann, comme on dit) still hoped to drag Ireland into the Canal Age.

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Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Tourism, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged Annagh Upper, Boyne, canal, Clones, Corbally, Department of Community Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Dowra, Dublin, Erne, Grand Canal, Ireland, Kilbeggan, Longford, Lough Oughter, Mohuill, Mountmellick, Rinn River, Royal Canal, Shannon, Ulster Canal, waterways

Lough Derg water

Posted on Friday 9 March 2012 | 1 comment

The lake level seems to be down about a foot. Two rumours purport to account for this: either (a) the powers-that-be want us to get used to a new, lower level, so that we won’t notice when Dublin starts extracting water, or (b) the ESB is generating as much electricity as it can before it starts getting charged for water. Such charges would be covered by the same European Commission reasoned opinion as that mentioned here that might see Waterways Ireland being charged to fill the Grand, Royal and SEW.

Or, of course, it could just be that there hasn’t been much rain. According to Met Éireann’s seasonal summary for winter 2012 [two-page PDF]:

Majority of rainfall totals were below normal for winter across the southern half of the country and in some parts of the east. Rainfall totals were below average in the majority of these parts during December and January, while all stations reported dry conditions in February. Most stations the east and south reported a below average number of wetdays (days with 1 mm or more) and the driest winter since 2006 (6 years).

Ardnacrusha usually runs fewer turbines in summer.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Non-waterway, Operations, Politics, waterways, Waterways management, Weather