The Northern Ireland Executive’s Programme for Government (PDF) is available for download here. The accompanying statement to the Northern Ireland Assembly by the First Minister and deputy First Minister (MW Word .docx) is downloadable here and can also be read on the Assembly’s website here.
There is no mention of waterways or canals in either document.
Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Non-waterway, Operations, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Tourism, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged Erne, Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland Assembly, Northern Ireland Executive, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways Ireland
The Irish Times says that there is to be a meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council on Friday 18 November 2011, with the A5 road on the agenda. Perhaps there will be some news about how the proposed Clones Canal is to be funded.
Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Ulster Canal, Waterways management
Tagged canal, Clones, department of arts heritage and the gaeltacht, Department of Community Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Erne, Lough Neagh, North South Ministerial Council, northsouthery, NSMC, Ulster Canal, Waterways Ireland
A modest proposal here for funding the canal.
Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged Clones, Department of Community Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Erne, funding, industrial heritage, Lough Neagh, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways Ireland
… in Clones.
Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Restoration and rebuilding, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged canal, Clones, Department of Community Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Erne, Ireland, Lough Neagh, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways Ireland
The Anglo-Celt reports that Ballyconnell, Co Cavan, is to have a new “inner relief road” (a cure for indigestion?). The road will cross the Junction Canal (Shannon–Erne Waterway), or Woodford Canal as the newspaper calls it, on “an expansive new bridge”:
The bridge has to allow enough clearance for boating traffic on the canal. The new road will come out past the Old Ennis Mill location and just before the Quinn cement plant.
The work is to be finished by August 2012. The Waterways Ireland website has, as yet, no information about any interruption to navigation during construction.
Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Non-waterway, Waterways management
Tagged Ballinamore and Ballyconnell Canal, Ballyconnell, boats, bridge, canal, Erne, Ireland, Junction Canal, Operations, Shannon, Shannon-Erne Waterway, Waterways Ireland
… but without a stake through its heart. The Ulster Canal is dead, but it’s spinning in its grave. Its parent department has admitted some of the truth about its funding, but Waterways Ireland will be applying for planning permission for the scheme: there’s enough money for that, but not for digging. Nonetheless, Fine Gael TDs have managed to distract attention from the absence of funding by pointing to the planning application, while Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil have not realised that a scheme’s benefits should outweigh its costs. Return of the Son of the Ghost of the Bride of the Ulster Canal on view here.
Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged Anglo-Celt, assets, budget, canal, Cavan, Clones, Dáil, Deenihan, Department of Community Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Dublin, Erne, Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Heather Humphreys, Ireland, lost, Lough Neagh, McGinley, McLellan, minister, Monaghan, Operations, Shannon, Sinn Fein, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways Ireland
I go away for a week and suddenly there’s lots of information about the funding of the Ulster Canal …. Happily, I was on the Erne, so I was able to read the Anglo-Celt, the Leitrim Observer and the Impartial Reporter, and was thus able to keep up with the news.
The really extraordinary thing, no doubt the result of an amazing coincidence, is that this sudden access of information comes just as I expect a ruling from the Office of the Information Commissioner on my appeal against Craggy Island’s refusal to give me any meaningful information about the funding of the project.
My last letter to Craggy Island on the subject was a request for an internal review of their refusal; as expected, that too resulted in a refusal, which enabled me to go to the Information Commissioner. You might, nonetheless, be interested to read my letter.
I will comment later on the content of the recent relevations and on how they’ve been spun; happily, Ewan Duffy was not deceived by the spin.
Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Non-waterway, Operations, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged bridge, bullshit, canal, Clones, Department of Community Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Erne, FOI, funding, Ireland, lost, Lough Neagh, Operations, spin, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways Ireland
Deputy Gerry Adams:
[…] The Taoiseach might update us on other flagship projects such as the Ulster Canal — at least, it was described as a flagship project at the time it was launched. […]
The Taoiseach:
[…] A number of issues were identified which clearly, from any political point of view, would be of interest and benefit to the infrastructure and the economies North and South. The Deputy mentioned some which have been under discussion for a long time. Were we not obliged to pay €3 billion to Anglo Irish Bank for the next ten years, it would be great to be able to tell the Deputy that the Government could now deal with the Ulster Canal or a number of other issues. Unfortunately, that is not the way it is at present. Consequently, from that perspective the Government will continue to commit itself to working diligently in the interests of the development of the economies North and South and, in consequence, of the entire island. […]
[…] Deputy Adams knows we could deal with the Ulster Canal and many other issues in the north west and elsewhere in the country if we did not have this imposition and burden, but that is a fact of life. […]
[Emphasis mine]
[…] The Project Co-Ordinator for the regeneration of the Ulster Canal says he is not concerned about the funding issue. Gerry Darby says he is still confident that the Ulster Canal regeneration is on track.
What is the basis for that confidence?
Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Non-waterway, Operations, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged Anglo Irish Bank, canal, Clones, Dáil, Department of Community Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Enda Kenny, Erne, Gerry Adams, Gerry Darby, Ireland, Lough Neagh, Operations, Shannon, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways Ireland
When in Clones the Minister stated that he had been “warned not to give a commitment to funding” in relation to the redevelopment of the Ulster Canal, although he also remarked that he would be anxious to see the initiative going ahead.
Whoda thunk?
Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Foreign parts, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Sources, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged boats, canal, Clones, Department of Community Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Erne, Ireland, Lough Neagh, Operations, Ulster Canal, waterways
Here are some pages about the Junction Navigation in the Ballinamore & Ballyconnell drainage district. It later became known as the Ballinamore & Ballyconnell Canal and later still as the Shannon–Erne Waterway.
The role of the cads and bounders of the Ulster Canal Company in getting a canal built at taxpayers’ expense
The construction of the Junction Navigation at Aghoo (Lock 4)
Lock gear old and new
And here’s a reminder of an old page about the Belturbet-built dredger used in constructing the navigation.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Sources, Steamers, The cattle trade, The turf trade, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged aghoo, belfast, Belturbet, boats, bounders, bridge, cads, canal, Clones, Department of Community Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, drainage, dredger, Dublin, Erne, gear, Grand Canal, Ireland, Killaloe, Limerick, lock, Lough Neagh, Mahony, McMahon, Mulvany, Operations, paddle, rack, Royal Canal, Shannon, turf, Ulster Canal, vessels, water level, waterways, Williams
Irish waterways history