Fr Oliver Kennedy, of the Lough Neagh Fishermen’s Cooperative Society, which ran the eel fishery [PDF], has died at the age of 83.
The ESB eel-catching apparatus at Killaloe Bridge is being renewed (and not, as I feared, removed). Eels are caught now only to be transported around Ardnacrusha. Read about the fishery here and, at greater length, here.
Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Shannon, The fishing trade, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged anguilla anguilla, Ardnacrusha, boats, bridge, canal, Clare, eels, ESB, estuary, Fergus, floods, flow, Fr Oliver Kennedy, Ireland, Killaloe, Limerick, lock, Lough Neagh, Operations, Shannon, waterways
The August 2013 issue of Practical Boat Owner has just arrived. It has an article by Dick Everitt called “Mind your head …” in which he talks of dangers to boats from above rather than below: dangers from bridges and from electric power lines. He points out that electricity can jump to a metal mast and says:
So a safe clearance distance is given on the chart with a lightning-type symbol and in some countries a big warning sign is positioned nearby too. But do check local Notices to Mariners as long power cables can sag over time, reducing their official charted clearances.
Aren’t foreigners funny? Imagine having electricity suppliers actually telling boaters about the safe clearance under power cables! That would never happen here ….
I have spent several years trying to get ESB to tell me the safe clearances for cables across the Shannon. I thought I was getting somewhere at one stage but nothing happened. Perhaps ESB would prefer boaters to fry than risk getting sued for getting the clearance wrong.
Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Non-waterway, Operations, Safety, Shannon, shannon estuary, Tourism, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged boats, bridge, clearance, electricity, ESB, estuary, Ireland, power line, pylon, Shannon, water level, waterways
Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Operations, People, Safety, Shannon, Water sports activities, waterways, Waterways management, Weather
Tagged Ardnacrusha, canal, Clare, Coast Guard, drowning, ESB, Ireland, Killaloe, Limerick, lock, Lough Derg, O'Briensbridge, Operations, Shannon, waterways
Here are some photos of recent L+M Keating projects.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Shannon, Sources, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged boats, bridge, canal, Clare, dredging, Dublin, embankment, ESB, estuary, Grand Canal, Ireland, Killaloe, L & M Keating, Limerick, Lough Derg, Meelick, Operations, Portumna, Shannon, vessels, waterways, Waterways Ireland, workboat
Ger Reid, the Ardnacrusha lockkeeper, retired at the end of December 2012. Ger has guided many boats through the locks over the years and has always been cheerful and reassuring as well as informative, helpful, reliable and competent. He will be sadly missed but I wish him well in his retirement.
Meanwhile, I have heard that Limerick City Council has decided not to renew Pat Lysaght’s contract for work on the river and has suggested that Waterways Ireland should retain him. Pat’s most important role, though, in assisting boats passing through Limerick (220 in 2012), has always been voluntary. Were Pat to cease to provide that service, I think the number of boats visiting Limerick would be greatly reduced.
Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Natural heritage, Operations, People, Shannon, shannon estuary, Tourism, waterways, Weather
Tagged Ardnacrusha, boats, bridge, canal, Clare, ESB, estuary, Ger Reid, Hunt Museum, Ireland, Killaloe, Limerick, Limerick City Council, lock, Lough Derg, Operations, Pat Lysaght, pilot, Shannon, vessels, water level, waterways, Waterways Ireland, workboat
I have been following the Irish Times series “A History of Ireland in 100 Objects” with horrified amusement since it started. Most of the series (now almost ended) has followed the standard National Museum model in which Irish history has three strands: The Big House and the folk that did be living in it, or their predecessors who could afford gold stuff; the peasants, who lived in rural parts and engaged in animal husbandry and turnip-snagging; the killers, who liked dressing up. It’s the physical manifestation of the bastard offspring of W B Yeats and George de Valera, a right pair of nutters. As I wrote elsewhere:
The National Museum is not worthy of the name. It is a random collection of collections: a scrapheap of whatever happened to find its way into the taxpayer’s care. It does not present any sort of coherent picture of national life, past or present, and such picture as it does present is of an idealised rural lifestyle that few ever followed. It omits the modern, the industrial, the urban and, in so doing, it distorts the picture of Irish history that is presented both to natives and to visitors.
The Irish Times series has been following the same model. But last week’s issue [which will probably disappear behind a paywall at some stage] finally admitted modernity, industrialisation, light by featuring a washing-machine — and, with it, electricity generation and Ardnacrusha.
And where is the featured washing-machine to be found?
In an agricultural museum.
The Ships Pass at Parteen Villa Weir with work in progress.
Two bits
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Operations, Shannon, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged Ardnacrusha, canal, Clare, ESB, flooded area, Ireland, Killaloe, Limerick, lock, Lough Derg, Operations, Parteen Villa Weir, Shannon, ships pass, waterways, weir
Irish waterways history 