Tag Archives: Grand Canal

Who fears to speak …?

Posted on Monday 10 September 2012 | Leave a comment

I have long maintained that our knowledge of the history of the use of Irish inland waterways is woefully inadequate. Apart from the operations of the Grand Canal Company, we know little about boats, owners or traffic in the nineteenth century and almost nothing about earlier years. I am therefore delighted to have been sent an article by Malcolm Reynolds about a River Shannon vessel from the eighteenth century; it is available here.

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

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Dublin’s City Bason in 1776

Posted on Friday 7 September 2012 | Leave a comment

I have added this description, from Richard Twiss’s A Tour in Ireland in 1775 with a Map, and a View of the Salmon-Leap at Ballyshannon [London 1776] to my second page on the abandoned Main Line of the Grand Canal in Dublin:

The city bason is a reservoir, capable of holding water to supply the city for some weeks, when the springs from whence it is filled are dry; both the springs and the reservoir were dry whilst I was in Dublin. In 1765 a canal was begun to be cut from this place, and intended to be continued to Athlone, which is about seventy English miles off, in order to open a communication with the Shannon; at the rate the work is at present carried on it bids fair for being completed in three or four centuries.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Sources, waterways, Waterways management

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Buggering up the Barrow

Posted on Friday 17 August 2012 | Leave a comment

In February 2012 Waterways Ireland published a study of the River Barrow called The Barrow Corridor Recreational, Tourism and Commercial Product Identification Study. I’ve devoted a lot of time to the document and I confess that, although I’m in favour of WI’s conducting these studies, I found this one rather disappointing. The principal problem, as I see it, is that the document just doesn’t hang together: it is not clear how the recommendations derive from the analysis. I also thought that its recommendations on navigation were weak, suggesting a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the Barrow.

I haven’t finished putting my thoughts on the subject together because I want to do the study justice, but I have put up six pages about the report, linked from an overview page here. I need to give the navigation page a little more thought; when it’s finished I’ll link it to the overview page and mention the matter here.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Natural heritage, Non-waterway, Operations, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Steamers, Suir, waterways, Waterways management, Weather

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Bring back the Black

Posted on Friday 17 August 2012 | Leave a comment

The Black Bridge at Plassey has been closed since the floods of November 2009. Its reopening seems to have a low priority; I suspect that is because the importance of the bridge in Ireland’s technological, economic, entrepreneurial and political history is not widely appreciated. Here is a page explaining some of the background and suggesting a context within which reopening might be justifiable.

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Posted in Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Natural heritage, Operations, People, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Shannon, shannon estuary, Sources, Steamers, The cattle trade, The turf trade, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management, Weather

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Dry docks

Posted on Thursday 16 August 2012 | 6 comments

Waterways Ireland has a new web page up about the conditions under which it will allow its dry docks to be used. The page includes links to a downloadable MS Word application form and a PDF. Anyone applying to use a dry dock must now submit:

  • a completed application form
  • a letter from an insurance company confirming that the owner has adequate insurance in place [sic] to bring vessel into a dry dock for works
  • a letter from the insurance company of any third party contractors to be employed confirming they have adequate insurance in place [sic] to carry out the proposed works
  • the relevant payment for number of days usage booked
  • a security deposit payment of €250
  • a shoring/propping certificate
  • a method statement of work to be carried out
  • a safety statement for work to be carried out.

In April 2012 I discussed the issues here.

My page about dry docks is here.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Restoration and rebuilding, Waterways management

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Sallins

Posted on Tuesday 14 August 2012 | 2 comments

On 8 August 2012 Waterways Ireland applied to Kildare County Council for planning permission for a development at Sallins:

The construction of a new 210m fixed timber house boat mooring facility for 12 boats with electric and water service supply bollards, 45m of a fixed timber short term mooring facility, car parking bays for 12 cars, access pathway suitable for disabled access, and a sewage pumpout for boats.

The application is at pre-validation stage. Submissions are to be made by 11 September and the “due date” is 2 October 2012. The file number is 12645. I can find no additional documents or details.

To see the application, go to this page and install the download before clicking on “Link to Full Planning Enquiry System”. Cookies will have to be enabled.

IRBOA doesn’t seem to have the news on its site yet, but it is interesting to compare the current proposal with what was discussed at the IRBOA meeting in Sallins on 8 March [2011, I think].

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Tourism, Waterways management

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Dredging Dublin

Posted on Friday 10 August 2012 | Leave a comment

WI’s funds haven’t altogether run out: it’s looking for contractors to dredge the Circular Line of the Grand Canal between Suir Road and Portobello, and to do so to the “original bed level”. That will be welcomed by boaters. Details here.

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Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Operations, Restoration and rebuilding, Waterways management

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Working for Waterways Ireland

Posted on Tuesday 31 July 2012 | Leave a comment

What is the most important (because first listed) skill for those seeking employment with Waterways Ireland as general operatives (basic)?

Good communication skills.

I am very glad to hear it.

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Irish waterways general, Operations, People, waterways, Waterways management

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Guinness Liffey quay 1902

Posted on Monday 2 July 2012 | Leave a comment

A photo and some info here,

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

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Old sod

Posted on Friday 22 June 2012 | Leave a comment

I have long maintained that the histories of Irish waterways and of Irish bogs are inseparable. Here is an interesting piece from the invaluable Kildare Online Electronic History Journal [o si sic omnes] about turf-cutting competitions at Allenwood in 1934. A lanky old sod was present, but so too were relics of old dacency [and see here for the origin of the phrase with interesting links between hats and sashes], perhaps anxious to accommodate themselves to the new regime. [Major de Courcy Wheeler, whose command of the First Official Language was undoubtedly enviable, is mentioned here.]

Waterways, industrial heritage, economic history, social and political history … they are not to be separated.

 

 

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Sources, The turf trade, waterways

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