A Railway Wanted. — On Thursday week the fly-boat on the Grand Canal was so crowded with passengers returning from Ballinasloe fair, that between Tullamore and Philipstown they sat nearly up to their knees in water. Not liking the comfort afforded by such a mode of conveyance, many of the passengers left at the latter place and took cars, and the boat proceeded to Dublin without accident.
London Standard 28 October 1845 quoting the Longford Journal
Posted in Canals, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Safety, Sources, The cattle trade, waterways
Tagged Ballinasloe, boats, canal, Daingean, Dublin, fly-boat, Grand Canal, Ireland, Philipstown, Royal Canal, Tullamore, water level, waterways
Martin McGuinness [SF] was asked recently, in the Northern Ireland Assembly, about blueways:
Leslie Cree [UUP]: It was interesting to read that Waterways Ireland has developed this first blueway in the Carrick-on-Shannon area. Can he share with us if, in fact, Waterways Ireland has developed any projects for the Erne waterway itself?
Mr McGuinness said:
These projects are under ongoing consideration by Waterways Ireland, as the development of blueways and greenways could add to our tourist potential. It is clear from how greenways have been used, particularly in the west of Ireland, that they have huge health benefits for those now walking and cycling and involved in physical activity.
There is a proposal for another greenway from Derry city to County Donegal. Blueways and greenways offer important tourist potential, and it is exciting to see that Waterways Ireland is considering the linkage in the Leitrim area and how it can be extended to Lough Erne.
But, if I might remind TPTB, not everybody likes walking, cycling and physical activity; not everybody is going to be rolling around in a kayak or paddling a canoe. There are older folk, there are those who rightly view exercise with the gravest of suspicion and there are those whose interests simply lie elsewhere.
It is for such folk that I have developed the Greyway [TM] concept. It’s the same as a blueway or a greenway but without the sweating or the lurid dayglo clothing.
The basic idea is that you form a “route” or “way” as a marketing concept to get more people using your existing assets. Your expenditure is low: research, product development, marketing and information provision rather than infrastructure; self-guided rather than staffed user experiences. Direct income might be low too, although there may be ways to extract cash from users; there might also be spin-off opportunities for other providers. [All my usual reservations about small-scale providers apply here too.]
There might be Greyways catering for
You need a theme to attract people: “come and walk/drive the X Greyway and see all the lovely/interesting Ys”. No doubt there are several possible values for Y: bunnies, trees, fish, bogs, hills …. But the main thing that Waterways Ireland has to sell, and that it does not currently sell, is its industrial heritage. The Shannon, in particular, exists as an improved navigation only because of (a) steam, (b) the British industrial revolution, (c) Irish agriculture and (d) low politics. And industrial heritage is something that interests some at least of the older folk. Package it into routes and sell it for grey pounds, euros or dollars.
There is all sorts of interesting stuff along the Shannon, mostly just lying there, and it should be put to work. The most concentrated section is along the old Limerick Navigation, from Limerick to Killaloe: for instance, last time I looked seven of the original twelve milestones were still present. [The distance was 12 Irish miles, approx 24 km or 15 statute miles.] It’s a walkable route and it includes
But there could also be driving tours along the middle Shannon, between Portumna and Athlone, where there is lots to see, and from Lanesborough upwards. Shannon Harbour might eventually house a museum ….
What I’m suggesting is that Waterways Ireland should designate the Shannon as the first route (as opposed to site) in Ireland within the European Route of Industrial Heritage [ERIH] framework. ERIH’s website includes descriptions of the route system and of anchor points, which may be too advanced for present use, but why not a European Theme Route in Transport and Communication? Ireland might even make a case for the use of advanced (or at least interesting) transport technology (steamers) in carrying agricultural produce to industrial markets.
Furthermore, if CIE were to cooperate, the railways might be brought in too, and the livestock trade, and Dublin Port, and a regional route linking to Liverpool and the railway to Manchester ….
There is an interesting story to be told about the Shannon and its links to the east coast and beyond; its industrial heritage could be used to attract tourists and entertain natives.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Non-waterway, Operations, Rail, Restoration and rebuilding, Sea, Shannon, shannon estuary, Sources, Steamers, The cattle trade, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged Athlone, canal, Clare, department of arts heritage and the gaeltacht, Dublin, ERIH, estuary, Fergus, Grand Canal, greyway, industrial heritage, Ireland, Killaloe, Limerick, lost, Lough Derg, O'Briensbridge, Royal Canal, Shannon, steamer, vessels, waterways, Waterways Ireland
John O’Dowd [SF] made a ministerial statement to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 3 November 2014, about the recent meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council in education format. His final English-language paragraph was about non-education matters:
Finally, we approved the appointment of Mr Tarlach Ó Crosáin to the board of the trade and business development body from 22 October 2014 to 12 December 2015, and, on behalf of Waterways Ireland, we approved the sale of the freehold interest in property at 9 Hanover Quay, Dublin 2 to Mrs Rita Crosby.
Here is what the Ordnance Survey says is 9 Hanover Quay. And here is what Google Maps says, with still photographs available in Street View.
The relevant NSMC minutes are here. There was a waterways NSMC meeting on 27 November 2014 at which “The Council consented to a number of property disposals”, unspecified. Perhaps the sale of the Hanover Quay freehold was a particularly urgent matter that could not wait until November.
If waterways business is going to be done at other sectoral meetings, I may have to read the whole blasted lot of them.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Operations, People, Politics, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged Crosby, Dublin, Grand Canal, Hanover Quay, Waterways Ireland
A young woman, named Anne Macdonald, threw her mother into the Grand Canal, Dublin, last week, where the unfortunate woman was drowned. The daughter was excited to the unnatural act by a sudden fit of passion, on being called an opprobrious name by her mother.
Liverpool Mercury 1 January 1830
Irish waterways history 