Waterways Ireland has been drafting new bye-laws for some years now. In accordance with what it calls “best practice” (and what others might call “what suits it”), it has recently issued a draft to the elect; hoi polloi need not apply for a copy.
So big it up for Westmeath County Council (and get there before WI does …).
I’ve made some additions to three pages:
Several people have very kindly sent me photos of boats I hadn’t seen or photographed myself; I’m grateful to them and always happy to hear from people who can help to fill the gaps.
I have more updates to make, including many, many sailing-boats and some nice wooden boats.
Posted in Extant waterways, Irish inland waterways vessels, Water sports activities
Tagged African Queen, Berky, boats, Carrybridge, cattle ferry, Erne, Ireland, Killaloe, Lough Derg, Operations, pontoon, Portumna, Shannon, Shannon Princess, Spirit of Lough Derg, Swiss Army Knofe, Travel Blue, vessels, waterways, Waterways Ireland, WB2, weed, workboat
Some things that provided a moment’s amusement for a simple mind. To be added to when material presents itself.
Some time ago I wrote three pages about the Rockville Navigation, which is linked to Grange on the Carnadoe Waters in Co Roscommon.
I recently revisited the area. I was horrified, first, to find that the bridge — built in June 1765 — has been severely damaged, with large chunks of masonry in the cut beneath and with a crude wooden repair. How many bridges of that age are there in Co Roscommon? How many that are associated with one of the oldest navigations in the country? Please, someone, restore the bridge!
Damage to the bridge
Anyway, the more pleasant part of the day was the four hours that we spend descending, by dinghy and kayak, from the bridge to Grange. The route took us through artificial cuts, small lakes and sections of river, with very clear water and an extraordinary abundance of vegetation. This route would have been easily navigated by large wooden cots or similar boats, and it should be developed today as a canoe-and-small-boat trail. Even with very low water levels, we had no real problems, although someone has to end up with wet feet …. Here is an account of the trip.
Wading in the water
Posted in Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Irish waterways general, Scenery, The turf trade, Weather
Tagged Bellanagrange, Bellavahan, boats, bridge, canal, Cloonahee, Clooncraff, Derreen, Dooneen, Elphin, flow, Grange, Hillstreet, Ireland, Ireland waterways rockville, Lloyd, lost, Malet, Nablahy, quay, Roscommon, Shannon, Silver Eel, turf, vessels, water level, waterways
The Listowel & Ballybunion Railway operated between 1888 and 1924, using perhaps the most eccentric railway technology ever invented: the monorail developed by Charles Lartigue.
Very little original material was left after the railway closed, but a short section of railway has been recreated in the town of Listowel, Co Kerry, with a single locomotive (now diesel rather than steam) and two carriages. However, it shows the more exciting features of the original: the ingenious turntables and switches. There is also a small display of models, photographs and artefacts, and a showing of three short films, with some original newsreel footage of the railway in operation. The volunteer staff are knowledgeable and happy to chat and, all in all, it makes for a very entertaining few hours for anyone interested in transport or engineering.
Listowel is close to Ballybunion on the south side of the Shannon Estuary; anyone visiting the industrial heritage artefacts of the Lower Shannon Industrial Heritage Park could easily build in a visit to the Lartigue – and then take the ferry from Tarbert to Killimer and visit the West Clare Railway.
Read about the Lartigue here.
Posted in Economic activities, Industrial heritage, Non-waterway, shannon estuary
Tagged Ballybunion, Clare, diesel, ferry, industrial heritage, Ireland, Kerry, Kilrush, Lartigue, Limerick, Listowel, monorail, railway, Shannon, steam, transport history
This photo shows an eel spear from the National Folklife Collection‘s overflow material, stored in the former “reformatory” at Daingean, on the Grand Canal in Co Offaly. There were many spears there, with different designs from different rivers. This one, to judge from the label underneath it, came from the extraordinarily prolific and observant Dr A E J Went.
If you look at pretty well any Irish river on the 1840s Ordnance Survey map (here’s the Shannon at Killaloe; switch to Historic 6″ if necessary), or indeed on the 1900s map (same URL but switch to Historic 25″), you’ll find evidence of eel weirs. Ireland’s shortest canal was built to allow the eel-boats of Anthony Mackey’s fleet to reach the trains at Banagher.
But the European eel is a “critically endangered species” and all eel fishing has been banned in Ireland. As far as I know, though, the Lough Neagh fishery, in Northern Ireland, continues.
The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) is in charge of the eel fishery on the River Shannon. It has nets and a storage unit (packing station) at Killaloe and, until recently, it also had nets at Clonlara on the headrace supplying the power station at Ardnacrusha; the Clonlara nets have just been removed. This page is about the Clonlara and Killaloe operations, but includes a look at an eel survey conducted for the ESB in 2008, before eel fishing was banned in Ireland. The aim now is to make it easy for eels to reach the sea to reproduce, and that sometimes involves “trap and transport”: catching the eels and moving them past obstacles, whether on their way to the sea or, for the young glass eels, on their way upriver.
The photos on this page are a tribute to what was an important activity on the Shannon. I hope that the European eel stocks can recover.
Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations, The fishing trade
Tagged anguilla anguilla, Ballina, boats, bridge, canal, Castleconnell, Clare, clonlara, eel weir, eels, ESB, floods, flow, Ireland, Killaloe, Limerick, Montpelier, net, O'Briensbridge, Operations, packing station, Shannon, trap and transfer, vessels, walkway
My dry docks overview page had a bad link in it, which was my fault, but I hope that’s now fixed as the Shannon Harbour dry docks
34B in the dock
page is now up. Comments, corrections and suggestions for improvements and additions will be welcome.
Posted in Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations
Tagged 34B, 59M, acro, boats, bridge, canal, dry dock, gate, Grand Canal, grille, Ireland, Knocknagow, lock, loo, Operations, paddle, prop, rack, Shannon, sluice, Swaine, vessels, waterways, Waterways Ireland, winch
Irish waterways history 