Tag Archives: Ireland

Boats that are … different

Some people like to do their own thing. Not for them the off-the-shelf mass-produced GRP boat; not the elegant wooden cruiser nor even the conventional barge conversion. They design their boats to meet specific needs, solve specific problems and satisfy their own tastes. Here are some of the results.

More workboats

Here is a very long page showing working boats that are not operated by Waterways Ireland. They include hotel boats, restaurant boats, trip boats, rescue boats, police boats and sand barges.

The abandoned line of the Grand Canal to James’s St Harbour

I have put up four pages covering the Main Line of the Irish Grand Canal from Suir Road to the original terminus at Grand Canal Harbour, James’s Street. This account covers Guinness and Dublin’s water supply as well as the line of the canal. There are some photos of trams and of the 1′ 10″ gauge Guinness locomotives for Steam Men. Page 1 of 4 is here.

Traditional boats and replicas

I’ve put up a page with photos of some of the smaller traditional boats, mostly fishing boats, used on Irish inland waterways and estuaries. This is by no means a comprehensive account: for that you need the book Traditional Boats of Ireland and its website www.tradboats.ie.

More wooden boats

I’ve added a few more photos at the end of my page on wooden boats.

Wooden boats

I’ve moved my photos of wooden boats on Irish inland waterways from pbase.com to here, with a few extra photos added.

The Broadstone Line of the Royal Canal

A new page about a waterway that lost its terminus in 1877, was mostly infilled in 1927 and lost its last section in 1956. But you can still follow the Broadstone Line of the Royal Canal in Dublin. There’s lots of interesting stuff to see, it’s quite scenic — and there are pubs serving good beer nearby.

The Maigue

I’ve put up some photos of this short river navigation, one of the earliest to be tackled in Ireland. It may still be navigable, certainly by small boats and perhaps by something larger. I understand however that the entrance from the Shannon Estuary is tricky and requires local knowledge.

There is a bit of a mystery about the quay in Adare. A stretch of canal has disappeared and the bridge at Ferrybridge has lost its opening arch. But there are still things to see ….

Waterways Ireland workboats

Just as a change from all the pages about lost waterways, I’ve put up a page of photos of Waterways Ireland workboats.

The Johnstown navigation

I have considerably expanded my page on the Johnstown (Co Kilkenny) navigation with photos of Johnstown itself and of what seems to have been a bridge over the canal. I have failed to find any written account of this navigation and I would be grateful for any information on it or on any member of the Hely family who may have been an early engineer.