Tag Archives: Ireland

Willie Leech and the Royal trade

Posted on Wednesday 18 April 2012 | 3 comments

I have uploaded an old article of mine based on an interview with Willie Leech of Killucan, whose father ran the last trading boats on the Royal Canal.

Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Sources, The turf trade, waterways

Tagged boats, bog ore, bridge, canal, Cloncurry, flyline, gas company, Grand Canal, horse, Ireland, Killucan, L T C Rolt, Leech, Royal Canal, Summerhill, timberhead, town gas, trackline, tug, vessels, waterways

Lough Neagh

Posted on Wednesday 18 April 2012 | 11 comments

On 17 April 2012 the Northern Ireland Assembly held an enlightening debate about Lough Neagh and its future and ended by resolving

That this Assembly calls on the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to convene a working group to explore and pursue actively the potential for a cross-departmental approach to bring Lough Neagh back into public ownership.

The report is here. It is well worth reading by anyone wanting an understanding of the management of the largest lake in These Islands.

Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Natural heritage, Operations, People, Politics, Scenery, Tourism, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged Assembly, DUP, eels, Ireland, Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland, sand, SDLP, Shaftesbury, Sinn Fein, UUP

More on Mineral Oil Tax

Posted on Tuesday 17 April 2012 | 4 comments

I showed here that very few boat-owners paid the Mineral Oil Tax for 2009 (38) and 2010 (41). I now have the figures for 2011 (MOT paid by 1 March 2012) and I can report that there has been a very significant change, of 46%, in the numbers paying the tax.

Unfortunately the change was downwards, from 41 to 22. The Revenue Commissioners tell me that

[…] there were 22 returns received by 1 March 2012 for 2011, amounting to €53,398.58 MOT [Mineral Oil Tax] on 141,503.29 litres oil.

That’s an average of 6432.1 litres each, which is a lot; I suspect that much of the total came from the hire fleet, with less than twenty private owners making returns.

This ridiculous tax should be scrapped; those operating private pleasure craft should be required to use non-rebated diesel.

Posted in Economic activities, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Politics, Waterways management

Tagged boats, diesel, Ireland, mineral oil tax, private pleasure craft, tax, tax-dodgers, vessels, waterways

Impartial amusement …

Posted on Tuesday 17 April 2012 | Leave a comment

… but surely floe, not flow?

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Ireland, Natural heritage, Operations, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Tourism, Waterways management, Weather

Tagged boats, Erne, Ireland, Waterways Ireland

F E Prothero on the Royal Canal in the 1890s

Posted on Monday 16 April 2012 | Leave a comment

His brief notes here.

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Posted in Extant waterways, Ireland, People, Rail, Scenery, Sources, Tourism, waterways

Tagged boats, canal, Dublin, F E Prothero, Ireland, Mullingar, Royal Canal, Shannon

Snug in Mountshannon

Posted on Monday 16 April 2012 | 4 comments

For many years Molly enlivened the Sunday market at Killaloe with her mini-pizzas, breads, chocolate biscuits and other delights — and her good humour. Then, she says, she realised that if she could sell cold pizza in the rain in Killaloe, she could sell hot pizza from the pizza oven, indoors, in Mountshannon. She is now running the Snug restaurant in Mountshannon and has a Facebook page and a website. Hot wings followed by a pizza? I’ll be there ….

Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, People, Shannon

Tagged bruschetta, Clare, coffee, crostini, Ireland, Killaloe, Lough Derg, Molly, Mountshannon, ot wings, pizza, Shannon, Snug, waterways

Royal water

Posted on Monday 16 April 2012 | Leave a comment

Here is a page about feeders to the Royal Canal. My confidence in the accuracy of this list is low, so comments would be welcome.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Operations, Sources, waterways, Waterways management, Weather

Tagged Ballynacargy, Balroe, Baltrasna, bridge, canal, Dublin, feeder, Ferns, Ferrans, Inny, Ireland, Kilcock, lock, Lough Ennell, Lough Owel, Mullingar, Operations, Pig's Nostril, Riverstown, Royal Canal, Ryewater, Saunders, Scally, Thomastown, water level, water supply, waterways, Waterways Ireland

Grand water

Posted on Monday 16 April 2012 | Leave a comment

Here is a page about the feeders that supplied water to the Grand Canal. There will soon be a page about the Royal Canal feeders; these will lead to an examination of the current and proposed supply of water to the Royal.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Operations, Sources, waterways, Waterways management, Weather

Tagged . Clondalkin, Annanough, Athy, Ballinure, Ballycowan, Ballymullen, Barrow, Blackwood, Bonynge, bridge, Burgh, canal, Corbally, Corcoran, Courtwood, Daingean, Derrybrook, Derrycooley, Dublin, Edenderry, Feighcullen, Fisherstown, Fox and Geese, Glenaree, Grand Canal, Grattan, Herbertstown, Ireland, Kilbeggan, Killeen, Killina, Kilnacash, Kylemore, Leinster Aqueduct, Liffey, Lough Boora, Lowtown, Morrell, Mount Prospect, Mount Rice, Mountmellick, Mylerstown, Naas, Newtown, Oldtown, Operations, Philipstown, Pluckerstown, Pollagh, Pollardsstown, Portarlington, Prosperous, Rathangan, Rathaskea, Rhode, Robertstown, Sallins, Shannon, Shannon Harbour, Slate River, Toberdaly, Tullamore, Turraun, Vicarstown, waterways, Waterways Ireland, White Eye, Whiteeye, Woodbrook, Yellow River

Risk

Posted on Sunday 15 April 2012 | Leave a comment

Here are some thoughts on risk management for waterways authorities, marine insurers and boat-owners.

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Posted in Economic activities, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Politics, waterways, Waterways management

Tagged boats, dry docks, insurers, Ireland, risk, waterways, Waterways Ireland

Mullingar dry dock(s)

Posted on Sunday 15 April 2012 | 4 comments

The Ordnance Survey map of around 1840 shows a dry dock at Mullingar:

Mullingar dry dock ~1840

So does the map of around 1900:

Mullingar dry dock ~1900

The photo below was taken into the sun, alas. The entrance to the dry dock is towards the top of the entrance. So why are there curved stones closer to the camera? Was there once a second dry dock? Or was a second dock planned without ever beinf constructed? Or was the dock moved from one site to the other?

Entrances?

The Ruth Delany and Peter Clarke histories say nothing about this. If you can shed light on the matter, please leave a Comment below.

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

Tagged canal, dry dock, Ireland, Mullingar, Royal Canal, waterways