The lower end of the Abbey River in Limerick
Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Shannon
Tagged Abbey River, Limerick, Shannon
Doubtless there must have been a pretty considerable storm at Limerick on Thursday week; though the following Hibernian account of it, in the Limerick Chronicle, goes somewhat beyond our sober and humble notions of the style proper for narrative.
That comment was made by the Spectator of 7 December 1833. Odd that a mag later edited by Boris Johnson should once have been devoted to “sober and humble” narratives. O tempora o mores.
Here is the Chronicle report as the Spectator quoted it:
A violent gale of wind set in at WNW, accompanied by occasional heavy showers of rain; and on the same evening, the gale assumed all the appalling characteristics of a most furious hurricane.
Throughout the night, the scene was terrific in the extreme, and the streets presented a most desolate aspect. Nearly all the public gas-lights were extinguished; and the howling of the storm, as it swept in pitiless squalls through every street, lane, and alley, struck terror to the hearts of every inmate of those mansions which suffered more or less from its destructive power.
A spring-tide, raised by the storm beyond its usual boundaries, dashed with desperate force against the quays, rolling a vast mass of water over the docks, etc and presenting one continuous sheet of liquid foam, at either side of the river for two miles. Several boats were thrown out of the docks upon the quay, where they were left high and dry at low tide. The vessels of the Shannon Yacht Club, laid up for the winter season at anchorage in the Abbey river, were driven against the salmon-weir bank, but received no material injury.
The strong banks enclosing the Abbey river (island and salmon-weir) were broken up, and the waters rushed in, deluging the fields on both sides to a wide extent. The cattle grazing there, cows and sheep, were saved with great difficulty. The long-pavement, or causeway, from Quinpool to the Thomond Gate Distillery, was inundated, and the fields around flooded.
The yards of the city gaol were full of water, and the tide came up to its very gates, as it did also to the verge of the flagging on Arthur’s Quay. The underground kitchens in houses adjacent to the river were from one to two feet deep in water. It is worthy of remark, that a few hours before this dreadful commotion, the quicksilver fell rapidly to a degree so low as we scarce ever remember.
The horses of the Ennis coach had to wade knee-deep several miles of the road, especially about Cratloe, without a vestige of the usual landmarks. The salmon weir received considerable damage, a great portion of the large timber-work having been torn up and sent adrift. Some of the strongest houses in the city literally rocked in the blast like a cradle. A house building off William Street, which wanted merely the roofing to complete it, was hurled to the ground, and became a pile of rubbish.
Posted in Ashore, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Historical matters, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Safety, Sea, Shannon, Weather
Tagged Abbey River, coach, Ennis, gale, Limerick
Bartlett drawing of turf boats below Wellesley (now Sarsfield) Bridge, Limerick.
At the Police-office on this day, 64 boys, inmates of Mountkennett workhouse, were brought up for effecting an entrance into the stores of the Dublin Steam Packet Company, which are underneath the workhouse, and converting to their own use 432 bottles of porter [6¾ bottles each], the property of Mr Hurley.
Tralee Chronicle 3 August 1850 citing Limerick Chronicle 31 July 1850
Several complaints having been made to the Mayor, that respectable persons are debarred from walking on THE BANKS OF THE CANAL, THE PUBLIC WALKS ON THE RIVER AND THE QUAYS, in consequence of Men BATHING there, and thus INDECENTLY EXPOSING THEIR PERSONS, which, being an OFFENCE INDICTABLE AT COMMON LAW, any PERSONS found BATHING for the future in ANY PLACE OF PUBLIC RESORT will be PROSECUTED; and any PERSONS AGGRIEVED by such INDELICATE EXPOSURE OF PERSONS will, upon application to the Mayor, obtain every redress.
Mayor’s Office, Exchange, Limerick
June 15
Limerick Chronicle 10 July 1839
The horse’s journey (OSI 6″ ~1840)
A horse and car fell in at the lower lock of the Canal this day — passed rapidly down by the flood-gates, under Baal’s Bridge, between the Malls, under the new Bridge, by the Custom-house, where a row boat came to the rescue, and the poor struggling animal was secured by the boatmen, who cut the harness, and brought him safe to shore to Arthur’s-quay, where hundreds were assembled to behold the horse again on terra firma.
Limerick Chronicle 13 December 1845
Posted in Extant waterways, Historical matters, Ireland, Safety, Shannon, waterways
Tagged Abbey River, Arthur's Quay, Baal's Bridge, Custom House, Ducart, horse, Limerick, Nw Bridge
Sunday last, as a small boat, in which were four boys, was passing between Baal’s Bridge and the New Bridge, it suddenly upset, and the boys were in imminent danger, struggling in the water; two of them clung to the wooden pillars of the temporary bridge, and held on until a boat, belonging to Poole Gabbett Esq, came to their assistance, and picked them up. The others would have been carried off by the tide but for a man named Frawley, who rushed into the riber with his clothes on, and at the risk of his life, succeeded in bringing them safe on shore.
Limerick Chronicle 18 June 1845
Posted in Extant waterways, Historical matters, Ireland, People, Safety, Shannon
Tagged Abbey River, Baal's Bridge, Frawley, Limerick, Mathew Bridge, New Bridge, Poole Gabbett, Shannon
That would be the Bishop of the United Church of England and Ireland, as established by the fifth article of the Acts of Union of 1800, of course.
Cussane lock (OSI 25″ ~1900)
Cussane (or Coosaun, as above) Lock was the furthest downstream of the three locks on the Killaloe Canal. It was submerged by the “Flooded Area” created by Parteen Villa Weir as part of the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric scheme.
The middle lock on the Killaloe Canal is at Moys and its remains are visible, just above the water, in normal non-flood conditions. It is (or was until recently) still possible to go through it by (small) boat, though of course without needing to use the lock mechanisms.
Approaching Moys Lock from upstream
However, although the lock itself survives, the bridge that crossed it is no longer there. It was shown on the 6″ (~1840) and 25″ (~1900) Ordnance Survey maps; I would guess that it was removed as part of the Ardnacrusha works, but I don’t know and would welcome information.
The lock and bridge at Moys (OSI 6″ ~1840)
The other thing I don’t know about the bridge is why it was built in the first place. Hely Dutton [Statistical Survey of the County of Clare, with observations on the means of improvement; drawn up for the consideration, and by direction of the Dublin Society The Dublin Society, Dublin 1808] wrote that
It seems to be the general opinion in Killaloe, that the canal has been cut in the most improper direction; they think it should have been brought in a valley between Killaloe and Dr. Parker’s, and to the north of the Bishop’s house, and not parallel to the Shannon as at present. Bishop Bernard offered several thousand pounds, if this line had been pursued; for, instead of cutting his demesne off from the Shannon, as at present it does, it would have gone at the back of his house; if this was the only objection, I think the engineer acted very impartially, as all public officers should, but very seldom do.
That suggests that the bishop was not best pleased to have a canal in front of his house; if he was willing to pay “several thousand pounds” to have the canal put somewhere else, the Limerick Navigation’s promoters must have been able to deploy considerable firepower (political and financial) to overcome his opposition. I wonder whether promotion to Limerick might have helped: according to a later estimate [Dublin Weekly Register 21 September 1822], promotion from Killaloe to Limerick would have increased a bishop’s income from £7000 to £8000 a year.
Charlotte Murphy [“The Limerick Navigation Company 1697–1836” in North Munster Archaeological Society Journal Vol 22 1980], describing John Brownrigg’s report on the navigation in 1801, said
This latter [Moys] lock had a bridge over the tail to accommodate the Bishop of Killaloe, whose demesne was served by the canal.
But what accommodation did the bishop need? A small strip of land downstream of the lock was insulated by the canal; perhaps the bridge provided access for cattle.
Another possibility is that the bridge provided access to the episcopal eel weirs. According to Mr Blackburne QC, addressing the Shannon Commissioners in 1837 on behalf of the Bishop of Killaloe and Sir Gilbert King Bart of Jamestown [Saunders’s News-Letter 29 December 1837],
The bishop, his tenants, and his predecessors had from time immemorial been in the habit of using twenty-five eel weirs, extending from the tail of Lough Dearg down the whole line of the rapids of Killaloe, which place, from natural impediments, could never be made navigable.
I think I have read somewhere that the eel weirs were worth £75 a year to the bishop, but I can’t remember where I saw that so I haven’t been able to check it.
The bishop’s house, the lock and the bridge (OSI 6″ ~1840)
There is one other aspect. The bridge was used by the horses towing boats on the canal and, of course, by the men leading them. We know that because the towing-path changed sides at Moys Lock. It was on the west side of the canal from Cussaun to Moys but on the east from Moys to Killaloe: it is marked on the 6″ OSI map and named on the 25″.
That forced horses and men to walk on a narrow embankment rather than on the shore. But it kept them out of the bishop’s garden and a little further from his house. Might that have been the intention?
I would be glad to hear from anyone who knows more about Moys.
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Forgotten navigations, Historical matters, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Operations, People, Politics, Shannon, The fishing trade, Waterways management
Tagged Barnard, bishop, bridge, Clarisford, Cussane, eels eel-weirs, Killaloe, Limerick, lock, Moys, Pery, Shannon
There was a considerable multitude of persons at Castle-Connell, yesterday, to enjoy the spectacle of boat-racing. Vehicles of all descriptions were in requisition, and the pedestrians of both sexes were numerous. The weather was delightful, and the enchanting scenery of this far-famed watering place appeared to the very best advantage. The band of the County Limerick Regiment, which attended in full uniform, gave a new zest to the festivities of the occasion.
The contest on the river was between Castleconnell and O’Brien’s-bridge for the premiums advertised last week, and the Castleconnell men were victorious.
We understand the Strand men have challenged Castle-Connell to pull from O’Brien’s-bridge to Castle-Connell for £7, any day next week.
Dublin Observer 8 September 1832
Irish waterways history 