Here are photographs of Waterways Ireland’s latest workboat, Inis Cealtra. The photos were taken at Portumna, at the head of Lough Derg, after Inis Cealtra, built in Killybegs Co Donegal, had travelled down the west coast, up the Shannon Estuary, through Limerick and then via Ardnacrusha Lock to Lough Derg on the Shannon.
These photos are of details, and are probably for the anoraks; for more general views, see the pics supplied by Waterways Ireland on my general WI workboats page.
Posted in Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations
Tagged boats, Inis Cealtra, Ireland, Limerick, lock, Operations, Shannon, vessels, waterways, Waterways Ireland, workboat
I’ve already written about a Shannon lock at Athlone and a Grand Canal lock at Belmont. Now here’s a page about the sector lock leading into Kilrush marina on the Shannon estuary. Sector locks are relatively rare, but sector gates are being installed as flood defences at Spencer Dock, where the Royal Canal meets the River Liffey in Dublin, and are used at Limehouse lock on the Thames in London.
Interestingly, the Kilrush lock and the associated embankment solved problems that were identified by Commander William Mudge RN, Admiralty surveyor, in 1831: he was one of the three members of the Commission for the Improvement of the Navigation of the Shannon, and at that time the Shannon estuary steamers had to use Cappagh pier, outside Kilrush, because at low tide Kilrush had only a small creek running through it.
Nowadays, inland waterways boats going to sea often head for Kilrush, which is also one of the bases from which dolphin-watching trips are provided. There is a resident school of bottlenose dolphins in the estuary.
Posted in Extant waterways, Irish waterways general, Operations, Steamers
Tagged boats, Charles Wye Williams, dolphins, ferry, Garryowen, Ireland, Kilrush, Limerick, lock, marina, Mudge, Operations, Poulnasherry, Scattery, sector gates, Shannon, steamer, turf, vessels, waterways, West Clare Railway
Here is a page about John’s Canal, which was used to extract turf from Macnab’s Bog at Mona Lodge, Portcrusha, between Castleconnell and Montpelier in Limerick (Montpelier is at the other end of the bridge at O’Briensbridge).
The bog seems to have been opened by John Brown (or Browne) of the Stein Brown(e) Distillery at Thomondgate in Limerick. Turf was carried by water from the bog to the distillery, where it was used to fuel the first steam engine in Limerick. The bog was managed by James Macnab, who took over the lease in 1841; after his death his son Alexander Allen Macnab took over. The bog was an early operation of a managed industrial extraction and production enterprise, operating throughout most of the year and drying the material to produce “stone turf”. About 5000 tons were produced each year.
The canal system had a wooden bridge (now vanished), several branches (some still visible), a lock gate (gone) and a stone pier/quay (still visible).
Posted in Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations, The turf trade
Tagged boats, canal, Castleconnell, distillery, Ireland, Limerick, lost, Macnab, Montpelier, O'Briensbridge, Operations, Portcrusha, Shannon, Stein Brown, turf, vessels, waterways
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.
Posted in Extant waterways, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations
Tagged barge, Barrow, Blackwater, boats, canal, cattle ferry, community barge, Devenish, dredger, DUKW, Enniskillen, Erne, ESB, Garda, Grand Canal, Guinness, hare krishna, hotel boat, Ireland, Ireland waterways rockville, Killaloe, Lagan, Limerick, Lough Neagh, Monasterevan, Nore, Operations, PSNI, rescue, restaurant boat, RNLI, sand, Shannon, Shannon–Erne Waterway, Suir, theatre barge, trip boat, vessels, waterways, workboat
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.
Posted in Forgotten navigations, Irish waterways general, Operations
Tagged Ballinasloe, boats, canal, Carlow, City Basin, Grand Canal, Guinness, harbour, Ireland, James Bond, James's Street, Limerick, lost, LUAS, Marrowbone Lane, Operations, porter, Rupee Bridge, stout, sugar, train, tram, turf, water supply, waterways
Uncle Arthur is resting at Ardclough, near the Grand Canal. His brewery is 250 years old this year, but he himself is sadly neglected — and suffering badly from thirst.
In recognition of his major contribution to the development and use of Irish waterways, a small ceremony was held recently at Ardclough, at which he was presented with a bottle of his finest product. This page records the event.
Posted in Irish waterways general
Tagged canal, Grand Canal, Guinness, Ireland, Limerick, Operations, porter, stout, waterways
Irish waterways history