Tag Archives: money

Money from the bog

Posted on Monday 16 December 2013 | 2 comments

To a small extent reclamation is now going on in Ireland; Mr M’Nab, of Castle Connell, county Limerick, has reclaimed 80 acres of the worst red bog, devoid of vegetation and 20 feet deep. It was drained, then coated with the subsoil, and the land which was not worth 2s 6d per acre is now worth 30s per acre.

Thus Robert Montgomery Martin in his Ireland before and after the Union with Great Britain third edition with additions; J D Nichols and Son, London; James McGlashen, Dublin 1848.

I have written here about Mr Macnab (that was how the spelling settled down) and his talent for extracting money from the bog at Portcrusha, which is between Castleconnell and Montpelier, Co Limerick. It seems that his achievements are still remembered — and emulated.

Incidentally, in the same work, published in 1848, Mr Martin refers to the

… large practical mind, great experience,  and Christian philosophy …

of Sir Charles Trevelyan.

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Drainage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Natural heritage, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Scenery, Shannon, Sources, The turf trade, waterways

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Support the Clones Canal

Posted on Wednesday 14 March 2012 | Leave a comment

It was suggested to me today that, because some boating organisations want the Clones Canal, the project must be worthy of support. I find that argument less than convincing. If I offer someone the benefit of a sum of money, without charge, I will not be surprised if that person likes the idea — but that won’t show that it’s a good deal for whoever bears the cost.

In this case, owners of boats are being offered the benefit of €45 million, so it’s not surprising that they like the idea. But I think they should be offered a practical method of demonstrating the depth of their support.

Accordingly, I propose that owners of registered boats on  the Shannon and the Erne be offered the opportunity to pay half the €45 million cost (the other half could be raised from a levy on the publicans of Clones, the other main beneficiaries). If there are 10,000 boats, the charge per owner, spread over three years, would be no more than €750 a year. Willingness to pay would provide more convincing evidence of support and would also make the project better value for the taxpayer.

 

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Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Foreign parts, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Operations, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Tourism, Ulster Canal, Uncategorized, waterways, Waterways management

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