On 7 April 2010 two canoeists were drowned at a weir in Portlaw, on the River Clodiagh. The Marine Casualty Investigation Board report on the matter has just been published. It says inter alia:
- This weir cannot be run.
- The design of this weir made it impassable regardless of the waterflow over it.
- The weir at Portlaw is, by design, next to impossible to escape
from without the use of lifebuoys and or an access ladder.
The report does not say who designed and built this weir or when it
was done. I have asked Waterford County Council for information.
According to the Irish Independent, the families of the canoeists are considering legal action.
Some news stories about weirs at Portlaw here, here and here.
Irish waterways history 