Tag Archives: waterways

Be very afraid ….

Just in from Waterways Ireland.

Waterways Ireland to Begin Enforcement of Mooring Bye-laws on Grand & Royal Canal and Barrow Navigation

Waterways Ireland will begin enforcement of the mooring Bye-Laws on the Barrow Navigation, Grand Canal and Royal Canal on the 19th March 2013. A Marine Notice will be issued on the 19th March to this effect.

The enforcement process will begin with non-permitted, sunken and abandoned boats already on the system. The first step in the process is notification. Continued non-compliance with the Bye-laws may result in the craft being removed from the navigation and stored at the owners cost.

A one year permit for passage and 5 day mooring costs €126. A year-long mooring permit for a single location costs €152. For boats already on the canal system, both permits must be applied for in advance of the 19th March 2013 and be on display on the boat by the 31st March 2013.

New boats visiting the Grand Canal, Royal Canal or Barrow Navigation for longer than 1 month may apply for the CMP in advance of arrival on the system and must apply for the Extended Mooring Permit as soon as they plan to remain for longer than five days in a single location.

The application process is simple using a form that can be downloaded from www.waterwaysireland.org or sent out by post from Waterways Ireland Tullamore (Tel no 057 9352300).

Waterways Ireland has extended the number of Authorised Officers, who under the Bye-laws have the authority to undertake enforcement.

More information is available from Shane Anderson, Assistant Inspector of Navigation: Tel no +353 (0)87 286 5726, Email shane.anderson@waterwaysireland.org .

Grand Canal Dock improvements

L & M Keating at work here.

Clones

From the Clones Regeneration Partnership Ltd website:

PROJECT OFFICER » Unfortunately the Clones Regeneration Partnership Canal Officer post has come to an end ….

Though I disagreed with the case put forward by Gerry Darby, I am sorry to hear of his departure. My main criticisms of the Clones Sheugh proposal are directed at the Irish government.

The corncrake and the decline of religion

On 13 February 2013 the Irish Times reported that a farmers’ representative had told politicians that

Farmers in the Shannon callows are facing extinction along with the corncrake and wading birds […].

He wanted taxpayers’ money to be spent on stopping the river flooding its flood plain.

Back in the days when people believed in gods, they would have known what a flood meant: it was a message from a deity, telling them to stop whatever they were doing. On the Shannon, either people have stopped believing in gods or they are having some difficulty in interpreting the message, despite its having been delivered over and over again for hundreds of years. If it were interpreted properly, or even if landowners had a modicum of common sense, they would realise that they should either cease trying to earn a living along the banks of a river that floods regularly or adapt their expectations or their activities to take account of the floods (one thinks of rice paddies …).

In the years 2009–2011 net subsidies to agriculture in the Midland region were 114.4% of the operating surplus. For the Border, Midland and Western region as a whole, the figure was 110.4%. In other words, agriculture in those regions is, on balance, a form of outdoor therapy for landowners: it is not an economic activity, and there is no point in taxpayers’ spending any more money on it.

 

Simon O’Regan -v- John Inshaw

Did Simon O’Regan attempt to preempt John Inshaw? Here is a page about O’Regan’s single-screw passenger steamer, demonstrated at Portobello on the Grand Canal in Dublin in 1850.

Wexford

Here is a great account of the development of Wexford Harbour, with a history of its shipping here.

All this excitement …

… can’t be good for me.

Last week Their Excellencies the Revenue Commissioners published two versions of their list of holders of marked fuel trader’s licences, the second [.xls] dated St Valentine’s Day. I was so excited I almost spilt my Ovaltine.

And what’s more, there are now two more candidates for haloes and wings. Step forward Emerald Star Portumna and Carrick-on-Shannon, becoming the fourth and fifth members of the Elect and lengthening the stretch of the Shannon where green diesel can legally be sold. No sign of anyone in Belturbet, though, and I can think of a couple of other places on the Shannon where it would be nice to be able to buy diesel, but we don’t want too much excitement all at once.

Muffins

I gather that there is, nowadays, a demand for muffins. I’ll bet they’re not advertised as elegantly as were Murphy’s Muffins in the Freeman’s Journal of 22 April 1845.

===========================================

MUFFINS — MUFFINS — MUFFINS

THESE DELECTABLE APPENDAGES to the TEA-TABLE can be had, fresh every day, at 10d per dozen at MURPHY’S BELFAST CONFECTIONARY HOUSE, 157, CAPEL STREET, and 68, DAME-STREET.

NB — MURPHY’s ONLY are GENUINE.

‘Tis custom now, at close of day,
Before the hour of nine,
To take a cup of Congou tea,
With MURPHY’S MUFFINS fine.
His Muffins are both pure and sweet,
At morning, noon and even,
And they are bought in CAPEL-street,
At number ONE-FIVE-SEVEN.
‘Tis pleasure’s task, through time’s career,
To give a zest to life —
The young and innocent to cheer,
The unmarried maid, and wife;
And to enjoy this pleasant treat,
These MUFFINS pure are given,
In MURPHY’s shop, in CAPEL-STREET,
At number ONE-FIVE-SEVEN.
To invalids, whose ailing hours
Bid appetite be still,
The MUFFINS have the happy powers
To meet their anxious will.
And ladies fair, whose tempers sweet
Make earth itself a heaven,
Are pleased to visit CAPEL-street,
At number ONE-FIVE-SEVEN.

157, Capel-street, April 8th, 1845.

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The compulsory waterways link? Oh, er …. Perhaps this to this.

 

The glory that was Greese

The River Greese is a tributary of the River Barrow, joining it below Maganey Lock. The photo is taken from the road on the west bank of the Barrow.

River Greese joins the Barrow 01_resize

The Greese joins the Barrow: the trackway passes over it on a bridge

You can locate it on the OSI map by zooming out from here; the extract below shows the confluence.

Greese_resize

The confluence

My OSI logo and permit number for website

The dangers of canal bridges …

… to Her Majesty’s mails.