Tag Archives: waterways

Marl update

Posted on Thursday 16 August 2012 | Leave a comment

I have added more information, from Arthur Young in 1780, to my piece on dredging for marl on Lough Derg. Young provides a few more details on the process.

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Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Shannon, The cattle trade, waterways, Weather

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Plasticine

Posted on Thursday 9 August 2012 | 2 comments

Why, when speaking of the branded product Plasticine, did [do?] Irish teachers insist on using the Irish word marla? Even that word was, according to Terry Dolan’s Dictionary of Hiberno-English [Gill & Macmillan, Dublin 2004; new ed forthcoming], derived from the English marl.

At least in the nineteenth century, marl was a valuable manure or fertiliser and, on Lough Derg, Mr Head of the Derry Estate introduced a system of dredging it from deep water. Read about it here.

 

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Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Scenery, Shannon, Sources, Steamers, The cattle trade, waterways

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Fox II (113B)

Posted on Wednesday 1 August 2012 | 5 comments

Thanks to Liam Kelly for these photos of the retired WI maintenance vessel Fox celebrating her 75th birthday in dry dock at Roosky recently.

 

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Posted in Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Restoration and rebuilding, Shannon, waterways

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Barges, cots and subaltern waterways studies

Posted on Wednesday 1 August 2012 | Leave a comment

I am to speak at Jamestown, near Carrick-on-Shannon in Co Leitrim, on Saturday 4 August 2012. Jamestown is having its heritage festival, and large numbers of old (converted) barges will be there. I will be giving one of four talks; mine is entitled

Down with barges: why cots were the really important vessels on Irish inland waterways.

I will be citing His Late Majesty Henry VIII, Fid Def, in support of my contention.

Here is some of the background to my thinking. If you would like to hear more, do come along on the day: the talks are open to all.

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Posted in Economic activities, Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations, People, Politics, Shannon, Sources, Suir, The cattle trade, The fishing trade, The turf trade, waterways, Waterways management

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Essential kit for barge-drivers

Posted on Tuesday 31 July 2012 | 2 comments

So there you are outside one of the more sheltered harbours (Dromaan, say), unable to see how much space there is inside and wondering whether, if you go in, you’ll find you have to reverse out again. How useful it would be to be able to see inside from some distance away. How useful it would be to have a small helicopter at your disposal, one that could send pics back to you.

Clearly such a gadget would be a must-have item, an essential piece of equipment for any conscientious barge-driver. Happily, it exists.

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Posted in Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Operations, Shannon, Water sports activities

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Where do …

Posted on Tuesday 31 July 2012 | Leave a comment

… (a) correct ideas and (b) camper vans come from?

Correct ideas, as everyone is undoubtedly aware, come from three kinds of social practice: the struggle for production, the class struggle and scientific experiment.

Camper vans (or RVs: song on this page requiring Flash) may come to WI harbours because they’ve studied the Safe Nights Ireland website, which (inter alia) lists all the public toilets in Ireland (many counties have none) and the WI facilities.

Incidentally, I have been told that WI now welcomes camper vans, having persuaded Bord Fáilte that the economy won’t collapse if it recognises the reality that the vans use the harbours. However, I haven’t seen that in writing anywhere; if anyone can point me towards a reliable source, please leave a Comment below.

 

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Posted in Ashore, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Ireland, Irish waterways general, Non-waterway, Operations, Politics, Shannon, Sources, Tourism, waterways, Waterways management

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Birthday girl

Posted on Tuesday 31 July 2012 | Leave a comment

Miranda at 100

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Posted in Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Restoration and rebuilding, Shannon, waterways

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Waterways walks

Posted on Tuesday 31 July 2012 | Leave a comment

Look!

Waterways Ireland and a local authority have cooperated in opening a canalside walking and cycling path!

And an excitable minister opened it, saying

This has huge potential for tourism but it also has a huge knock on effect for communities in the health benefit facilities like this bring and this, in turn has benefits in reducing the press on our health services as well. I want to see more walkways because I want to see more people out walking and seeing the natural beauty that we here in Ireland are blessed to have around us.

And rightly so. But you don’t need an expensive canal in order to provide a walk.

 

 

 

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Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Foreign parts, Forgotten navigations, Irish waterways general, Natural heritage, Non-waterway, Operations, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Scenery, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways management

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Bertie Ahern

Posted on Friday 27 July 2012 | 2 comments

According to the Irish Times, writing about Clones:

[…] But people are trying hard to turn the tide: cleaning its buildings, promoting its hand-made lace, and hoping that the Monaghan part of the Ulster Canal will be re-opened.

The latter was a promise of former taoiseach Bertie Ahern. Clones is endearingly resistant to trends – it is still the proud capital of Irish country and western music although some admit that the best dancehall is Blacklion’s “ballroom of romance”.

I think Clones must be the last town in Ireland to cling to Bertie’s word.

Oh well, if Bertie says so ….

 

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Posted in Built heritage, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Foreign parts, Forgotten navigations, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Non-waterway, People, Politics, Restoration and rebuilding, Ulster Canal, waterways, Waterways management

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Tidal Barrow

Posted on Tuesday 17 July 2012 | Leave a comment

One of the government’s proposed schemes for saving the economy is a bypass of New Ross:

The N25 New Ross Bypass will provide approximately 13.6 kilometres of new road from Glenmore at the eastern border of Kilkenny and crossing over the River Barrow via a new bridge into Wexford.

That means it will cross around here. You should be able to see Glenmore west of the Barrow. The crossing will be in the area of navigation under the authority of the New Ross Port Company.

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Posted in Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Ireland, Operations, Politics, waterways, Waterways management

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