It's noticeable that the level of activity varies with the weather. There have been days when there were only one or two other boats in sight, whereas on fine days everything that can float seems to be in use. And it's not just on the water: Dromineer can be packed on a fine weekend but deserted the following weekend. The landscaping at the public harbour has been used in sunshine, but perhaps we need ways of attracting and retaining visitors when the weather is not so good.
On one of those fine weekends, there was an expedition to Castlebawn (Simon’s Castle), which is on an island in Scarriff Bay. It was opened specially for a group visit; regular opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 6pm, in July and August (ring Pat 087 292 0880 for other opening times). The island’s jetty is capable of taking several cruisers (and barges) but it is also possible to hire a boat or take a ferry from Mountshannon: see www.castlebawn.com for details.
Pat and Mary Cody have restored the castle and they use it as a weekend retreat. The thickness of the walls means that the inside space is smaller than you might expect, but there are lots of rooms over four levels. Pat and Mary have restored the castle using original stone, Irish oak and furniture that is in sympathy with its surroundings.
A friend said that Pat is just like an enthusiast for old boats: willing to spend large amounts of time and effort, and no doubt money too, to restore an old artefact to life. His account of his struggles with planners, and of the sheer hard work that went in to the restoration, was absolutely fascinating, and well worth the modest admission charge of e8 for adults (e4 for children). It is good to see that the restoration was Highly Commended at the Clare Design & Conservation Awards in 2005.
En route to Castlebawn, I managed to get photos of black and red buoys with numbers on them: the mania for numbering things, which has recently infected our local roads, has now spread to Waterways Ireland’s southern navigation markers. If this goes on, we’ll have postcodes before we know where we are.
Killaloe
Killaloe has suffered for years from a shortage of public berths. Furthermore, the main berthing area, on the east side (which is actually Ballina, Co Tipperary) just above the bridge, has its own dangers: in heavy flow, boats have been swept on to the bridge.
If you can get through the bridge safely, you can tie to a small section of wall outside the canal on the west side; you can even enter the old canal itself and tie up there. On the east side, Waterways Ireland has installed pontoon moorings below the bridge but they have not been opened yet. WI says that:
“North Tipperary County Council is building, will operate and own the service block. Waterways Ireland has installed the floating jetty. The County Council is in dispute with its contractor and is unable to provide safe access from/to the jetty until this dispute is resolved. Therefore we have had to close the jetty.”
WI now has a proposal to install new moorings on the west side, along the canal wall above the bridge. You can download details from Clare County Council’s website at http://www.clarecoco.ie/ePlan41: insert Planning File Reference number 09212. There are four main elements:
• repairs to the canal wall
• flow control gates inside the canal to
protect the wall
• a widened walkway along the top of the wall
• about 90m of floating pontoon moorings
outside the wall.
There would be two losses: the big green boathouse outside the wall would be demolished and the small jetty above the lockhouse, with the lakeboats tied to it (see photo), would be removed. But there might also be lost opportunities. First, it is possible that there are remains of boats from the waterway’s trading days — from the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company, the Grand Canal Company or other traders — in the area; it would be useful to keep an eye out for, and report and record, anything that is found. Second, the stretch from the Pierhead to the Marble Mill in Killaloe is probably the richest industrial heritage landscape on the Irish inland waterways, and signposting and interpretation might call that landscape to the attention of visitors.
At time of writing, the planning application is on hold as Clare County Council has sought further information, mostly on ecological and environmental issues.
On a quick visit to the Grand Canal Docks at Ringsend in Dublin, I was told that owners of some boats had received registered letters requiring them to move their boats out of the basin. The IWAI Dublin Branch workboat was a forlorn site, under water and held up only by the pontoon to which it was tied.
However, the Waterways Ireland Visitor Centre (the Box in the Docks) was showing signs of life, with renovation work finally under way, no doubt to "create a new dynamic multi-functional space," as the WI website has been saying. There's a new box on the banks of the outer basin, with red things nearby; no doubt they are very artistic. I'm sure the Leech family would have loved to gaze upon them as they man-hauled their Royal Canal boats, loaded with bog ore, from the Liffey to the gasworks.
But even on a weekday the basin was in use: dinghies had their sails up, the Viking Splash DUKW was pottering around and there were several other boats using the water.
Over on the north side, Dublin's then-Lord Mayor unveiled a plaque in May to mark the completion of the flood defence element of the new sea-lock at Spencer Dock on the Royal. This was several weeks before the local elections, so any link between the photo-opportunity and the campaign is entirely coincidental. The navigation element has yet to be completed and the Royal's reopening, which depends on securing a better supply of water, will not occur before 2010.
WI round-upOur article on Shannon Harbour in the last issue aroused much interest. Here is a photo, taken on a wet day, showing the new toilet block, the seating and the improved landscaping.
Waterways Ireland has a new building at Lock 16 on the Shannon–Erne Waterway, replacing a 15-year-old temporary structure, to accommodate its patroller (with an unobstructed view of the navigation) and provide storage.
An improved 'boating and tourist destination' is to be built at Richmond Harbour, where the Royal Canal meets the Shannon. Waterways Ireland has sent a converted barge towards the Royal, presumably to test its suitability for ex-Grand Canal Company boats. And a new workboat, built in Donegal, has arrived on the upper Shannon.
Waterways Ireland has been involved in organising public events called Discover Athlone and Discover Carrick-on-Shannon, designed to highlight the "the incredible diversity and quality of attractions, activities and entertainments" in their areas. Water-based activities feature strongly, including sailing, displays of classic boats, boat trips, kayaking, canoeing, rowing, fishing and sub-aqua demonstrations. These events may attract new users to the waterways; they also show how broadly Waterways Ireland (rightly) interprets its role.
Published in Afloat July/August 2009
