Waterways Ireland has suspended the five-day mooring rule until late October in the wake of the country’s move to Level 3 coronavirus restrictions.

As of this past Wednesday 7 October, the rule — which prohibits vessels from mooring in one spot for more than five days — has been suspended across Ireland's inland waterways for a three-week period until Tuesday 27 October, at which point restrictions will be reviewed.

Shortly after this, the winter mooring period commences on Sunday 1 November and owners of vessels can apply for permits at the Waterways Ireland website.

All locks, bridges and facilities on the Shannon Navigation and Shannon-Erne Waterway remain open at the scheduled times with the exception of Portora Lock in Enniskillen, which will be temporary closed to boat traffic from 9am to 5pm next Wednesday 14 October for essential maintenance.

Masters of vessels and waterways users in the Republic are also reminded that in accordance with Level 3 restrictions, non-essential travel outside your home county is not allowed at present.

Waterways Ireland has announced the reopening of Lock 15 on the Shannon-Erne Waterway at Tirmactiernan in Co Leitrim as of Thursday 27 August after a temporary closure for safety reasons.

The lock has been closed due to the high volume and velocity of water exiting the back channel downstream of the lock.

Waterways Ireland advises masters and users of the Shannon Navigation and Shannon-Erne Waterway that locks will be operating at summer hours from this coming Monday 20 July.

Locks on the Shannon Navigation will operate from 9am to 8.30pm Mondays to Saturdays, and 9am to 6pm on Sundays. On the Shannon-Erne Waterway, the hours are 9am to 8pm daily. (See below for contact details for each lock.)

The passage fee will continue to be waived until further notice. However, a smart card will be required to operate locks on the Shannon-Erne Waterway at all times; these may only be purchased in advance from Waterways Ireland’s online shop or from designated retail outlets along the waterway.

Work is also ongoing to reopen the service blocks - toilets and showers — at all locations along both waterways. Each is undergoing deep cleaning before reopening, and a comprehensive daily cleaning rota is being set up.

Reopening is on a phased basis with blocks at Lough Key and Carrick-on-Shannon the first to open on Monday.

It’s expected the rest — including Boyle Harbour, Dromod Harbour, Drumshanbo Lock, Portrun, Lecarrow, Ballinasloe, Scarriff and Killaloe — will be reopened throughout the week, with all service blocks abatable by Friday 24 July.

Users must comply with coronavirus protocols and HSE guidelines at all times when making use of these facilities.

Shannon Navigation lock-keepers are available at the following numbers (all +353):

• Lough Allen Canal – 071 964 1552
• Clarendon Lock - 071 966 7011
• Albert Lock - 071 963 7715
• Rooskey Lock - 071 963 8018
• Tarmonbarry Lock - 043 332 6117
• Athlone Lock - 090 649 2026
• Poolboy Lock - 090 964 4938
• Victoria Lock - 057 915 1359
• Portumna Bridge - 090 974 1011
• Ardnacrusha - 061 344 515
• Sarsfield Lock - 087 797 2998

Should any assistance be required on the Shannon-Erne Waterway, use the following contacts:

• Lock 1 - +44 286 7748976
• Ballyconnell Waterway Patroller - +353 87 2603662
• Ballinamore Waterway Patroller - +353 87 2602478
• Kilclare Waterway Patroller - +353 87 2603663
• Lock 16 - +353 87 2608569
• Carrick-on-Shannon Office - +353 71 9650562

 For further information on the reopening of the navigation please visit www.waterwaysireland.org

​The public consultation on the draft Shannon Tourism Masterplan and Environmental Report will close at 4pm this coming Wednesday 22 April.

Members of the public can review all the documents online and make their submission through the online survey.

The list of documents available to view are an Executive Summary, the draft Shannon Tourism Masterplan, a baseline study for the Masterplan, the Environmental Report, and AA Screen Report and Natura Impact Report.

This consultation is the next stage in an 18-month process to create a definitive document to support the development of tourism along the Shannon corridor.

Led by Waterways Ireland, with Fáilte Ireland, the steering group and working groups engaged representatives from Cavan, Leitrim, Roscommon, Longford, Offaly, Galway, Tipperary, Clare, Westmeath and Limerick county councils – which are all stakeholders in the longest of Ireland’s inland waterways.

Waterways Ireland has announced the opening of a public consultation on the Draft Shannon Tourism Masterplan and Environmental Report today, Wednesday 4 March.

The consultation documents will be available to the public both online and in the 10 county council offices along the Shannon and Shannon-Erne inland waterway corridors, and the consultation will remain open until Wednesday 22 April at 4pm.

The list of documents available to view are an Executive Summary, the draft Shannon Tourism Masterplan, a baseline study for the Masterplan, the Environmental Report, and AA Screen Report and Natura Impact Report.

Submissions can be made by completing an online survey. Surveys are also available at the host locations listed on the Waterways Ireland website and can be posted to Waterways Ireland’s Western Regional Office in Scariff, Co Clare.

The public consultation is also taking place in Northern Ireland, with documents available to view in the Waterways Ireland headquarters in Enniskillen. Relevant additional links include the NI Environmental Report and Habitats Regulations Assessment.

This consultation is the next stage in an 18-month process to reposition the combined Shannon Navigation and Shannon-Erne Waterway as a key tourism destination within Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, identifying world class visitor experiences based on the region’s natural and cultural assets.

The Shannon Tourism Masterplan sets out “a bold and integrated framework for sustainable tourism development along the Shannon and Shannon-Erne”, Waterways Ireland says.

SLR Consulting and partners were commissioned to develop this Tourism Masterplan for the Shannon by Waterways Ireland in association with Fáilte Ireland and with the support of the 10 local authorities adjoining the River Shannon and Shannon Erne Waterway.

Once the public consultation is complete, submissions will be reviewed and a final draft of the document issued.

Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners of vessels that all 16 locks on the Shannon-Erne Waterway will be out of service from Monday 23rd December 2019 to 1st January 2020 inclusive. No lock passage by boat will be possible during this period. Normal service will resume at 0900 on Thursday 2nd January 2020.

Service Blocks: The Service Blocks at Aghalane and Haughton's Shore are closed and shall reopen Sunday 15th March 2020. The Service Blocks at Ballyconnell, Ballinamore, Keshcarrigan and Leitrim shall remain open.

Trails: All associated land-based and water-based Blueway trails shall remain open.

Further information may be had during normal business hours by contacting Waterways Ireland's Carrick-on-Shannon office at 071 9650562.

Waterways Ireland has issued Marine Notices related to a number of events taking place on Ireland’s inland waterways this weekend.

On the Royal Canal, a Junior Canoe Polo Competition will take place at Kilcock Harbour from 10am to 6pm tomorrow, Saturday 22 June.

Passage will be possible between 1pm and 2pm. Masters of other craft are requested to proceed at slow speed and with minimum wash and note any directions issued by the stewards.

On the Shannon-Erne Waterway, masters and owners of vessels are advised that they may experience short-term delays between Lock 1 at Corraquill and Ballyconnell Marina between 1pm and 6.30pm tomorrow due to the waterway’s 25th anniversary event.

Masters are requested to proceed at slow speed and heed any instructions issued by the event marshals.

Elsewhere on the River Shannon, the swimming element of a triathlon event will take place in Tarmonbarry on Sunday 23 June between 9.30am and noon.

Tarmonbarry lock will be closed to traffic during this time, and the N5 Shannon lifting bridge will also be closed, requiring large airdraft vessels to berth north of the bridge for the period.

A children’s swimming event will take place at 6pm on Saturday in Tarmonbarry, but this will not affect vessels in the navigation.

Masters are requested to proceed at slow speed and with minimum wash when approaching this section of the river and heed any instructions issued by the event marshals.

Meanwhile, on Upper Lough Erne, masters and owners of vessels are advised that dredging works are due to commence at Kilmore Quay on Monday 1 July and last for approximately nine weeks.

The map below shows the area to be dredged and the route the vessels will be taking in order to bottom-dump the material.

Masters of vessel are requested to proceed with additional caution in the vicinity of the dredging operations and dredging vessels.

Waterways Ireland thanks its customers for their co-operation in this and all other matters.

The Shannon-Erne Waterway begins its 25th year of operation tomorrow, Thursday 23 May.

It also marks start of a year of community, heritage and fun events all along the waterway linking Lough Erne in Co Fermanagh, through Co Cavan and into the River Shannon in Co Leitrim, taking in many towns and villages along its 63km length.

The largest cross-border infrastructure project of its time, the works involved the restoration of locks, dredging of the navigation channel, the installation of an electro-hydraulic lock operating system and the use of smart cards to operate the locks and service blocks which were placed at six locations along its length.

The Shannon-Erne Waterway has welcomed thousands of local and international boaters over the years, and introduced northern boaters to the south and southern boaters to the north, all bringing an economic dividend to places like Leitrim village, Keshcarrigan, Ballinamore and Ballyconnell.

Tomorrow the first of the year’s events, the Paddles Up Transition Year Programme reaches, its climax with a group of 100 students crossing the border on a 10km kayak paddle from the south to the north.

Paddles Up is a six-week programme involving learning the basic skills of kayaking and water safety and culminating in a 10km paddle. The students completing the programme will receive a qualification awarded by Canoeing Ireland, the national governing body, in either a Level One or Two Kayaking Proficiency Skills.

Further events are planned for the year including a visit of heritage boats to the Ballinamore Festival, exhibitions of heritage materials, oral history recordings and much more.

This include the Shannon-Erne Oral History Project, which is inviting contributions from people with memories of the waterway over the last 25 years.

Communities and activity clubs along the Shannon–Erne Waterway interested in organising events between now and May 2020 are asked to contact Waterways Ireland at [email protected] to be added to the events calendar.

To find out more about what’s on, find Waterways Ireland on Facebook.

#InlandWaters - Funding for Waterways Ireland is on the rise, and particularly for projects in the Dublin region, according to Heritage Minister Josepha Madigan.

Responding last week to a Dáil question from Cavan-Monaghan TD Brendan Smith, Minister Madigan outlined that estimates for 2019 provide for an allocation of €25,117,000 for Waterways Ireland, representing an overall increase of €1 million on last year’s original allocation.

Within this figure, capital funding for Waterways Ireland has been increased by €800,000 from €3,580,00 to €4,380,000 in 2019.

In response to Dublin West TD Joan Burton, through whose constituency the Royal Canal flows, Minister Madigan provided a breakdown of Waterways Ireland’s Exchequer (current and capital) funding allocation from 2016 to present.

The level of funding provided for maintenance and upgrade of waterways, canals and rivers in Co Dublin specifically as been forecast at €3,153,665 for 2019 — compared to €1,158,136 in 2018.

Responding to a follow-up question from Deputy Smith regarding specific capital funding for maintenance and improvement works on the Shannon-Erne Waterway, Minister Madigan outlined that Waterways Ireland plans to complete 10.4km of Greenway enhancement towpath as well as advance plans for a full-scale Greenway along the 64km route.

Capital funding allocated for Shannon-Erne works is €125,000 for 2019, and Waterways Ireland is partnered with local authorities for three projects to the tuned of €311,500:

• Development of a Blueway trail between Leitrim Village and Kilclare with Leitrim County Council (€162,000 WI contribution).
• Development of a Blueway trail between Ballyconnell and Bellaheady Bridge with Cavan County Council (€124,500).
• Development of forward planning for a trail extension from Aghalane to Lock 1 at Corraquill with Cavan County Council (€25,000).

The minister underlined that any requests for additional funding from Waterways Ireland in 2019 “can only be considered on their merits, taking into account the organisation’s strategic business objectives for the waterways network and the estimates and annual budgetary processes.”

Previously, Kildare South TD Fiona O’Loughlin asked the minister the extent to which she expects an amicable resolution to issues between Waterways Ireland and traditional dwellers and recreational users of the Grand Canal in Co Kildare.

Minister Madigan replied that Waterways Ireland “continues to concentrate on boats which consistently remain in breach of the bye-laws”, and that the cross-border body “will consult with its stakeholders in the drafting of additional bye-laws to ensure proper regulation of craft on the waterways” following the signing into law last summer of the Heritage Act 2018.

#InlandWaterways - Waterways Ireland wishes to advise masters of vessels on the Shannon Erne Waterway that the inspection of lock chambers and weirs is presently underway and will be completed on Friday 1 March.

Masters approaching locks should be prepared to stop short and await instructions from the dive safety officer before proceeding.