Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Waterways Ireland advises boaters on the Royal Canal that there will be restrictions to navigation in the Castleknock area west of Lock 12 from next Monday 18 May until Friday 29 May. This is for previously notified site investigation works…

Waterways Ireland advises all users of the Barrow Navigation that the area between the 28th Lock in Athy and Bestfield Lock near Carlow is currently closed for weir repair works. No timetable was given for the completion of these works,…

Waterways Ireland has advised masters and owners of vessels that low water levels exist on Lough Key, on the river section between Clarendon Lock to Tarmonbarry and on the river section in the vicinity of Meelick and Victoria Lock. Water…

Waterways Ireland says it is currently planning the roadmap to the reopening of its navigations and the phased return of its workforce. This plan will involve engaging with various stakeholders, such as user groups and other State agencies, and will…

Carrickcraft, the leading River Shannon Cruiser-Hire firm, expects to reopen its boat rental business from 20th July and aims to tap into the 'staycation' market as many Irish people are worried about flying abroad this summer due to COVID-19. 'A boat…

This year’s Shannon Boat Rally is the latest inland waterways event to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hon Secretary Fiona Hoey made the announcement yesterday (Wednesday 6 May) in step with the guidelines of the National Public Health…

For those of you missing Ireland’s inland waterways, you can now view the stunning Royal Canal, Grand Canal Barrow Line and Barrow Navigation along with the Shannon through Google Maps and Google Earth. Waterways Ireland, in partnership with the Google…

This year’s Shannon Harbour Canal Boat Rally, which had been scheduled for 19-21 June, has been postponed over the coronavirus pandemic. Ian Skelton, Hon Sec of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland’s Shannon Harbour branch and who confirmed the news,…

The past weekend’s good weather tempted a group of jet-skiers who subsequently ran into difficulty in Clew Bay, as The Irish Times reports. Achill Island RNLI launched its lifeboat on Saturday evening (25 April) to reports of three men on…

Winter mooring facilities have been further extended until Sunday 31 May to ease the pressure on the inland boating community, Waterways Ireland has announced. There will be no additional cost for this extension, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways…

​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…

More than 90% of samples taken from Irish rivers show the presence of E. coli, according to a new study from NUI Galway. And researchers found that the toxic bacteria was also present in bathing waters which pass muster with…

Proposals in the Fianna Fail/Fine Gael joint framework for a potential ‘Grand Coalition’ government could be a boon for the Ulster Canal and other cross-border infrastructure. Under the heading ‘A Shared Island’, the draft document describes the formation of a…

Gardaí exercised their emergency powers this past Thursday (9 April) on Lough Derg, warning cruisers, motor boats and anglers alike to stay at home, as the Clare Echo reports. Terryglass Angling & Conservation Club informed its members on Thursday afternoon…

Waterways Ireland’s message to all users of Ireland’s inland waterways this Easter weekend is to “please stay at home”. In a statement, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland navigations said: “We are aware that Easter is normally a time that…

Yesterday, Wednesday 1 April, marked 20 years since the creation of Waterways Ireland, following the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 and 1999’s British-Irish Agreement Act. “During these days when the Covid-19 virus overshadows our thoughts, it is particularly important not…