Irish Boating Updates on Inland Waterways, Rivers, Canals and Holidays

Two Call Outs for Lough Ree RNLI Volunteer Crew on Busy Holiday Weekend
21st March 2022 RNLI Lifeboats
The first public holiday weekend of the year saw Lough Ree RNLI lifeboat volunteer crew respond to two call-outs and come to the aid of four people stranded on the lake. On St. Patrick’s Day (Thursday 17 March) the crew…

Shannon Navigation: Repairs to Floating Moorings in Carrick-on-Shannon
19th March 2022 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland advises all masters of vessels and water users on the Shannon Navigation that essential repair works will be carried out to the floating moorings in Carrick-on-Shannon from this coming Wednesday 23 March. There will be restricted access to…

Waterways Ireland advises users of the Grand Canal’s Barrow Line that navigation between Spencer Lock in Rathangan and Macartney Lock in Monasterevin will be closed from Monday 21 March to Friday 1 April inclusive to facilitate dredging works.

Lough Ree Clinkerfest To Celebrate Our Classic Boat-building Heritage With Sailing Sport
12th March 2022 W M Nixon
While the sailing programme during the past two years has managed to be played out afloat in a truncated form whenever changing regulations permitted, anything which involved a significant shoreside element of socialising was either cancelled completely, or else moth-balled…

Royal Canal Closed to Navigation Near Mullingar for Ongoing Leak Repair Works
11th March 2022 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland wishes to notify users of the Royal Canal that leakage repair works are ongoing at The Downs, outside Mullingar in Co Westmeath, and will continue until Thursday 28 April. The inland waterway will remain closed to navigation at…

Waterways Ireland wishes to advise all masters of vessels and water users on the Shannon Navigation that Albert Lock on the Jamestown Canal in Co Roscommon has restricted operations since yesterday, Thursday 10 until next Wednesday 16 March as essential…

Waterways Ireland Recruiting for Lock and Bridge Keepers on Shannon Navigation
11th March 2022 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland wishes to recruit permanent part-time lock and bridge keepers for lock operations on the Shannon Navigation during the peak boating seasons. The successful applicants will be based at a specific location and will assist inland waterways users in…

Following a series of familiarisation and training programmes over the last three weeks, the volunteer crew at Lough Ree RNLI is in readiness for the move to its new state of the art boathouse in Coosan later this month. The…

First-Ever Floating Pageant Part of Waterways Ireland’s Partnership With St Patrick’s Festival 2022
3rd March 2022 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland has announced details of its partnership with the St Patrick’s Festival that will see, for the first time in the festival’s history, a floating pageant in the annual St Patrick’s Day parade. Supported and inspired by Waterways Ireland, the…

The boating community and those who treasured the maritime heritage of County Fermanagh’s Lough Erne learned with shock last weekend of the sudden death of Fred Ternan. Fred was a true son of Fermanagh. He was born on Inniscoonra Island…

Waterways Ireland Presents Guides for Fun Family Trips in ‘Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands’
1st March 2022 Inland Waterways
With spring in the air, thoughts will be turning to weekends away with the family to get a break from it all — and few places are better than Ireland’s inland waterways. Waterways Ireland and Fáilte Ireland have enlisted travel…

Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners of vessels of issues affecting navigation on the Shannon-Erne Waterway this week. Following Storm Franklin, the Woodford River was completely blocked to navigation by two partially submerged fallen trees immediately upstream of Old Aghalane…

There’s a great buzz of woodworking activity in the Belleek Men’s Shed and on West Island in County Fermanagh. But this is no ordinary woodworking – this is the building of traditional Lough Erne Cots. The Cot was originally a…

President Michael D Higgins Pays Tribute to Work of Waterways Ireland on Visit to Enniskillen Headquarters
18th February 2022 Inland Waterways
President Michael D Higgins was treated to a display of a wealth of waterways-related artefacts from Waterways Ireland’s archive when he visited the North-South body’s headquarters in Enniskillen today. The President was accompanied on the visit by his wife, Mrs…

Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat Launches to Investigate Kayaker in Difficulty Report
12th February 2022 RNLI Lifeboats
On Sunday afternoon, 12 February, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat to launch to investigate a report from a member of the public that a kayaker was in difficulty by Navigation Mark J, at the northern end of…

Canal Users Advised of Closures and Works Across Inland Waterways From Next Week
12th February 2022 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland advises of a number of temporary closures and scheduled works across the inland waterways in the coming days. On the Grand Canal, masters of vessels should note that there will be no boat passages permitted on the Nass…