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Displaying items by tag: Canoe Marathon

#Canoeing: Ronan Foley took gold medals on Saturday and Sunday at the canoe marathon World Cup in in Viana do Castelo in Portugal. The Kilcullen man dominated the short race on Saturday, and then sprinted away from his rivals on the last portage to win the marathon test on the Sunday.

 Barry Watkins took silver in the senior race over the short course on Saturday and took 10th on Sunday – recovering from an unwanted swim in rough conditions.

Canoe Marathon World Cup, Viana Do Castelo, Portugal (Irish interest; selected results):

Saturday

Men – K1 Short Race: 2 B Watkins 13:46.15.

K1 Short Race, Juniors: 1 R Foley 14 min 52.43 sec.

Sunday

Men – K1 Marathon: 10 Watkins 2 hr 21 min 10.20.

K1 Marathon, Junior Final: 1 Foley 1 hr 53 min 7.34 sec.

Published in Canoeing

#Canoeing: Jenny Egan finished fourth in the senior K1 event at the Canoe Marathon World Championships in Gyor in Hungary. Anna Koziskova of the Czech Republic took gold, covering the 26.1 kilometre course in one hour 56 minutes 28.847 seconds, while Egan was three minutes and just under 50 seconds further back. Egan was 57 seconds behind bronze medallist Kristina Bedec of Serbia.  

Canoe  Marathon World Championships, Gyor, Hungary

Men

K1 Senior, 30km: 25 P Egan 2 hrs 15 min 24.477sec ; B Watkins dnf. K1 Under-23, 26.1km: 18 T Brennan 1:56.378.177

Women

K1 Senior, 26.1km: 4 J Egan 2:00.18.166.

Published in Canoeing

Whether you're a boat enthusiast, historian, archaeologist, fisherman, or just taken by the natural beauty of Ireland's waterways, you will find something of interest in our Inland pages on Afloat.ie.

Inland Waterways

Ireland is lucky to have a wealth of river systems and canals crossing the country that, while once vital for transporting goods, are today equally as important for angling, recreational boating and of course tourism.

From the Barrow Navigation to the Erne System, the Grand Canal, the Lower Bann, the Royal Canal, the Shannon-Erne Waterway and the Shannon Navigation, these inland waterways are popular year in, year out for anyone with an interest in rambling; flora and fauna; fishing; sailing; motorboating; canoeing, kayaking and waterskiing; and cruising on narrowboats.

Although most will surely identify Ireland's inland waterways with boating holidays and a peaceful afternoon's angling, many varieties of watersport are increasingly favoured activities. Powerboat and Jetski courses abound, as do opportunities for waterskiing or wakeboarding. For those who don't require engine power, there's canoeing and kayaking, as Ireland's waterways have much to offer both recreational paddlers and those looking for more of a challenge. And when it comes to more sedate activities, there's nothing like going for a walk along a canal or river bank following some of the long-distance Waymarked Ways or Slí na Sláinte paths that criss-cross the country.

Ireland's network of rivers, lakes and canals is maintained by Waterways Ireland, which is one of the six North/South Implementation Bodies established under the British-Irish Agreement in 1999. The body has responsibility for the management, maintenance, development and restoration of inland navigable waterways on the island of Ireland, principally for recreational purposes. It also maintains Ireland's loughs, lakes and channels which are sought after for sailing; the network of canal locks and tow paths; as well as any buoys, bridges and harbours along the routes.

Along the Grand and Royal Canals and sections of the Barrow Navigation and the Shannon-Erne Waterway, Waterways Ireland is also responsible for angling activities, and charges Inland Fisheries Ireland with carrying out fisheries development, weed management and ensuring water quality.

Brian Goggin's Inland Blog

Giving his personal perspective on Ireland's Inland Waterways from present-day activities to their rich heritage, Brian Goggin tells it like it is with his Inland Blog.

From recognising achievements in management of the waterways to his worries on the costs of getting afloat on Ireland's canals, Goggin always has something important to say.

He also maintains the website Irish Waterways History that serves as a repository for a wealth of historical accounts of the past commercial and social uses alike of Ireland's rivers and canals, which were once the lifeblood of many a rural community.