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Displaying items by tag: Naas Branch

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 Branch (NCB2) for six weeks from Monday 14 February to facilitate breast gate replacement and associated works.

On the Shannon Navigation, Athlone Lock will be closed to boat traffic from Wednesday 16 to Friday 18 February to allow for the relocation hydraulic and electrical services as part of recent flood relief works.

Further north, essential dredging works will see the closure of Portna Canal on the Lower Bann Navigation to boat traffic from Monday 14 to Monday 21 February.

And in Dublin, masters and users of the Royal Canal should note essential tree works taking place between the 12th Lock and Granard Bridge (Castleknock Road) from Monday 14 February.

These works are expected to last for 10 working days which may not be consecutive, weather and staff resources allowing. Vessel owners moored on the north band are asked to cooperate with the tree works contractor to access the bank area for tree removal.

While closure of the towpath is not foreseen, towpath users are asked to be mindful of the works ongoing.

Published in Inland Waterways

Coastal Notes Coastal Notes covers a broad spectrum of stories, events and developments in which some can be quirky and local in nature, while other stories are of national importance and are on-going, but whatever they are about, they need to be told.

Stories can be diverse and they can be influential, albeit some are more subtle than others in nature, while other events can be immediately felt. No more so felt, is firstly to those living along the coastal rim and rural isolated communities. Here the impact poses is increased to those directly linked with the sea, where daily lives are made from earning an income ashore and within coastal waters.

The topics in Coastal Notes can also be about the rare finding of sea-life creatures, a historic shipwreck lost to the passage of time and which has yet many a secret to tell. A trawler's net caught hauling more than fish but cannon balls dating to the Napoleonic era.

Also focusing the attention of Coastal Notes, are the maritime museums which are of national importance to maintaining access and knowledge of historical exhibits for future generations.

Equally to keep an eye on the present day, with activities of existing and planned projects in the pipeline from the wind and wave renewables sector and those of the energy exploration industry.

In addition Coastal Notes has many more angles to cover, be it the weekend boat leisure user taking a sedate cruise off a long straight beach on the coast beach and making a friend with a feathered companion along the way.

In complete contrast is to those who harvest the sea, using small boats based in harbours where infrastructure and safety poses an issue, before they set off to ply their trade at the foot of our highest sea cliffs along the rugged wild western seaboard.

It's all there, as Coastal Notes tells the stories that are arguably as varied to the environment from which they came from and indeed which shape people's interaction with the surrounding environment that is the natural world and our relationship with the sea.