Always a late starter, Brian J Goggin was surprised to find a deserted Lough Derg on a sunny weekend outing

We've never thought of ourselves as early birds: as our boat has no heating, our boating season starts rather late. But we were surprised, on two successive weekends, to find that others seem to be leaving things even later. Apart from sailing boats involved in a race, and anglers dapping, there were very few private or hired inland boats on the move on Lough Derg. At times, on a sunny weekend, there was no other boat to be seen in the middle of the lake. And that may have been the summer.

Killaloe did have a large group of Emerald Star boats on one weekend: we were told they had been hired by a wedding party who were enjoying themselves (happily, on the Ballina side of the river) until the early hours of the morning. On the Killaloe side, the new floating moorings have had the pontoons installed, but Waterways Ireland has only recently called for tenders for the remaining work. So the shortage of spaces will continue for another while, causing difficulties for those heading for the excellent Killaloe market.

The town has acquired another attraction recently: the 12-seater fast trip boat Spirit of Lough Derg (www.spiritofloughderg.com), operated by the same people as the existing 50-seater Spirit of Killaloe. The new boat is offering one-way charters between Killaloe and Limerick so, if you've never been through Ardnacrusha Lock (an experience not to be missed), here is your chance. See the website for details.

Take a boat to the theatre
If you've been near the Grand Canal in the more salubrious parts of Dublin recently, you may have seen the Heritage Boat Association barges, fleet auxiliaries and other supporting vessels. The fleet entered Dublin somewhat ahead of the annual Dublin Rally, and has been making the most of its time: visiting restaurants (including the MV Cill Airne) by boat, travelling up the Liffey to Islandbridge and taking a look downriver towards the sea. More photos and details on www.heritageboatassociation.ie.

The MV Cill Airne and the restaurant boat Riasc are both ventures of Irish Ship & Barge Fabrication (www.isbf.ie) whose latest vessel, the Cadhla, is now on the Grand Canal. This electric vessel offers a daily "customised canal tour", written by Pat Liddy, as well as pre-theatre cruises during the evening. You can take the Luas tram to Charlemont Place, transfer to the barge and eat while travelling slowly to the Grand Canal Theatre. Post-theatre drinks and a trip back to Charlemont are also available. See www.citycanalcruises.ie.

Rambler through the Royal
What do you do if your boat is in Dublin, you want to get it to the Shannon but it's too big for the Grand Canal and it's not designed for the sea? You wait for Waterways Ireland to reopen the Royal Canal, even if that takes a while, as its locks are longer than those of the Grand.

The Rambler was one of five steamers used by the Midland Great Western Railway Company, which owned the Royal Canal, from 1875 onwards. She was able to carry 30 tons and to tow unpowered boats. The Company ceased carrying in 1886 and the Royal reverted to horse-drawn traffic.

Since then, the Rambler has passed through many hands and been converted and reconverted many times. The most recent conversion was done in the Grand Canal Basin in Ringsend, to which she was carried by road; since then, the Rambler has remained in the Basin awaiting the reopening of the Royal Canal so that she can return to the Shannon.

That reopening is now in sight: Waterways Ireland expects it in September 2010, and it has set up a working committee to plan appropriate events and celebrations. The committee includes waterways bodies, local authorities, anglers and the Kilcock Canoe Polo Club, which uses the Kilcock canal harbour for its sport (www.kilcockcanoepoloclub.com).

As a preliminary event, the HBA fleet visited Spencer Dock, where the Royal Canal meets the Liffey. The Rambler, carrying a party of Royal Canal Amenity Group members, was in the van, with the former horse-boat 4E behind: although built for the Grand, she was used for maintenance on the Royal from the 1950s.

The last cargo
The last commercial cargo to be carried on the Grand Canal was stout to Limerick. Guinness needed time to build a new depot near the railway station, so the water-borne service to Limerick continued until 1960.

The last consignment was in May 1960, carried by the Grand Canal Company's motor-barge 51M. Unlike many of her sisters, 51M was not sold off afterwards. She remained in the CIE (and now in the Waterways Ireland) maintenance fleet, fitted out for repairing locks and known as the Carpenter's Boat. Like the Rambler, she has been in the Grand Canal Basin for many years.

The Heritage Boat Association has received permission from Waterways Ireland to recreate the last commercial voyage, and will be moving 51M westward along the canal. The crew will include descendants of the man who skippered her on her historic voyage.

Mud rules Limerick out
It would be nice if 51M could travel all the way to the old canal harbour in Limerick, but access may be difficult at the moment. A fleet of boats from Lough Derg had intended to visit the Limerick Riverfest at the start of May but changed their minds when it became apparent that much dredging was required after the winter floods.

That wasn't the only casualty: Limerick County Council has closed the Black Bridge at Plassey. This bridge was built in 1842, as part of the improvements made by the Shannon Commissioners, and replaced a ferry. It enabled towing horses to cross the river: the towing-path of the Limerick Navigation was on the Limerick side from the city up to Plassey, but in Clare, on the other side of the Shannon, the rest of the way to Killaloe.

Hauling a laden barge across the river, against the flow of the Shannon in flood, can't have been easy, and the parapet of the bridge bears, to this day, the grooves cut in it by the tow-ropes. The closure of the bridge has cut in two the popular walk from the city through Plassey and along the Plassey-Errina Canal to Gillogue.

The winter floods have damaged the bridge's supports. However, I have been unable to find out why Limerick County Council, rather than Waterways Ireland, thinks it is responsible for the bridge.

It's a Suir thing
"Though not a seaport, the town [of Clonmel], from its situation at the head of the Suir navigation, is the medium through which the corn and provision export trade is carried on between the southern and eastern portions of this large county and England. There are generally about 120 lighters, from 20 to 50 tons burden, employed in the trade of this town."

That was in 1839. In the 1930s, Major Rowland Raven-Hart wrote in 'Canoeing in Ireland':
"From Clonmel (rail) to Carrick (rail) the navigation is quite amusing, and these thirteen miles should certainly be done: there is no danger whatever, and this part would be a valuable introduction to comparatively shallow-water canoeing for the absolute novice. The current here is always good, and there are several small rapids. On the whole run from Clonmel to the sea there is no portage, nor is it ever even necessary to float the boat down, unless perhaps in exceptionally low water. The scenery above Clonmel is fair, from there to Carrick excellent."

The navigation of this section of the Suir was never easy. The standard vessel was the yawl, 60 feet long but shallow-draughted and carrying perhaps 16 tons in summer. The traffic was horse drawn, with 12 or more horses used to get the boats upstream. The river is shallow and the currents can be fierce, especially at Sir Thomas's Bridge, below Clonmel, where the horses had to wade through the water.

It was here that the Avondale came to grief:
"O brave Sir Thomas Osborne, you little did suspect
Against your bridge the Avondale was fated to be wrecked;
The cruel pier in her poor side conveyed a dismal hole,
Scamandering her precious freight of thirteen ton of coal."
From 'The Wreck of the Avondale', published in the Clonmel Chronicle in 1903. Happily, Captain Britt, his son and his "tarrier dog" survived.

Downstream boats could travel with the current, the horses returning to Carrick by road. Commercial traffic ceased altogether in 1923, although it continued on the tidal stretches from Carrick down to Waterford. However, the river is used by fishermen, canoeists and others, while the towing path is used by walkers.

If the Southern Regional Fisheries Board gets its way, though, there will be no more boats. It proposes to build a crump weir at Ballinderry, and had located concrete units there in the belief that it did not require planning permission. The weir, which would include a fish pass, would enable it to count salmon. Happily, South Tipperary County Council has insisted that the Board seek planning permission.

The Suir between Clonmel and Carrick is never going to see much
traffc from cruisers or other large vessels, but it is a very attractive stretch of water that is used by cots, kayaks and other open boats of various kinds. There might even be scope for tourist trips downriver using large inflatables or rafts. I cannot see why the counting of fish should take precedence over the interests of other river users.

Published in Afloat June 2010

I started off this column in the last issue by talking about the influence of increased rainfall on inland waterways infrastructure and its users. I wasn't expecting a record-breaking deluge, but that's what we got in November.

I live near the old Limerick Navigation, which was bypassed and abandoned when Ardnacrusha was built. Since then, the old route gets the first 10 cubic metres of water per second and Ardnacrusha gets the next 400. If there is anything left over, it's sent down our way.

And during the floods, there was a lot left over. I had always wondered what the water levels on the old navigation were like; these two photos, taken on the Park Canal in Limerick, tell the story.

But while my antiquarian interest was being gratified, people upstream were being flooded out of their homes and businesses. On Lough Derg, owners moved boats; the Killaloe Coast Guard moved boats; marina staff moved boats. And water levels continued to rise.

Waterways Ireland issued regular updates. An embankment slippage closed the Lough Allen Canal; Albert Lock and the Jamestown Canal had to be closed to navigation. And then the Clarendon, Roosky, Athlone and Pollboy locks had to be closed, and it was not possible to pass through Lock 36 between the Shannon and the Grand Canal. Further east, the Grand Canal near Sallins was affected by flood remedial works.

On the Erne, spilling of excess water from Ballyshannon dam meant faster currents in narrow river sections. Many fixed jetties were under water. The consequent damage required closure of 13 jetties on Lower Lough Erne and eight on the Upper Lough. Several navigation markers were damaged, as were pump-out holding tanks at Galloon and Carrybridge.

On Lough Neagh, the canal entrance to the Bann at Toomebridge was heavily silted; dredging had to await improved weather.

Sarsfield Lock in Limerick had to be closed for maintenance (although the Abbey River was impassable anyway). There is no telling how much damage the floods did: the photo shows Derg Marina at Killaloe, where staff had worked valiantly to look after the boats, but theirs was not the only marina to suffer. Incidentally, the planning application for a major development at the site has been withdrawn.

Those who worked to save lives, structures, houses, businesses and, yes, boats during the floods deserve thanks: that includes staff of the Coast Guard, WI and ESB, local authorities and marinas, as well as many boaters and doubtless lots of other people. But some younger folk had fun during the floods: here are kayakers in Limerick at the Curraghgour Falls standing wave.

WI warnings welcome
Some years ago, I was told that Waterways Ireland could not advise boaters not to go boating. That reluctance has certainly been overcome, and rightly so. WI didn't just inform people about the lock closures; it issued warnings throughout the period, progressing from reminders ...
Masters and owners are reminded that, following periods of prolonged rainfall, high flow rates, increased current speeds and water turbulence especially in the vicinity of bridges, weirs, locks, flood gates and other infrastructure will be hazardous to craft and persons on or near the navigation. Air draft at bridges will be reduced as water levels rise also.

... through information ...
Waterways Ireland wishes to advise Masters and Owners that due to the continuing flood conditions that aids to navigation such as buoys, perches and beacons may be totally submerged or have carried away to the extent that the navigable channels are no longer discernable, making all navigation hazardous.

... to sensible advice:
Waterways Ireland advises against navigating at present due to high water levels and the associated difficulties in manoeuvring vessels in the high flow rates. It even issued advice about the icy conditions that succeeded the floods.

What is needed now is a way of getting WI advice to people who are actually on the river: perhaps an electronic equivalent of the British Environment Agency's Strong Stream warning boards.

Planned winter work
The water levels have gone down, the days are lengthening and the work goes on. This listing does not take account of the repairs required after the floods.

Erne
On Upper Lough Erne, Waterways Ireland is improving the mooring jetties, slipways and car-parks at Corradillar and Derryadd and the jetties at Naan Island.

Shannon
On the Shannon, Clarendon Lock at Knockvicar, at the entrance to Lough Key, was to have its lockhouse refurbished. Roosky Bridge was to be closed to boats for maintenance and refurbishment.

A floating 76m boom is being installed above the weir in Athlone to ensure that boats won't be drawn over the weir. A gap has been left for canoeists. There are expected to be no environmental impacts on fish or other wildlife from the installation or operation of the boom. Waterways Ireland has also sought tenders for booms to be installed in Counties Antrim, Galway, Derry, Longford and Roscommon.

Major work is under way at Killaloe on Lough Derg, with 250m of new floating moorings being positioned outside the canal wall above the bridge. The wall itself is being repaired and will have a 450m walkway along it. Flow control gates, with a pedestrian bridge providing access to the walkway, will be installed at the northern end of the canal to protect the wall and banks. To allow the wall to be repaired, boats (including sunken boats) will have to be removed from the canal.

Dublin
In Dublin, the walls of Grand Canal Dock (Ringsend Basin) are being repaired at Hanover Quay (north side) and Charlotte Quay (south side). That requires dredging of (probably contaminated) material, which can't be sent to landfill in Ireland, underwater cleaning of the walls and repair with 100mm of micro-concrete coating.

The Grand Canal is being dredged between Locks 1 and 5 and the Royal between Locks 1 and 6, paid for by the National Development Plan. Sediment and rubbish will be transported to 'licensed disposal facilities'. This dredging will make it easier for boats to get through Dublin once the Royal Canal is reopened. Whenever that is...

Grand Canal
On the Grand Canal, a leak had to be repaired between Locks 29 (Ballycowan) and 30 (Rahan) and bank repairs were required between Henry Bridge and Ponsonby Bridge (Locks 13 to 14). Down the Barrow Line, the stretch between Locks 21 (Ballyteague) and 22 (Glenaree) was to be dredged.

Shannon-Erne Waterway
On the Shannon-Erne Waterway, Ardrum Lock was closed for maintenance and Corraquill to have a floating landing jetty installed. After the floods, the closure of Ballyconnell and Tirmactiernan Locks was announced.

Shannon Harbour
Waterways Ireland has given notice that, from 1 March 2010, it intends to implement the provisions of SI No 24/1988: Canals Act, 1986 Bye Law (25 ,1 (d)) on all hard-edged moorings in the Shannon Harbour area (between 35th Lock and Griffith Bridge). The effect will be to ban mooring at the same place (or within 500 metres thereof) for more than five days without a permit. The intent is that the improved facilities will be kept free for visiting boats. WI has said that vessels should not double or triple park so that the centre channel can be kept clear. Offending vessels and those without permits will be moved.

Waterways People
The Past President of the IWAI, Brian Cassells, has been awarded an OBE for services to IWAI. A passionate advocate of the restoration of the Ulster Canal, Brian is a historian of the waterways and has recently published By the Shores of Lough Neagh.

Victor Hamill, who was Chairman of the River Bann and Lough Neagh association, died recently in Coleraine. He was Secretary of Bann Rowing Club and was also active in Coleraine Harbour Commissioners, the Lough Neagh Advisory Committee and the RNLI. He died after suffering a heart attack while rowing on the Bann with his brother, Norman.

Dick Fletcher, founder of the Galley cruising restaurants at New Ross, died recently. Having started with the M V Ross, Dick later bought the St Ciaran and the St Brendan, which CIE had used on the Shannon. As well as keeping these historic vessels going, he also provided many people with their first sight of the glorious scenery on the tidal Nore and Barrow.

A rub of the green
In its report on the grounding of an Emerald Star hire-cruiser on Lough Derg in 2006, the Marine Casualty Investigation Board said:

Waterways Ireland should, in consultation with the Maritime Safety Directorate, establish a buoyage system for inland waterways, which is internationally recognized by all users of the waterways both national and foreign.

Waterways Ireland has now announced that the Shannon system will change its starboardhand marks from black to green. The change is to be phased in, with the stretch from Portumna Bridge to Meelick Lock the first to be changed.

No announcement has been made about the implications for the Erne system.

New workboats
Waterways Ireland is seeking tenders for several new workboats. One is for a 12m low-wash steel boat to be used on the Shannon-Erne Waterway. It is to have a single box-cooled diesel-electric hybrid engine, a bowthruster and an onboard generator. It must also have a low wheelhouse, welfare and toilet facilities and a deck crane.

WI also wants a weed cutter/harvester for the canals and two more weed-cutting boats for use on 'various canals and waterways'. These two are to have heated weatherproof cabs, keel cooled engine and hydraulic systems and twin trailing knives.

Published in Afloat February 2010

Not just cruising
Every boat-owner on the inland waterways benefits from a large subsidy from the taxpayer, who pays the vast bulk of the costs of running the inland waterways system. If that subsidy is to be justified, and indeed to be continued, the waterways must be seen to provide benefits for far more than the few thousand owners of motor-cruisers and the half dozen or so hire firms still operating on the Shannon.

Thus Waterways Ireland has been embracing the providers of other services — hoteliers, restaurateurs, activity organisers and so on — along the waterways and in the wider Lakelands region. It has also been promoting the waterways with its Discover initiative, under which citizens are offered opportunities to try water-based activities like rowing, canoeing and angling as well as cruising and boat trips.

The most recent Discover day was in Tullamore on the Grand Canal in October, but similar days have also been held in Shannonside towns. The organisation involves cooperation with public-sector, private-sector and voluntary bodies, but with Waterways Ireland taking the lead.

Waterways Ireland also took a stand at the Ploughing Championships alongside the Barrow Line of the Grand Canal in Athy, where it showed off one of its WaterMasters. I have been referring to them as Floating Swiss Army Knives, but at Athy it might have been better to liken them to JCBs, loaded with gadgets like a pile-driver, a tree shears and a dredging pump. There is also, I believe, an attachment for taking stones out of horses' hooves...

THERE ARE FOUR SEASONS: AUTUMN, WINTER, SPRING AND THE RAINY SEASON. AUTUMN IS SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER; WINTER IS NOVEMBER TO APRIL; SPRING IS MAY AND THE RAINY SEASON IS JUNE, JULY AND AUGUST

Earlier this year the Heritage Council and Fáilte Ireland published a report on the expected effects of climate change on the coast and inland waterways ('Climate Change, Heritage and Tourism: Implications for Ireland's Coast and Inland Waterways' – eds Kelly, B., and Stack, M., Heritage Council and Fáilte Ireland 2009, available on the publications page of http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/)

The report pointed out that increased rainfall could affect the stability of sections of canals, such as the embanked lengths of the Grand Canal near Edenderry. Increased water flows could erode the foundations of structures like bridges and the flow, and accompanying flotsam like large trees, could increase the loading on such structures. Stronger currents also make boat-handling more difficult.

And, of course, rain may deter waterways users, especially overseas hirers who are already a threatened species. To quote from the report:

"There has been a general decline in the number of overseas tourists cruising on inland waterways in Ireland in the past number of years. The Survey of Overseas Tourists (SOT) carried out annually by Fáilte Ireland indicates that in 2007 approximately 15,000 overseas tourists participated in inland cruising. This was down from 24,000 in 2006 and 20,000 in 2005."

Tight future on waterways
One of the interesting things about Irish waterways history is the number of times that the waterways have been reinvented. Every so often, new definitions, or new descriptions of their major purposes have been put forward in order to ensure the continuation of funding by the taxpayer. The Grand Canal Company was very good at extracting money from the public purse, whether for supplying water to Dublin or for building locks on the Shannon. Charles Wye Williams, probably the first man to come up with a large-scale profitable trade (with his Inland Steam Navigation Company) to be carried on the waterways, was adept at lobbying the UK government to get it to spend money on the Shannon.

When commercial carrying ceased, the pace of redefinition speeded up. Pioneers like Hector Newenham and Ron Kearsley saw the potential for tourism and won government support for their endeavours. But while the Shannon continued to be a tourist amenity, it also became a heritage object, and waterways became part of Dúchas — The Heritage Service. In the meantime, facts on the ground (or on the water) changed, and the waterways provided a leisure amenity for Irish people, even if the extent of their contribution to the waterways economy was not appreciated.

The assignment of waterways to the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs may have been an unsuccessful attempt to define waterways as contributors to rural economy and rural society. But any such attempt was overtaken by the definition of waterways as a field in which 'north-southery' could be exercised. It's not easy to do north-southery, given that some unionists see it either as a Fenian plot or as an annoying and unnecessary sop to the shinners, while the dewy-eyed innocence of some southern hands-across-the-border enthusiasts can only add further annoyance. But the arrangement has had the advantage of allowing Waterways Ireland to operate without a board, with generous funding and on a very loose rein from the two government departments to which it reports. How long, though, can this last?

Waterways Ireland has been good at avoiding controversy, despite the best efforts of certain northern politicians, and it has also benefited from the southern government's desire to show off its wealth (with the Ulster Canal as the New Bling). This is being written before the southern budget is revealed, but it is possible that the government will have to concentrate its resources on the most needy in society, such as bankers and house-builders, and that there will be less money for waterways in the future.

Hire sector comes up short
Waterways Ireland has been building alliances, though, and showing that it is not just a provider of almost free leisure resources for those wealthy enough to buy a motor-cruiser. Its flagship campaign is the Lakelands & Inland Waterways Brand Campaign.

The campaign implements Waterways Ireland's strategic objective of working closely with 'other organisations, particularly state tourism bodies, regional tourism organisations and local tourism interests'. Its initial focus was on the cruiser hire sector; the result was the adoption by Fáilte Ireland of an Inland Cruising Marketing Development Strategy. A summary of that strategy is available from the Fáilte Ireland website, www.failteireland.ie. It highlights the following perceptions of the Irish hire business.

Positive perceptions
Ireland's waterways are considered unique in European terms, offering a visitor experience that is uncrowded, free of commercial traffic and easy to navigate.

The importance of the brand attributes associated with Ireland (people, place and culture) resonate strongly with inland cruising visitors and remain a key discriminator in selecting Ireland over other destinations offering a waterways experience.

The licence-free environment is a significant plus, although one which more destinations are now offering.

Cruising still offers an iconic image of holidaying in Ireland, particularly for Europeans.

Negative perceptions
In general, hiring a cruise boat was considered an expensive holiday option with Ireland considered particularly expensive for visitors coming from Europe.

Boat quality was considered inconsistent and much of the fleet was perceived as jaded with the general standard of fit-out seen as having fallen behind generally accepted standards.

Recent investments were acknowledged but, despite this, there was a widespread view that the task of rebuilding the reputation of Ireland's waterways would take a longer time to catch up and that continued investment in facilities was required.

The demise of air charters in favour of scheduled airlines has had several consequences including capacity constraints at weekends and a decline in available transfer services.

Marketing activity is considered sub-optimal with much of the activity too focussed on product rather than on visitor experience and an uncoordinated approach across responsible agencies and organisations.

The strategy identifies two 'primary target customer segments': Sightseers & Culture Seekers and Family & Loved Ones, and two secondary, Relaxers and Outdoor Actives, and it sets a primary goal: to 'increase boat sales from the current [2006] level of 7,500 weeks per annum to just under 9,500 weeks by 2010. This will be achieved by increasing the fleet utilisation from 18 weeks to 21 weeks and to grow the fleet from its current size of 410 craft to 450 craft.'

It seems unlikely that this goal will be achieved, as fleets are being reduced rather than increased in size. Furthermore, some of the larger hire firms prefer to fly their own flags rather than that of the Irish waterways: try searching for 'Lakelands' (other than Fermanagh Lakelands) on their websites.

But the broader concept, developed from 2007 onwards, is of a 'Lakelands and Waterways offering" that brands the midlands as 'a strong midland destination that could compete with other destinations such as the Dublin Region, Ireland West and Cork-Kerry', with 'the lakelands and inland waterways [as] a natural spine'.

The Lakelands encompasses, according to Waterways Ireland, 'a region loosely based on the Shannon, Shannon-Erne and Erne from Limerick to Belleek and taking a 30km radius of those waterways and in some cases an increased radius if a town of attraction merits inclusion.'

Admittedly, a new concept launched during a recession is likely to struggle, but in the long term this initiative may achieve three things:
• raise awareness of the waterways
• build new alliances between Waterways Ireland and tourism promotion bodies
• promote new thinking about the definition and purpose of the waterways

More to canals than cruising
It seems to me that the Inland Cruising Marketing Development Strategy needs to be broadened into an Inland Waterways Marketing Development Strategy. If Cruising (ie, hire of cruisers) is not going to grow, then other activities need to be encouraged instead. And perhaps the Outdoor Actives need to be promoted from secondary to primary status amongst the target customer segments.

That would mean helping the development of more facilities for those interested in touring by canoe, kayak, open sailing boat or rowing boat. It would also mean encouraging firms to hire out such boats. And a separate market in short-term (day- or half-day) hires for locals or for land-based holiday-makers who would like a day on the water. Waterside camping sites should also be encouraged. And we need more places where non-boating people can take a picnic and bathe on a fine day: there have been some improvements in facilities in recent years, but more clean, supervised recreational areas are needed.

Such leisure activities have several advantages. They are relatively environmentally friendly and fit the so-called 'green economy' as well as the poor shattered remains of Ireland's green image. They attract younger users, who may have a lifetime of visits to Ireland ahead of them. They may even build on the 'brand attributes associated with Ireland (people, place and culture)', allowing more contact between the visitors and the natives.

Irish Ring is main draw
The other area in which the product is underdeveloped is waterways heritage tourism. The heritage features of the Shannon, and its recent history as a navigation, are insufficiently highlighted. The extraordinarily rich heritage of the Lower Shannon — extending from Kilrush, up the Shannon Estuary to Limerick, thence via the old Limerick Navigation to O'Briensbridge and Killaloe and from there up to Shannon Harbour — could provide Sightseers & Culture Seekers (one of the primary target customer segments) with a week of activity along the waterways. The extra 250m of floating jetties to be installed at Killaloe over the winter are very welcome, and much needed, but visitors need to be attracted further south.

But the main attraction for those (including many Britons) interested in waterways heritage must surely be the Irish Ring: the triangle formed by the Grand Canal from the Shannon to Dublin, the Royal from Dublin back to the Shannon and the section of river and lake between Clondra and Shannon Harbour.
There are hopeful signs. Waterways Ireland has appointed contractors to dredge parts of the Grand Canal (Circular Line Locks 1–5) and Royal Canal (Locks 1–6) in Dublin over the winter. Furthermore, the Inspector of Navigation has made it clear that, from 1 March 2010, the hard-edged areas in Shannon Harbour will be kept clear for visiting boats.

Thus the infrastructure for increased use of the canals is being developed, but it is not yet clear whether the planned 'visitor experience' is receiving equal attention. To quote the Inland Cruising Marketing Development Strategy one last time:

'Marketing activity is considered sub-optimal with much of the activity too focussed on product rather than on visitor experience and an uncoordinated approach across responsible agencies and organisations.'

Getting that experience right will be crucial to the future of the waterways. And, given the continuing need for taxpayer support, it is as important to boat-owners as it is to visitors.

Christmas book
The Heritage Boat Association has published a second book about older vessels on Irish inland waterways. This one is called 'Fine Lines – Clear Water' and it includes Irish barges that were not covered in the previous book, some barges that have come to Ireland from overseas, and a good number of the wooden cruisers that grace Irish waterways. See www.heritageboatassociation.ie for more information.

First published in Afloat Annual 2010

We spent the first fortnight in July travelling up the Shannon and back. It rained on most days, but there were compensations

We passed down through Shannonbridge just a week before its chimneys were demolished. I was sorry to lose them. They could be seen from a long way up- and down-stream and from the River Suck. And they were emblematic of the Irish midlands and of the important role of turf in the provision of Irish energy. The turf trade was at least as important to the Irish waterways as the coal trade was to the British, and some of the Shannon steamers even used turf as fuel. I'm glad, therefore, I took a photo before the demolition.

Carrickcraft to the rescue
Moored in Dromod on a miserably wet and windy evening, we saw a Carrickcraft cruiser aground on a shoal. It appeared to be well inside the relevant marker, although visibility was so poor that the driver might have been forgiven. The photo is not very clear, but it does show what conditions were like.

The speed of Carrickcraft's response was impressive. Even though it was a Saturday, presumably their busiest day with new hirers going out, they launched a dory at Dromod within the hour and were attempting to tow the cruiser off. The dory didn't have the weight, though, so the Carrickcraft crew took out a second cruiser, and that did the job. Within half an hour of launching the dory, the crew had the grounded cruiser safely moored within the harbour. Which was just as well: at 2am the barometer was showing 988. I'm sure that rescuing grounded boats is all part of the day's work for Carrickcraft crews, but nonetheless it was great to see that kind of efficiency in action.

Incidentally, on Lough Derg an Emerald Star hire-boat rescued a private boat that had a fuel problem on a windy day: the hirer towed the other boat into the Castle Harbour at Portumna.

WI moves on Shannon
Waterways Ireland's continuing investment in the Shannon was shown in the arrival of its new workboat for the North Shannon, the Inis Cealtra. Built in Killybegs to a new design, it was sailed down the coast, in 30 hours non-stop, and up the Shannon Estuary through Limerick: its dimensions (22m x 5.6m x 0.98m) had been set so that it could get through Ardnacrusha.

Inis Cealtra has a pusher bow and four ballast tanks to allow trim to be adjusted. The air draught is low enough to cater for all but extreme high water levels. Twin spud-legs are carried on the reinforced load-bearing deck.

Power is from twin Caterpillar C3056TA engines developing 185hp at 2,100rpm; conventional shafts and propellers provide a cruising speed of 7 knots and a bollard pull of 3.5 tons. There is a hydraulic bow-thruster. The fuel tanks hold 7,400 litres.

The boat has an 11m reach Guerra deck crane with Kranskan marine crane safety indicator, a Caterpillar 30 kVA generator and a 270-litre air compressor, which powers air tools in the workshop. The boat has a toilet and shower; the deckhouse has a kitchen and dining room as well as the wheelhouse.

Rental traffic continues to slide
My impression, as we pottered up and down the Shannon, was that traffic was down, and that hire-boat traffic was down even more than private-boat traffic. The Waterways Ireland traffic figures for the Shannon, to the end of June, support that view.

It has to be pointed out, of course, that WI can record only those boats that pass through locks and fixed bridges: boats that spend all their time on lakes, for instance, may never be recorded. However, as the same limitation applies every year, the figures can show the trends, and they are downward. Here are the totals (private plus hire) for the first six months of each year from 2002 through 2009:

I haven't got the breakdown between private and hired for the early years, but from 2006 onwards the hire-boat proportion has declined significantly from 69% (2006) through 67% (2007) and 64% (2008) to only 57% (2009). Again, these figures cover only the first six months of the year.

Rebranding the waterways
The traffic figures show that cruising — whether on private or on hired boats — is declining in importance on the Shannon. The numbers of small fast boats and jetskis and increasing; there has so far been little formal provision for them, but some owners of such boats have looked after themselves.

The problem is that some of these boaters are both new to the waterways and seemingly unaware of the rules. We saw the results when a four-wheel-drive vehicle launched a speedboat at the slip at Portrunny. The boat (which was not any of those shown in the photo) was driven into the harbour and a waterskier sat on the pontoons; the boat started towing, at high speed, from there, creating a large wash and a danger to anyone else who might have been moving in the harbour.

There are other new categories of users, notably the owners of motor-homes: WI harbours provide them with the perfect mix of cheap sites with good facilities (showers and toilets) and even (if they like boats) interesting things to look at.

With other groups, though, Waterways Ireland is both organising new users and exerting its authority over old ones. I was surprised to find an angling dory bearing a Shannon Navigation registration number: the size of its engine meant that it should be registered, but I had not realised that anglers were complying.
In attracting new users, WI's sponsorship of the 'Discover' days in Athlone and Carrick-on-Shannon is particularly commendable; perhaps we'll get one in O'Briensbridge next year. But the big event on the Shannon seemed to be the Athlone Triathlon, which involves swimming, running and cycling races. It would be nice to see an all-water triathlon developed, perhaps involving rowing, sailing and swimming or, in Limerick (where different propulsion methods were used over the falls), poling, paddling and swimming.

Waterways Ireland planned work
I am delighted to see that Waterways Ireland has issued a notice calling for tenders for dredging the Grand Canal Circular Line in Dublin. The work will 'remove all excess bed material above original design bed level,' which suggests that Waterways Ireland is seriously planning to encourage more boat traffic through Dublin. It may even be that WI has been convinced of the merits of promoting the 'Irish Ring': the round trip on the Grand, the Royal and the Shannon from Clondra to Shannon Harbour.

I note that the tender calls for 'the transportation of material from site to an agreed traffic management plan, with the full compliance Dublin City Council requirements'. No doubt that will be done by water, thus avoiding all traffic problems.

Incidentally, while I'm talking about the Grand Canal in Dublin, I must mention the parking of the weedboats. WI keeps them under towpathless bridges to keep them safe from the attentions of the less enlightened of the citizenry. That is quite understandable. But when a boat is known to be on its way, the weedboats should be shifted in advance: otherwise there can be a delay to the passage through some of the less salubrious areas.

Anyway, back to planned works. WI is also seeking tenders for repairs to the quay at Graiguenamanagh, demolishing part of the old wall and replacing it with a reinforced concrete wall, faced with 'selected ashlar masonry' and re-pointed as directed.

Finally, WI is considering extending navigation to Lough Oughter, upstream of Belturbet on the Erne. There is to be a Lough Oughter Navigation Plan, with many laudable aims, which will be 'implemented with medium and long-term goals for the extension of the inland waterway network to include the development of the Lough Oughter Complex. The Plan, its objectives and its goals will be re-evaluated in 2013.'

In other words, there is no immediate prospect of the extension of navigation, but WI has drawn up a Draft Consultation Scoping Report for the Strategic Environmental Assessment for the Lough Oughter Navigation Plan. It can be downloaded from the WI website www.waterwaysireland.org (see 'Lough Oughter' under 'Navigation Information') and WI is seeking comments.

Published in Afloat September/October 2009

Having had a new engine — a JCB, marinised by Mermaid — installed over the winter, we've been out and about on Lough Derg, trying it out and getting used to the new set-up and ancillary equipment. We'll be heading upriver next month, so later reports will have more of a North Shannon flavour, but relatively good weather has meant that there has been much to see and do on Derg.

It's noticeable that the level of activity varies with the weather. There have been days when there were only one or two other boats in sight, whereas on fine days everything that can float seems to be in use. And it's not just on the water: Dromineer can be packed on a fine weekend but deserted the following weekend. The landscaping at the public harbour has been used in sunshine, but perhaps we need ways of attracting and retaining visitors when the weather is not so good.

On one of those fine weekends, there was an expedition to Castlebawn (Simon’s Castle), which is on an island in Scarriff Bay. It was opened specially for a group visit; regular opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 6pm, in July and August (ring Pat 087 292 0880 for other opening times). The island’s jetty is capable of taking several cruisers (and barges) but it is also possible to hire a boat or take a ferry from Mountshannon: see www.castlebawn.com for details.

Pat and Mary Cody have restored the castle and they use it as a weekend retreat. The thickness of the walls means that the inside space is smaller than you might expect, but there are lots of rooms over four levels. Pat and Mary have restored the castle using original stone, Irish oak and furniture that is in sympathy with its surroundings.

A friend said that Pat is just like an enthusiast for old boats: willing to spend large amounts of time and effort, and no doubt money too, to restore an old artefact to life. His account of his struggles with planners, and of the sheer hard work that went in to the restoration, was absolutely fascinating, and well worth the modest admission charge of e8 for adults (e4 for children). It is good to see that the restoration was Highly Commended at the Clare Design & Conservation Awards in 2005.

En route to Castlebawn, I managed to get photos of black and red buoys with numbers on them: the mania for numbering things, which has recently infected our local roads, has now spread to Waterways Ireland’s southern navigation markers. If this goes on, we’ll have postcodes before we know where we are.

Killaloe
Killaloe has suffered for years from a shortage of public berths. Furthermore, the main berthing area, on the east side (which is actually Ballina, Co Tipperary) just above the bridge, has its own dangers: in heavy flow, boats have been swept on to the bridge.

If you can get through the bridge safely, you can tie to a small section of wall outside the canal on the west side; you can even enter the old canal itself and tie up there. On the east side, Waterways Ireland has installed pontoon moorings below the bridge but they have not been opened yet. WI says that:
“North Tipperary County Council is building, will operate and own the service block. Waterways Ireland has installed the floating jetty. The County Council is in dispute with its contractor and is unable to provide safe access from/to the jetty until this dispute is resolved. Therefore we have had to close the jetty.”

WI now has a proposal to install new moorings on the west side, along the canal wall above the bridge. You can download details from Clare County Council’s website at http://www.clarecoco.ie/ePlan41: insert Planning File Reference number 09212. There are four main elements:
•    repairs to the canal wall
•    flow control gates inside the canal to
protect the wall
•    a widened walkway along the top of the wall
•    about 90m of floating pontoon moorings
outside the wall.

There would be two losses: the big green boathouse outside the wall would be demolished and the small jetty above the lockhouse, with the lakeboats tied to it (see photo), would be removed. But there might also be lost opportunities. First, it is possible that there are remains of boats from the waterway’s trading days — from the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company, the Grand Canal Company or other traders — in the area; it would be useful to keep an eye out for, and report and record, anything that is found. Second, the stretch from the Pierhead to the Marble Mill in Killaloe is probably the richest industrial heritage landscape on the Irish inland waterways, and signposting and interpretation might call that landscape to the attention of visitors.

At time of writing, the planning application is on hold as Clare County Council has sought further information, mostly on ecological and environmental issues.

Dublin
On a quick visit to the Grand Canal Docks at Ringsend in Dublin, I was told that owners of some boats had received registered letters requiring them to move their boats out of the basin. The IWAI Dublin Branch workboat was a forlorn site, under water and held up only by the pontoon to which it was tied.

However, the Waterways Ireland Visitor Centre (the Box in the Docks) was showing signs of life, with renovation work finally under way, no doubt to "create a new dynamic multi-functional space," as the WI website has been saying. There's a new box on the banks of the outer basin, with red things nearby; no doubt they are very artistic. I'm sure the Leech family would have loved to gaze upon them as they man-hauled their Royal Canal boats, loaded with bog ore, from the Liffey to the gasworks.

But even on a weekday the basin was in use: dinghies had their sails up, the Viking Splash DUKW was pottering around and there were several other boats using the water.

Over on the north side, Dublin's then-Lord Mayor unveiled a plaque in May to mark the completion of the flood defence element of the new sea-lock at Spencer Dock on the Royal. This was several weeks before the local elections, so any link between the photo-opportunity and the campaign is entirely coincidental. The navigation element has yet to be completed and the Royal's reopening, which depends on securing a better supply of water, will not occur before 2010.

WI round-up
Our article on Shannon Harbour in the last issue aroused much interest. Here is a photo, taken on a wet day, showing the new toilet block, the seating and the improved landscaping.

Waterways Ireland has a new building at Lock 16 on the Shannon–Erne Waterway, replacing a 15-year-old temporary structure, to accommodate its patroller (with an unobstructed view of the navigation) and provide storage.

An improved 'boating and tourist destination' is to be built at Richmond Harbour, where the Royal Canal meets the Shannon. Waterways Ireland has sent a converted barge towards the Royal, presumably to test its suitability for ex-Grand Canal Company boats. And a new workboat, built in Donegal, has arrived on the upper Shannon.

Waterways Ireland has been involved in organising public events called Discover Athlone and Discover Carrick-on-Shannon, designed to highlight the "the incredible diversity and quality of attractions, activities and entertainments" in their areas. Water-based activities feature strongly, including sailing, displays of classic boats, boat trips, kayaking, canoeing, rowing, fishing and sub-aqua demonstrations. These events may attract new users to the waterways; they also show how broadly Waterways Ireland (rightly) interprets its role.

Published in Afloat July/August 2009

Waterways Ireland  is set to move boats on from moorings, writes Brian Goggin

Shannon Harbour, where the Grand Canal meets the Shannon, is usually full of boats: a fascinating variety of them, including barges, narrowboats, wooden cruisers, fibreglass cruisers and projects in various stages of repair. Some of the boats are wrecks; some are lived on; some are owned by people who are either unable to find Shannon marina berths or are unwilling to pay Shannon prices. And some, no doubt, just like the place.

It can be difficult for a visiting boat to find a berth: boats can be parked three deep on one side and two deep on the other. But, in conjunction with the harbour improvement works currently underway, Waterways Ireland is beginning to use its powers under the existing canal bye-laws to tidy up Shannon Harbour. Bye-law 25 reads: "No person shall moor a boat at the same place on the canals, or within 500 metres of the same place, for more than five days without the appropriate permit from the Commissioners."

Until now, the "appropriate permit" has not existed: some time ago I asked WI whether the normal permit (the Combined Annual Mooring Permit) was an "appropriate permit" under Bye-law 25. I was told that it wasn't. But WI has now introduced an "appropriate permit": The "appropriate permit" is the Combined Annual Mooring Permit accompanied by a specific application from a vessel owner requesting permission to remain moored at a specific place for more than five days which the Waterways Ireland Inspectorate has stamped and approved.

The conditions on which the Inspectorate will approve applications are not stated; I was told that "Each application for extended stay will be examined by the Inspector and factors such as location, length of stay and time of year will inform the Inspector's decision... each case of a long-term live-aboard will be treated on its own merits."

Of necessity, most boats based on the canals are in breach of Bye-law 25 most of the time, because there are no marinas on the Grand (except for a short stretch of quay at Lowtown), so boats have to tie to the banks. This new move rather cleverly brings the boats on the canals within WI's control, regularising the situation of those who make contact with WI while allowing it to take action against non-compliant boat-owners. WI told me that: "It is fair to say that with the present injection of capital into Shannon Harbour, we are treating it as the lead location towards having all the canals' recognised hard-edged moorings available to the visiting boating community rather than having them as boat parks and we are committed to spreading this throughout the canal."

It is Waterways Ireland's intention over time to seek to free up use of hard-edged moorings from boats permanently left there or occupying such prime mooring for long periods of time to allow use of these for craft wishing to tour along the canals to encourage this use of the navigation.

WI is currently asking owners of boats to move them out of Shannon Harbour if the boats have been unused for a considerable time, if they are "long-term non-permitted" or if they are blocking berths, jetties or lock approaches. It has recently moved several boats that were obstructing bridges, jetties, locks or sluices. Perhaps Graiguenamanagh might be next on the list.

New rules for dry docks
Waterways Ireland has dry docks at Shannon Harbour, Athy, Tullamore, Roosky and Richmond Harbour. Those at Shannon Harbour (one covered, one open) are by far the most popular, as all of the others have one or more disadvantages (lack of security, restricted access, high cost or non-availability).
New railings were placed around the open dock at Shannon Harbour last year. They improve security and safety, although their design makes it impossible to throw a bow-rope on to a bollard.
Now new rules for the use of the dry docks have been introduced, again under existing bye-laws:
Any commercial operation on Canal Property requires a licence in order to operate. Persons wishing to carry out (set up) commercial operations on WI property should apply to Waterways Ireland (Property & Legal) for a licence. They will then be advised as to the requirements.
The requirements include proof of insurance and indemnification of WI against all claims, losses, damages or injuries. Boat-owners too must show that they have adequate insurance for the works proposed. Information about these new rules will be on the WI website www.waterwaysireland.org shortly.

Kayak campaign remembers Dan
Dan Gleeson was a well-known figure on the inland waterways, especially at Dromineer, where he had a house on the waterfront, and in Shannon Harbour, where he kept a boat. Last year, he noticed members of the Nenagh Canoe Club launching their craft from the beach beside his house. The club was a new one, desperately short of equipment and money. It had no premises, and training was conducted in Nenagh swimming-pool in winter and in Dromineer in summer. Yet it had managed to train over 30 young people to Levels 1 and 2, despite having no kayaks: it relied on those lent by its trainer. Later on, some of the older members bought kayaks and shared them with the younger members, but the amount of equipment was still clearly inadequate.

Dan conceived the idea of asking the inland waterways community to help these new recruits to the waterways. He felt that existing boat-owners, and their voluntary associations, would be willing to contribute, either in cash or in kind, and as a first step he intended to ask the Heritage Boat Association, at its AGM last November, to get involved.

Tragically, Dan was drowned at Shannon Harbour in the week before the AGM, and his funeral took place on the morning of the meeting. But he was very much on the minds of those present. The meeting began with a minute's silence in his memory and, later, it was unanimously agreed that Dan's campaign to help the Nenagh Canoe Club should be continued: the HBA itself would contribute money and would cooperate with IWAI branches and with any individuals who wanted to contribute.

The Lough Derg and Carrick-on-Shannon branches of IWAI joined with the HBA and managed to provide two second-hand kayaks and four brand-new kayaks, as well as paddles, helmets and PFDs. The equipment was handed over in Dromineer, alongside HBA Chairman Gerry Burke's barge 68M, and some weeks later the Canoe Club hosted the donors, and other organisations, at a formal launch ceremony, to which members of Dan's family were invited.

Waterways round-up
A quick round-up of some of the work that has been going on over the winter and some that is in prospect.

Several Shannon locks were closed briefly for repair and maintenance work recently. They included the ESB's Ardnacrusha locks (due to reopen in mid-April) and WI's Victoria (Meelick), Albert (Jamestown) and Athlone locks. There was a more substantial renovation of Battlebridge Lock on the Lough Allen Canal, where WI spent €195,000 on cleaning the cut-stone walls, repointing joints and strengthening behind the walls. The lock, built in the early nineteenth century, had been leaking; the renovation will stop the leaks and strengthen the structure.

On the Lower Bann, WI has spent £194,000 at Camus, constructing a rock armour retaining wall and 20m of floating jetties. In total it spent about £330,000 on the Lower Bann in 2008–9, principally at Camus and Portglenone Wood.

In preparation for the reopening of the Royal Canal, WI will be installing floating jetties and a weir boom on the Camlin River, just outside Richmond Harbour, where the Royal meets the Shannon.

Lecarrow Harbour is at the head of a short canal off Lough Ree. WI will be working there until August, improving the shore-based amenities in cooperation with Roscommon County Council. WI is building and paying for a new access road, a slipway and an associated car park. The County Council is paying for a new playground and for upgrading the existing public car park. The two bodies are sharing the cost of a new service block and pump-out. WI's contribution to the total will be over €500,000.

WI is applying for planning permission for 250m of fully serviced floating jetties, a walkway and a pedestrian access bridge at Killaloe. The project will include underpinning and widening 500m of the canal wall, to improve the existing moorings, and a remotely operated "lock gate type structure... to prevent ongoing and future undermining and scouring of the canal walls and banks".

The Water Framework Directive
The Water Framework Directive (WFD), adopted by the European Union in 2000, requires the governments of EU member states to manage the quality of their water bodies. That includes both groundwater (which actually means underground water) and surface waters, whether natural or artificial, including rivers, lakes, canals, estuaries, wetlands, reservoirs and coastal waters.

These waters are to reach good status by 2015 and are to be protected against deterioration. The term good status is defined in scientific terms: it's not just a matter of casual impressions of what a body of water looks like. There are some special provisions: even higher standards apply to some waters, eg those used for bathing, for rearing shellfish or for supplying drinking water. On the other hand, artificial waters (eg canals) and those that have been heavily modified (eg reservoirs, ports or flood defences) provide essential benefits and are subject to less stringent standards.

Public authorities have undertaken a massive amount of work to identify the current status of all waters, find the pressures on their status and examine the relevant legislation.

There are several types of pressures on the Shannon; they include the effects of wash (in sensitive areas) and of the use of sea-toilets.

Their work will culminate in the production of a River Basin Management Plan for each of eight areas on the island. The drafts of those plans are now available; consultation meetings have been scheduled around the country up to mid-May and the authorities are seeking people's views by 22 June 2009. See www.shannonrbd.com and www.wfdireland.ie

Publications
Waterways Ireland has published four new Lakelands and Inland Waterways leaflets: Lough Erne, Lough Allen and Lough Key, Lough Ree and Mid Shannon and Lough Derg. Featuring large maps of the waterways and surrounding areas, they list restaurants, hotels, entertainment venues, activities and heritage and other attractions along the waterways and in the surrounding areas. The Lakelands and Inland Waterways initiative reflects Waterways Ireland's strategic decision to form closer links with tourism authorities.

WI has also published a new guide to the Lower Bann, in cooperation with Coleraine Harbour Commissioners, who control the river from the sea upstream to Coleraine Town Bridge. The guide is printed on a water-resistant A4 paper, spiral bound to open flat, and each map spans two pages. This large format allows for a lot of detail, and there are keys to the symbols on fold-out flaps at front and rear: in general, the symbols you need while moving are on the front flap and those you need while moored are on the rear. I think some minor improvements could be made, but this new format is very much to be welcomed and should be really useful when applied to the Shannon and Erne charts.

Published in Afloat April//May 2009

In January, Waterways Ireland (WI) opened its magnificent new headquarters building in Enniskillen and confirmed its mastery of the waterways, reports Brian J. Goggin

Also in January, the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI) declared a mid-life crisis, shot itself in the foot and contemplated casting off its old allegiances and buying a speedboat, an open-necked shirt and a gold medallion.

Inventing the waterways
During the 1950s and the 1960s, IWAI set the inland waterways agenda, successfully resisting closures and navigation restrictions while promoting new uses and working on restorations. Ruth Delany's books delineated the Irish waterways; IWAI guidebooks defined the waterways experience, including history and heritage and the natural environment as well as boating.
The waterways were saved from closure and given to a public body dedicated to maintaining them. But thereafter IWAI lost its public profile: 210 mentions in The Irish Times in the 1960s but only 39 in this decade.

IWAI neglected contemporary ways of influencing public policy through branding and lobbying. Successful branding would have meant that, when people thought of any waterway, they would think of IWAI. Lobbying means exerting influence with the authorities by building a reputation for making well-researched, cohesive, thoughtful submissions on important issues.

Strategic thinking
In November 2000, the then-President of IWAI began a participative review of the Association's strategic direction. The outcomes included a new vision: IWAI as the respected voice of the inland waterways enthusiast, representing all those who use, enjoy and value the waterways.

IWAI's scope was defined to include all the inland waterways, all leisure activities associated with them (including shore-based activities), the restoration and conservation of the built heritage, development of new facilities and amenities and the protection and conservation of the natural heritage. A mission statement reflecting that scope was adopted and a new management structure, with a larger Executive Committee, was introduced.

Drastic times
The President's Message in IWAI's Inland Waterways News Winter 2008 told us that, in drastic times, the association had not secured external funding for its part-time project officer (its only employee), that its membership was declining and that it was unable to retain new members. He had made radical suggestions, some unpalatable, to the IWAI Council in November. And he said that the Association was 'member-driven'.

There was no report on the November Council meeting, but the report on the September meeting said that the part-time project officer had been put on protective notice. IWAI had imposed a temporary levy on its branches to pay for the post, but that reduced branches' income; any rise in membership fee was likely to be resisted.

The membership figures do not suggest a crisis. Numbers increased by 2.6% between 2006 and 2007 and declined by 3.2% in 2008: very small changes. The renewal rate rose from 83.5% in 2006 to 91% in 2008 (hats off to the membership officer), although increasing numbers of members do not pay their subs.

It was reported that a sub-committee had been considering the IWAI's legal structure, the uniform fee charged by all branches, funding and costs, membership levels, links with other bodies and IWAI's inability to get recognition as a national body. This sub-committee hoped to have a discussion paper ready by mid-October. The President said that the Association was facing some of the biggest issues it had ever confronted.

Crisis? What crisis?
The relationships between these topics were not clear. The President did not identify the 'biggest issues' and there was no information about the unpalatable and radical solutions, about the mid-October discussion paper or about what the proposed 20/20 Vision plan might contain. So the problems were ill-defined and the possible solutions were not discussed in the President's Message.

The vision and mission statements, and other outcomes of the 2000 process, were not mentioned. Were those outcomes considered and evaluated but then rejected? If so, why?

The Association's PRO declined to provide any more information. No briefing documents were sent to members, the report of the November 2008 Council meeting is not on the IWAI website, a pre-Christmas email to members contained no details and the coverage in Inland Waterways News was inadequate and out of date.

Participants in IWAI's electronic discussion group were more successful in extracting answers. Reading the discussion at http://www.iwai.ie/forum/list.php?1 (see IWNs IWAI funding ...), I learned that, while the President seemed to link the short-term financing problems to the issues raised by the sub-committee, another officer saw no link between the two and said that the sub-committee's work would take over 12 months.

IWAI's real problem
On the basis of the limited information provided, I suggest that IWAI does have a significant problem, but that it is one of performance, of implementation, rather than of strategy.

IWAI has failed to project its vision and its brand to waterways users and to the general public. I cannot recall ever receiving a press release from IWAI. According to its website, it has issued six since 2006: four welcoming announcements (by other people) about the Ulster Canal, one welcoming two new branches and one welcoming a new corporate member. No reports or critiques or surveys of its own; nothing to suggest that it is setting the agenda on the waterways or that it is the respected voice of the inland waterways enthusiast.

There seems to be no central appreciation of the strategic importance of getting IWAI's name before the public and keeping it there. WI uses its sponsorship programme strategically, funding events that attract new users and meet other corporate goals. In 2008 WI sponsored rowing, angling, sailing, swimming, wakeboarding, triathlons and arts, heritage, environmental, Royal Canal and local events. The organising bodies and the venues are now WI's allies. IWAI seems to have run no events that received sponsorship.

Since appointing its part-time project officer, the Association has improved its lobbying, making well-reasoned submissions on issues including Shannon water abstraction, vessel registration and green diesel. It therefore seems extraordinary that IWAI should now decide to reduce its capability by removing the project officer. Joined-up strategic thinking should be for the long term; by this action IWAI has shot itself in the foot.

Waterways Ireland's new headquarters building in Enniskillen has been officially opened. The three-storey-plus-belvedere building is on the Sligo Road, across the river from the Watergate. However, the Lakeland Canoe Centre on the island screens the WI building from the castle side, and it is only from around the Forum that the full splendour appears.

The building includes offices, meeting rooms, an exhibition space and an archive and library, which will be very welcome to people like me, who are researching aspects of waterways history. The environmentally friendly building has achieved the highest Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment (BREAM) score of any building in Northern Ireland.

The official opening on Friday 16 January 2009 was performed by Gregory Campbell, MLA, Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure and Éamon Ó Cuív, TD, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The ceremony included the planting of an Irish Pitcher apple tree.

The need for a Waterways Association...
There is no official forum for the voices of waterways users. Waterways Ireland has no board of external directors. There is no equivalent of Britain's Inland Waterways Advisory Council or of the advisory committee covering Lough Neagh and the Lower Bann. There is no equivalent of the UK's Parliamentary Waterways Group and the Oireachtas largely ignores waterways.

Yet the waterways are nowadays subject to more regulation, acted upon by more public bodies and affected more by economic and political events than they have ever been. I have the greatest of respect for Waterways Ireland's competence — and its ability to thrive in a very challenging political environment — but every public-sector organisation needs external oversight. In the absence of an official mechanism, we need a strong, sophisticated, well-run voluntary body, with professional staff, that can comment authoritatively on WI's strategy and operations and that can help to set the waterways agenda.

... not just a boat club
IWAI should be driven, not by its members, but by what is set down in its Memorandum of Association, where 'represent[ing] the interests of boat owners' is clearly subsidiary to the main objects, which are about promoting the 'use, maintenance and development' of the waterways themselves.

Some proponents of change suggest that IWAI's main problem is that it has too few members, and that it should sell itself to inland boat-owners as their representative body, without any distracting heritage or environmental considerations.

But members are not purely self-interested: many share a dedication to waterways, not just to boat-owning. If IWAI focuses solely on boat-owners, it excludes many inland waterways users and is likely have less influence on Waterways Ireland. Besides, the market for representing boat-owners is dominated by the Irish Sailing Association, with over 12 staff and an active Motorboat Development Officer. IWAI could survive in that market only by some form of market-sharing or by amalgamation with the ISA.

As a boat-owners' group, IWAI's continued existence would be pointless — and unlikely. Yes, IWAI does need to improve its branch structure; yes, it needs to become much better at delivery — but at delivery on waterways strategy, not just boating. And above all it needs to become far better at communicating with members, with the public and with other waterways interests.

Published in Afloat January//February 2009

Brian J Goggin looks forward to the reopening of the Royal Canal

As I write, various IWAI branches are preparing for end-of-season cruises. Some intrepid inland boaters (equipped with wheelhouses and heaters) keep going all year round: one group of Heritage Boat Association enthusiasts holds an end-of-season rally on Lough Derg after Christmas, with a start-of-season rally the next day.

Warning on water
Maybe the weather will be better over Christmas than it has been so far this year. Wet weather doesn't just depress boaters' spirits: it also depresses boating activity, certainly for that year and perhaps in subsequent years, amongst both owners and hirers. The traffic figures for the Shannon and the Shannon-Erne Waterway, kindly supplied by Waterways Ireland, do suggest that activity has been down this year.

Strong flows on the Shannon, as a result of the rainfall, were another problem. There were many reports of boats being pinned across bridges by the flow of the current. I do not know of any central source of information on the number and severity of these incidents, but perhaps it's time there was one. I don't mean to suggest that we need a full investigation of every incident by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board, but it would be useful to be able to measure the extent of the problem — and perhaps even to do something about it.

One difficulty is that the Shannon is badly designed for its current uses and level of traffic: bridges (where current speeds up) close to locks (where boats must slow down), quays and pontoons close to bridges and locks so that there are always boat movements across the traffic streams, single navigation arches with restricted visibility, and pontoons above bridges forcing boats to make awkward approaches. If we are going to have strong flows every summer, some re-engineering may be required; Waterways Ireland's new booms at weirs and at Killaloe Bridge are welcome improvements, but we may need extra navigation arches and fewer pontoons close to bridges.

In the short term, though, perhaps more could be done to provide information and warnings to boaters, and especially to hirers and others with relatively little experience. On the Thames, large yellow warning boards are shown at locks to warn boaters that the flow is increasing or to alert them when it is decreasing; unpowered boats are advised to moor and powered boats are advised to seek safe moorings. The next stage is large red boards saying 'Caution: Strong Stream', which means all boats are advised not to navigate. There is also a telephone floodline giving recorded information.

Waterways Ireland (WI) does issue warnings, but the question is whether the warnings are reaching (or getting through to) those who need them most. The Shannon has many fewer locks than the Thames, so there are fewer places where warnings could be placed; WI may need to think of new ways of getting the information out.

It would also be useful if they could provide more precise information: for example, it would be nice to know the speed of the current at places like Shannon Grove and under the navigation arches of bridges.

Offaly hits the right note

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is a traditional music event organised by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, and for the past two years it has been held in Tullamore. The Offaly Branch of IWAI has taken advantage of this to encourage more boats to use the Grand Canal: it has organised Float to the Fleadh, a convoy from Shannon Harbour to Tullamore. This year, it even persuaded three of the Shannon cruiser hire firms, Silverline, Emerald Star and CarrickCraft, to allow Fleadh-goers to hire boats and take them along the canal to Tullamore.

The event was a magnificent success, with over 80 boats in Tullamore for the Fleadh. The very presence of the boats increased awareness of the canal, and Offaly Branch enhanced the effect by arranging events and ensuring media coverage.

If the Fleadh returns to Tullamore in 2009, another Float event will be arranged. But Offaly's initiative provides a guideline for other IWAI branches, showing the advantage of linking in with major non-waterway events. Thus next year, for example, IWAI's North Barrow Branch, based in Athy, may be able to link in with the National Ploughing Championships, which will be held on a site between the Athy/Stradbally road and the Barrow Line of the Grand Canal.

The trip to the Fleadh wasn't altogether uneventful, for many boats were travelling on the weekend before the Fleadh began, when we had one of the heaviest downpours on record. The 30km Long Level above Ballycommon (east of Tullamore) received very large amounts of water, only some of which could be released via the usual overflows. Accordingly, it had to be drained westward, down the canal, over 40km to the Shannon.

Waterways Ireland staff worked throughout the weekend, including both Saturday and Sunday nights, with four racks open on all gates from Ballycommon to the Shannon: an unprecedented operation that prevented flooding over large areas. The resulting flow on the canal was such that navigation had to be stopped; the boats heading for the Fleadh were directed to Pollagh, where they moored safely until the flow subsided.

Reopening the Royal
For Waterways Ireland, the big event for 2009, all going well, will be the reopening of the Royal Canal. It runs from Spencer Dock through Maynooth, Kilcock, Enfield, Kinnegad, Mullingar, Ballynacargy and Abbeyshrule to join the Shannon at Richmond Harbour, near Tarmonbarry. Completed in 1817, it was not very successful commercially, and in 1845 it was bought by the Midland Great Western Railway which wanted the wayleaves for its track: the railway line follows the canal closely as far as Mullingar.

Although the MGWR did not particularly want the canal itself, it wasn't allowed to close it. But traffic gradually declined, except during the Emergency (World War 2), when turf was carried to Dublin to replace the coal that the UK refused to supply. When L.T.C. Rolt travelled on the canal just after WW2, there were only two traders left, and the last of them, James Leech of Killucan, stopped carrying in 1951. The canal was officially closed to navigation in 1961, and since then the Royal Canal Amenity Group has been fighting for its restoration.

The canal probably has more pubs along it than the Grand. It has fine stonework, an aqueduct 100 feet in the air, nice harbours and other attractions, including (now) an automatic lifting bridge at Begnagh, which scans the canal seeking boats and lifts when it sees one coming. The locks out of Dublin, up from Spencer Dock to Cabra, are hard work, but then there is the attractive stretch past Ashtown and Dunsink followed by the dramatic crossing of the M50 at Blanchardstown.

New sector gates are being installed at Spencer Dock to control access from the Liffey and to counter flooding. In Co Longford, where the local authority installed low culverted road-crossings in many places, the last of the culverts, at Lyneen, will be replaced by a fixed bridge. Richmond Harbour will be closed this winter for maintenance and some other minor works are underway; it is even possible that an improved water supply, from Lough Ennell, will be made available.

At first, WI will have to control traffic and monitor the banks closely to ensure that they are standing up to the traffic: most of the Royal boats, in the old days, were horse-drawn. But WI suggested, at a meeting in April 2008, that there will be a series of events next summer, from Dublin to the western end, after which traffic will once again be admitted from the Shannon. Unfortunately WI was unable to provide us with any details of decisions made since April, so we cannot say exactly what will be happening on what dates.

Northern exposure for WI
The best way of getting information about what Waterways Ireland is doing is to look on the website of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Some information about WI's doings, north and south of the border, is available on the House of Lords website, generally as a result of a question from John Dunn Laird, Baron Laird of Artigarvan, but he has been rather quiet since April 2007. Waterways Ireland is occasionally mentioned in the Oireachtas, but its doings are largely ignored in the southern legislature.

In Northern Ireland, however, the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure holds regular hearings, received reports from the relevant minister and publishes full information on its website http://www.niassembly.gov.uk. In September, Gregory Campbell, the NI Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, reported to the Committee on July's meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council (Inland Waterways Sectoral Format). The NI representatives were the Minister for Regional Development, Conor Murphy, and Mr Campbell; Éamon Ó Cuív, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, represented the Irish government. The meeting received a report from WI's Chief Executive, John Martin.

The report said that, since October 2007, WI had installed 86m of moorings on the Royal Canal and on the Shannon, 283m on the Erne and 36m on the Lower Bann. WI's new HQ building, in Enniskillen, was on time and on budget. It intended to reopen the Royal in 2009, to improve other navigations and to complete "investigations and construction of extensions on the Shannon navigation". WI has been consulting landowners and other interests along the line of the Ulster Canal from the River Finn (Lough Erne) to Clones; it has "commenced procedures to have the preliminary design undertaken and [proposes] to take forward the land acquisition in advance of letting the contract". It intends to register all its property, first assessing what the process might need, and it has carried out some marketing.

WI's strategy has "five marketing objectives, which are: awareness creation; development of a corporate identity; promoting greater use of the waterways; working in partnership with other bodies; and building a platform for sustained development".

The Committee discussed the report of the meeting, with questions to the Minister on the timescale for reopening the Ulster Canal, the slight under-representation of Protestants amongst the 76 permanent WI employees in Northern Ireland, potential for development of the Lower Bann and Lough Neagh, the effect of currency fluctuations and of the "pressures on public-expenditure budgets in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland".

In that context, it should be noted that Brian Lenihan's budget in October 2008 involved cuts in provision for pensioners, in certain education and health services and in the estimates for agriculture, transport and arts, sport and tourism. However, the estimate for Waterways Ireland's capital and current expenditure is the same as it was last year. According to WI's current Corporate Plan, operating revenue — which includes what boaters pay — will amount to e440,000 in each of the years 2008, 2009 and 2010; current expenditure in those years is expected to be e38,550,000, e39,550,000 and e41,330,000 respectively.

Published in Afloat December 08/January 09 Annual

I'm just back from a fortnight pottering around Lough Derg and, if our experience is anything to go by, the Celtic Water-Tiger is dead. Traffic (both private and hired) seemed to be way down on normal levels, although that comment is based on anecdotal evidence: I haven't seen the Waterways Ireland traffic figures yet.

Some people blamed the weather, but we didn't think it was too bad. We had some heavy rain, but for some reason none while we were navigating: I didn't have to don my serious waterproofs once. There was even some sunshine from time to time, which is always a bonus, and the only strong winds seemed to be at night.

Our fortnight spanned the August Bank Holiday weekend, which we spent in Portumna Castle Harbour, and admittedly that was crowded. There were boats moored on the approach walls every night and at one stage eight boats were rafted inside the harbour. And that's not to speak of the herd of camper vans...

Except for one night in Dromineer, we spent our other nights at quieter harbours without pubs (Kilgarvan, Dromaan, Rossmore) and maybe things were more crowded elsewhere, but I was surprised to find that, on one night in Dromaan, ours was the only occupied boat in the harbour. Even Dromineer was quiet on a Friday night; perhaps the closure of the hotel is making a difference.

We had a visit in Portumna from the Waterways Ireland warden, who was checking up on things and ensuring that best use was made of the space available. This sort of presence, whether by land or by water, is a very good thing, using low-key persuasiveness to make improvements. Mind you, I suspect that WI will have to use the heavy hand sometime soon: I have the impression that there has been an increase in harbour-hogging by owners who won't pay for moorings and who prefer to privatise sections of public harbours (at taxpayers' expense).

The Boyne
The Industrial Heritage Association of Ireland (http://www.steam-museum.com/ihai/) organised a tour of sites in Monaghan recently, and I went with some friends. The tour included mills, the startling remains of Great Northern Railway viaducts and several sites on the Ulster Canal: the summit feeder, a bridge and milestone, Templetate Lock (in the middle of a field) and Ireland's only canal tunnel.

On the way home, we called in at Oldbridge to see how IWAI Boyne Navigation Branch's restoration project (http://boyne.iwai.ie/) was getting on. Tommy McLoughlin, the Project Manager, had kindly agreed to stay behind after a hard day's work on the sea lock to show us around. I must admit I was very impressed: this is a very professional operation on a lovely navigation.

Like the Barrow, the Boyne is a river navigation with several long cuts — which are not all on the same side of the river. The sea lock, providing entry to the lowest cut, is at Oldbridge Lower, very close to the Battle of the Boyne site, and there is a second lock (Oldbridge Upper) on the same cut. This second lock is a rare turf-sided lock with sloping sides; a horse-bridge crosses the upper end.

Restoring navigation on that stretch means replacing gates and removing dams (and no doubt some dredging); success would open the navigation from Drogheda almost as far as the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, with only one other lock in the way. And that means that it would be possible to offer a water-bus service from Drogheda to the two visitor attractions, the Battle of the Boyne site and Brú na Bóinne.

So this is a restoration project with some point to it. A restored Boyne Navigation, cut off from the connected inland waterways system, may never attract large numbers of cruisers, but it could justify itself in other ways. A water-bus service would be an attraction in itself; it would also relieve the traffic congestion on the area's minor roads — and perhaps make the other attractions easier to find. Furthermore, the navigation itself is extremely attractive and some sections of towpath are well used by walkers and anglers; a day-boat service might complement those activities.

Unfortunately the Boyne Navigation Branch's trailer was stolen since our visit. It is a twin-axle 8' x 4' steel galvanised trailer with a mesh tail ramp. It is unusual in that it has high sides, of which the top 15" drop down to form a shelf hanging on chains. It has lights and black plastic mudguards. This trailer was custom built by T.R. Trailers and is used to transport equipment on to the site on workdays. If you see it, contact Tommy McLoughlin at 087 277 1591.

The Munster Blackwater
The Munster Blackwater (and its tributary, the Bride) are always included in lists of Irish inland waterways, but I had never seen them. They are not connected to the main system, so getting there requires a car journey, and I had never got around to it until a few months ago, when we drove over the Vee to Cappoquin and on to Youghal.

Nineteenth century travellers described the Blackwater as the Irish Rhine, which is a bit of an exaggeration, but it is certainly very scenic and full of historic interest. There are several 'big houses' along the route; people associated with the area include the Knights Templar, Walter Raleigh, the Duke of Devonshire, the von Thyssen family, Katharine Countess of Desmond (said to have died at the age of 140 after falling from a cherry tree), Claud Cockburn, Molly Keane and Richard Boyle (1st Earl of Cork and father of the man who gave us Boyle's Law).

Low bridges now restrict access by masted vessels, but well into the last century schooners came up the Blackwater with the tide as far as Cappoquin. Much of the trade was with Wales, carrying coal in and timber (for pit props) out. There are several quays along the river; schooners would discharge part of their cargoes in the lower reaches, reducing their draught for the upriver section. They could discharge the rest in Cappoquin and take on part of a load, completing it further downriver. The Bride, a tributary, was also navigable and schooners went up there too, and a short canal carried goods to Lismore, where the Dukes of Devonshire own the castle. Furthermore, steamers went as far as Cappoquin and excursions were popular.

Amongst the schooners that used the Blackwater were the De Wadden, a steel three-masted schooner built in 1917 and now in Merseyside Maritime Museum, the recently-restored wooden three-masted schooner Kathleen & May and the ketch-rigged flush-decked trow Jonadab, whose remains are in the Purton boat graveyard near Sharpness.

There are some boats on the river, but traffic was very light when we were there: a few fishing boats, a small sailing-boat going downriver with its mast lowered, the occasional jetski and power-boat, but not much else. Some of the old quays are used for swimming, but on the whole the river seemed to be under-used.

We went with the tide all the way from Youghal to the Kitchenhole just above Cappoquin, and also did some exploration of the Bride and the Lismore Canal by road. Tony Gallagher runs a trip-boat, the half-decker MV Maeve, from Youghal, although his scheduled trips don't go as far as Cappoquin. Tony (087 988 9076) is a mine of information about this wonderful river and he brings old photos and documents to show to his passengers: highly recommended.

For a photo tour of the Blackwater, see http://www.pbase.com/bjg/blackwater

Published in Afloat September//October 2008

Waterways Ireland had applied for planning permission to extend the Shannon Navigation upriver from the head of Lough Allen to Annagh Upper, near the village of Dowra. The plan included dredging of the river and the construction of a 16-berth public harbour at Annagh Upper, with an amenity area, car park and road access. In the lower stretches of the river, dredging would have been mostly of silt, but near Annagh Upper some bedrock would have been removed and used to build a weir upstream of the moorings.

In July 2007 Leitrim County Council gave planning permission for the development, subject to some conditions; the decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanála, which in April 2008 refused planning permission on three grounds.

Every year Waterways Ireland (WI) provides an account of what it has been doing and what's next on its list of things to do. In 2007, it spent €15.5 million on new and improved facilities including refurbishment across the network, an extra 770m of jetties and the continued restoration of the Royal Canal

Before we get into the capital works, it's worth noting a joint marketing initiative between Waterways Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Tourism Ireland, Fermanagh Lakeland Tourism and Shannon Development: the Lakelands Project, promoting the waterways between Belleek and Limerick. The project was launched in October 2007 at a ceremony on the banks of the Shannon in Clonmacnoise. The first phase included the development of a guide, website (www.discoverireland/lakelands.ie) and a multi-lingual DVD.

And so to the engineering. WI's isolated navigation is the Lower Bann, on which it has installed 36m replacement jetties at Mountsandel and at Vow, and has applied for planning permission for new jetties at Camus and Portglenone Wood. In 2008 WI intends to carry out feasibility studies into new facilities and service blocks.

On the Erne, WI has replaced and upgraded 346m of moorings at Castle Caldwell, Muckross and Geaglum. In many cases older timber jetties are being replaced. At Crevinishaughy Island near Castle Archdale WI has installed a larger jetty with a reduced freeboard section for watersports. In Enniskillen, the Round O slipway has been improved and 240m of moorings will be installed in 2008.

On the Shannon–Erne Waterway, a new block is being built at Lock 16 (Leitrim) for the Patrollers, and the moorings at the far end, Lock 1 at Corraquill, will be replaced in 2008.

The Shannon has had an extra 250m of floating moorings: 50m at Portumna, 100m at Ballina (with safety booms at Killaloe Bridge) and 100m at Kilglass, replacing the wreck of a jetty that was owned by the County Council. Clarendon Lock is being automated, Tarmonbarry Lock House has been refurbished to give keepers a better view of the lock chamber, the Camlin has been dredged and Scarriff has a pump-out, which makes 21 pump-outs at 14 locations on the Shannon. In 2008, weir barriers will be installed at Athlone and Rooskey.

Down the Barrow, the 54m amenity jetty at Ardreigh has been finished, and there is an 84m floating jetty at Carlow Town Park and a new slipway at Bagenalstown. Major dredging work was undertaken in Carlow and Leighlinbridge; the quay wall and landing jetty at Rathvindon Lock, and the retaining wall at Graiguenamanagh Dry Dock were all repaired.

On the Grand, a 40m long culvert under the canal at Rahan has been replaced, with associated canal embankment works and realignment of culverts to both upstream and downstream channels. Another 3km of the Barrow Line was dredged, between Ballymanus bridge and Vicarstown. In Dublin, major repair works were carried out to stabilise the walls in Grand Canal Dock. The General MacMahon lifting bridge over the canal basin (between the Inner and Outer Docks) was replaced by a fixed structure and, in a separate project, the Grand Canal Square was extended into the dock as a platform extending over the water body. With Dublin City Council, about 700m of towpath surfacing was improved, with overhead lighting, near Davitt Road at the start of the Main Line. In Sallins, works commenced in association with Kildare County Council to improve the harbour area: rebuilding the footpath, putting services underground and adding overhead lighting. For 2008, the main item will be the long-awaited service block at Shannon Harbour.

The Ulster Canal is now on the list. In July 2007 the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) asked WI to restore the section of the Ulster Canal between Clones and Upper Lough Erne. WI is establishing a project team for day-to-day management, reporting monthly to a Monitoring Committee chaired jointly by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (RoI) and the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (NI). The project will take six years to complete.

Finally, much has been happening on the Royal. A new lifting bridge at Begnagh has been finished and work has started to replace the bridge at Mosstown. A 600m section of bank reconstruction and lining was carried out between Ballydrum Bridge and the 44th Lock near Killashee. Investigative works were completed at Richmond Harbour Dry Dock, a major restoration of the 45th Lock was completed and Cloonsheerin Culvert was fully restored. Lighting and railings at Maynooth Harbour were upgraded and deep gate landing jetties were installed at the 41st and 42nd Locks. Negotiations continued with Westmeath County Council to provide an adequate water supply to the Royal Canal.

In Dublin, between Binns Bridge and Croke Park, 400m of towpath and wall were improved. Spencer Dock was widened from 12m to its original 30m width. Works included exposing and strengthening the original dock walls. Access was granted for a new LUAS bridge across the Dock. All of these works are part of large scale re-development of the area, in which the Royal Canal is an important central feature. Work began on the new Sea Lock, which has the dual purpose of facilitating navigation at all stages of the tide and providing flood protection to the area in the event of high water levels in the adjacent River Liffey. The project includes construction of new mitre gates and new sector gates, together with a control building for the operation of the Sea Lock.

In our next issue, we'll have information on plans for the reopening of the Royal Canal in 2009.

First, it was not satisfied that the Environmental Impact Statement and other documents had adequately assessed and addressed the likely effects of the development on the environment and, in particular, on the very rare fish, the Irish Pollan, which is unique to Ireland but whose status, according to the National Parks and Wildlife Service, is bad, with poor prospects.

Second, the board pointed out that the Leitrim County Development Plan 2003–2009 sought to encourage location of facilities in or near existing towns and villages, to maximise the economic and social gain for the local community. As Annagh Upper is "an unserviced rural area at a remove from the nearby village of Dowra", the development would be "contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area."

Third, the board said that the local road serving the proposed site was very poor and that the proposed development would endanger traffic safety.

I'm not convinced that the rejection of this development is a disaster. Relatively few boats use Lough Allen, and they've had improvements to two existing moorings in recent years. Does the traffic justify a further development? Or would the money be better spent elsewhere? Perhaps an extension at the southern end of the navigation, through Parteen Villa Weir to O'Briensbridge, would be a better investment. Not that I'm biased.

Rush out now ...
... and buy a copy of Ruth Delany's history of the Shannon Navigation, just published by Lilliput Press (paperback €29.95, hardback €60). Ruth's reputation as a waterways historian is solidly established, but this book takes her work to a new level.

The structure of the book is broadly chronological, starting with works carried out before 1800 and then devoting two chapters to the achievements of the Directors General of Inland Navigation up to 1830. But most of the infrastructure we know on the Shannon today came after that, based on a survey by Thomas Rhodes for the Shannon Commission and a report to the government in 1833.

That led to the passing of the Shannon Navigation Act in 1834 and the appointment of five commissioners (including Rhodes) to carry out work on the Shannon. Between then and 1850, mill dams and eel weirs were removed and bridge arches were unblocked. In the lower Shannon, the Black Bridge was built at Plassey and weirs were built at Worlds End (Castleconnell) and Corbally. At Killaloe the bridge was improved, a large L-shaped weir was constructed across the river and the canal retaining wall was built. On Lough Derg the navigation was opened to Scarriff, Mountshannon harbour was built and the Ballyshrule and Woodford rivers were dredged.

Upriver, boulders removed in dredging out shallow places were used as bases for navigation markers. Portumna bridge was replaced and the new cut, weir and lock at Meelick were built. The old Banagher lock was bypassed by a new navigation channel in the river, with a swivel arch in the bridge; Shannonbridge too got a swivel arch. A new lock and weir were built in the river at Athlone, with a new bridge (again with a swivel section), and the old canal was abandoned.

On Lough Ree the marking system was improved. The old lock at Lanesborough was removed and locks and weirs were built at Tarmonbarry and Roosky (abandoning the old Roosky canal). The bridge and quay were built at Carnadoe and the shallows at Derrycarne Narrows were excavated. Jamestown canal was re-sited and new bridges were built across it, but Drumsna bridge was just strengthened. Carrick-on-Shannon bridge was replaced and some improvements were made in the river to Battlebridge and in the Lough Allen Canal, while on the Boyle Water bridges and a lock were built.

There were some small changes to the infrastructure in later years, and they are covered in this book; the most important was the building of Ardnacrusha and the abandonment of the old navigation between Limerick and Killaloe. But most of the Shannon as we know it today was defined during that twenty-year period in the middle of the nineteenth century, and Ruth Delany brings it to life: the surveys, the plans and the changes, the incidents during construction.

There are chapters on flooding, on the Shannon steamers and other trading vessels and on the changes reflecting new uses: recreational boating, fishing, hydroelectric works, the development of bogs, the hire industry and the need for water management. Even looking at the pictures of boats would provide hours of amusement.

Some people may shy away from the prospect of reading a 250-page history book, but there is no need to do so. The book is indeed full of information but it is also extremely well written: any technicalities are explained fully and indeed entertainingly.

But there is more: this book is extremely well illustrated and produced. Sponsorship from Waterways Ireland enabled the publishers to use full colour throughout, with an extraordinary number and range of illustrations ranging from maps and charts, through drawings of the tools used in construction, to early black and white photographs and to contemporary colour photographs. The result is a magnificent book, whose quality is a fitting tribute to the research Ruth Delany has put in to her subject over the years — and to the work she has done in campaigning successfully for Irish waterways.

Registration
The proposals for registration of vessels are covered elsewhere in this issue, but I have a few comments from an inland perspective. I should say that I am not opposed to registration in principle. I sold a boat once to a man who was surprised that there was no way for him to be sure that I had title to it; registration would have provided reassurance to him. If it enables the Revenue Commissioners to check on people's tax affairs, I have no objection to that either.

I have made some suggestions to the Department of Transport: that the old registers should be computerised and made available online for research and that Killaloe (where boats were sent to be gauged) should be the port of registry for inland vessels.

I also commented on the requirement that I display a flag. I don't really like flags (apart from our own) and I don't see the point when I'm inland. More seriously, there have been times when boats from Northern Ireland might have been reluctant, for fear of violence, to fly a red ensign in the republic and when southern boats might have preferred not to fly their ensign when north of the border. I hope those days may be behind us, but if the temperature should rise again I think boaters should be free to avoid calling attention to themselves.

I am not clear whether houseboats will have to be registered. And it would be nice to have a register of wrecks: I don't mean boats that have been wrecked while under way but rather those that have been abandoned and have sunk at their moorings in Killaloe, Shannon Harbour or Lowtown. And that brings up the point of how this registration will affect Waterways Ireland and its register: the proposals are silent on the matter.

Finally, the big threat in the scheme is in the sentence "Only vessels which meet the applicable standards under national, EU or international law in relation to safety, security and environmental protections in force at the time of application for registration will be allowed to register" and in the requirement for tonnage measurement. Owners might be hit with any number of demands under those provisions, and there are no details of what we might be in for. I don't like buying a pig in a poke: I want more details.

Getting tough
Waterways Ireland has issued Marine Notice 25 of 2008 saying that boats that have been parked in one harbour for more than five consecutive days, or for more than seven days in a month, may be removed from the navigation. This would be good, although I don't know how it's to be done. It probably won't be as drastic as the recent removal of sunken vessels from the Grand Canal Dock in Dublin.

Published in Afloat June//July 2008