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Displaying items by tag: Grand Canal

#waterland – Minister Deenihan launched 'Water Land', an exhibition of sculpture and craft presented by Waterways Ireland Tuesday 5th November 2013—Jimmy Deenihan, T.D, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, with Dawn Livingstone, Chief Executive of Waterways Ireland, launched 'Water Land', a free exhibition of sculpture and crafted objects on the waters of Dublin's Grand Canal Basin.

This exhibition brings together the heritage of the inland waterways with new work by contemporary artists and craft makers. Curated by Sarah Ross, it will feature a selection of Ireland's most well known and recognised artists and craftspeople, those resident in the Design Tower, Pearse Street together with makers invited from across Ireland and abroad. Launching the exhibition in the Waterways Ireland Visitor Centre, Minister Deenihan said, "The diversity of materials and approaches that the artists have used in their work speaks to the fascination we all have with water and how we interact with it in our daily lives.

The Design Tower have put on a wonderful exhibition on this compelling theme and Waterways Ireland and the Crafts Council deserve great credit for their support." Dawn Livingstone, Chief Executive of Waterways Ireland, also highlighted the huge variety of stimulation that the artists drew from the waterways; from the recycling of waterway infrastructure (the lock gates) by Emmet Kane, through to the swimmers beautifully captured by the work of Alan Ardiff. "Each has brought their own view to this most unique resource, it is truly inspirational." Amongst others, the exhibition will feature renowned jewellery designer, Alan Ardiff who reminds us of the recent summer heatwave with his diving bronze figure inspired by the daredevil swimmers in Grand Canal Basin. Similarly, artist and sculptor, Elizabeth O'Kane, and bespoke jewellery designers, Da Capo, have produced exquisite work inspired by the movement and fluidity of water.

Referencing values associated with the use of water are fashion designer, Róisín Gartland whose work references the abuses in the fashion industry for the sake of western beauty and adornment, and ceramic artist, Henry Pim, who reminds us of the depletion of water as a resource. Despite the geographic divide between Connemara-based basketmaker, Joe Hogan and the Swedish textile designer, Liz Nilsson, both makers' work is inspired by the natural materials sourced from the water's edge.

This is further complemented by a series of sculptural forms by Kildare's internationally renowned woodturner, Emmet Kane, created from reclaimed canal gates made from the hardwood called 'Ekki'. Waterways Ireland, one of the six North/South Implementation Bodies established under the British Irish Agreement in 1999, has responsibility for the management, maintenance, development and restoration of inland navigable waterways principally for recreational purposes.

Due to both its historical significance and current value the element of water was seen as a very relevant theme to promote the work of over 20 artists and makers at the Waterways Ireland Visitor Centre.

'Water Land' is supported by Waterways Ireland and further funded by the Crafts Council of Ireland. Exhibition opening times for visitors are from Wednesday to Sunday, 10am–6pm and entry is free of charge.

Published in Inland Waterways

#grandcanal – Waterways Ireland is upgrading the moorings and services on the Grand Canal in Sallins, Co Kildare to create Houseboat Moorings to facilitate the boating customers in the area. The contract has been awarded and the work is expected to take place during the closed navigation season and be ready for the new boat season in 2014.
The 210m Houseboat Moorings are to be installed east of Sallins Bridge. The moorings will have electricity, water, lighting and access to a sewage pumpout and rubbish disposal facilities. The existing canal bank will also be landscaped with pathways designed in accordance with Waterways Ireland 'Access for All' standards. These moorings will be open to application from permanent boat residents holding a Combined Mooring and Passage Permit (CMP).
In addition to the Houseboat Moorings, an area for 240m of Extended Mooring west of Sallins Bridge is also being prepared where boat owners already in possession of a CMP will be able to apply for a 1 year mooring license –an Extended Mooring Permit.
A short term mooring for boats continuously cruising is also being installed east of Sallins Bridge. These moorings will have bollards providing water.
As the majority of the works to create the houseboat moorings will be undertaken from the water, boats currently moored there have been required to move. This phase has been completed and the contactor is currently preparing to move on site.
The Extended Moorings will be offered as a first option to those moving to facilitate the work. Boaters wishing to move to the Extended Moorings in Sallins are advised to complete the application online on www.waterwaysireland.org as soon as possible. Moorings will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Waterways Ireland has met with Permit holders locally and is taking their concerns on board. Waterways Ireland will continue to liaise personally with Permit Holders and with the local community through the local press to ensure all are kept up to date with progress.

Published in Inland Waterways
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Waterways Ireland wishes to advise masters and owners that the public moorings immediately east and west of Sallins bridge have been closed temporarily to facilitate refurbishment works and will re-open in mid –March 2014.This area is now deemed a construction site and all users should take note of warning signs associated with these works.

Waterways Ireland thanks its customers for their co-operation with this project and regrets any inconvenience caused.

Charles Lawn
Lt Cdr (rtd)
Inspector of Navigation
10 Oct 2013

Tel: 353 90 6494232
Fax: 353 90 6494147

Published in Inland Waterways
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MARINE NOTICE
No 115 of 2013

GRAND CANAL

TULLAMORE

CAPPINCUR

ROWING EVENT

SAT 5th OCTOBER 2013

WATERWAYS IRELAND WISHES TO ADVISE ALL MASTERS AND USERS OF THE GRAND CANAL THAT OFFALY ROWING CLUB WILL BE HOLDING A SERIES OF TIME TRIALS ON SATURDAY 5th OCTOBER FROM 08.00 Hrs. UNTIL 16:00 Hrs. APPROX.

THE ROWING TIME TRIALS WILL BE HELD BETWEEN LOCK 23 AND LOCK 24 ON THE GRAND CANAL AT CAPPINCUR, TULLAMORE.

NAVIGATION WILL BE RESTRICTED DURING THE PERIOD OF THE TRIALS.

MASTERS OF VESSELS SHOULD HEED STEWARDS INSTRUCTIONS.

WATERWAYS IRELAND THANKS ALL BOATERS IN ADVANCE FOR THEIR COOPERATION ON THE DAY.

Charles Lawn
Lt Cdr (rtd)
Inspector of Navigation
25 Sep 2013

Tel: 353 90 6494232
Fax: 353 90 6494147

Published in Inland Waterways

MARINE NOTICE

No. 79 of 2013

Grand Canal

Dublin
(Circular Line)

Rathmines to Ranelagh Section

Temporary Restriction to Navigation

Tues 9 July 2013

Waterways Ireland wishes to advise masters and owners that the above section, C6 to C7, of the canal will be closed to navigation from 18.00hrs on Tues 9 th . until 02.00hrs on Wed 10 th . to facilitate the temporary placing of art display work in the canal and its subsequent removal.

Waterways Ireland thanks its customers for their cooperation in this matter.

C.Lawn
Inspector of Navigation
02 Jul 2013
Tel: 00353906494232
Fax:003539094147

Published in Inland Waterways
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Boats from the Erne, the Shannon, the Barrow, the Royal and the Grand Canal in addition to coastal visitors are gathering this week for the Inland Waterways Association 29th Dublin Rally at the Grand Canal Dock.

Published in Inland Waterways

#GrandCanal - Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners of vessels that navigation on the Grand Canal from the mouth of the Tullamore branch line to Kilbeggan Bridge will be restricted from this Tuesday to Thursday 21-23 May.

This is to facilitate ongoing works on the Tullamore boardwalk and bridges.

Vessels that wish to transit through this section of the canal may experience some short delays during this time.

Published in Inland Waterways

Marine Notice No. 136 of 2012 and No. 10, 18 and 24 of 2013 refer.

Waterways Ireland wishes to advise masters and owners of vessels that navigation on the Grand Canal from the Kilbeggan Bridge to Coxes Bridge will be restricted from Tuesday 7th May until Friday 10th May 2013 to facilitate ongoing works on the Tullamore boardwalk and bridges. Vessels wishing to transit through this section of the canal may experience short delays during this period

Published in Inland Waterways
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The Grand Canal Marina in the inner dock of the Grand Canal Basin has a landmark 'Box in the Docks' building familiar to many Dubliners. The 50-berth facility opened in 2004 and has become an asset for boaters in the city centre especially during festivals such as the recent Tall Ships visits, permitting boating access and overnight stays (albeit via a sealock) in Dublin city.

Published in Irish Marinas

#grandcanal – Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners that the 41st level of the Royal Canal between Mullawornia and Coolnahinch Bridge will be closed from Monday 29th April to Friday 17th May. This is required to carry out emergency leakage repair works.

Published in Inland Waterways
Page 13 of 18

Sharks in Irish waters

Irish waters are home to 71 species of shark, skates and rays, 58 of which have been studied in detail and listed on the Ireland Red List of Cartilaginous fish. Irish sharks range from small Sleeper sharks, Dogfish and Catsharks, to larger species like Frilled, Mackerel and Cow sharks, all the way to the second largest shark in the world, the Basking shark. 

Irish waters provide a refuge for an array of shark species. Tralee Bay, Co. Kerry provides a habitat for several rare and endangered sharks and their relatives, including the migratory tope shark, angel shark and undulate ray. This area is also the last European refuge for the extremely rare white skate. Through a European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) project, Marine Institute scientists have been working with fishermen to assess the distribution, diversity, and monthly relative abundance of skates and rays in Tralee, Brandon and Dingle Bays.

“These areas off the southwest coast of Ireland are important internationally as they hold some of the last remaining refuges for angel shark and white skate,” said Dr Maurice Clarke of the Marine Institute. “This EMFF project has provided data confirming the critically endangered status of some species and provides up-to-date information for the development of fishery measures to eliminate by-catch.” 

Irish waters are also home to the Black Mouthed Catshark, Galeus melastomus, one of Ireland’s smallest shark species which can be found in the deep sea along the continental shelf. In 2018, Irish scientists discovered a very rare shark-nursery 200 nautical miles off the west coast by the Marine Institute’s ROV Holland 1 on a shelf sloping to 750 metres deep. 

There are two ways that sharks are born, either as live young or from egg casings. In the ‘case’ of Black Mouthed Catsharks, the nursery discovered in 2018, was notable by the abundance of egg casings or ‘mermaid’s purses’. Many sharks, rays and skate lay eggs, the cases of which often wash ashore. If you find an egg casing along the seashore, take a photo for Purse Search Ireland, a citizen science project focusing on monitoring the shark, ray and skate species around Ireland.

Another species also found by Irish scientists using the ROV Holland 1 in 2018 was a very rare type of dogfish, the Sail Fin Rough Shark, Oxynotus paradoxus. These sharks are named after their long fins which resemble the trailing sails of a boat, and live in the deep sea in waters up to 750m deep. Like all sharks, skates and rays, they have no bones. Their skeleton is composed of cartilage, much like what our noses and ears are made from! This material is much more flexible and lighter than bone which is perfect for these animals living without the weight of gravity.

Throughout history sharks have been portrayed as the monsters of the sea, a concept that science is continuously debunking. Basking sharks were named in 1765 as Cetorhinus maximus, roughly translated to the ‘big-nosed sea monster’. Basking sharks are filter feeders, often swimming with their mouths agape, they filter plankton from the water.

They are very slow moving and like to bask in the sun in shallow water and are often seen in Irish waters around Spring and early Summer. To help understand the migration of these animals to be better able to understand and conserve these species, the Irish Basking Shark Group have tagged and mapped their travels.

Remarkably, many sharks like the Angel Shark, Squatina squatina have the ability to sense electricity. They do this via small pores in their skin called the ‘Ampullae of Lorenzini’ which are able to detect the tiny electrical impulses of a fish breathing, moving or even its heartbeat from distances of over a kilometre! Angel sharks, often referred to as Monkfish have a distinctively angelic shape, with flattened, large fins appearing like the wings of an angel. They live on the seafloor in the coastal waters of Ireland and much like a cat are nocturnal, primarily active at night.

The intricate complexity of shark adaptations is particularly noticeable in the texture of their skin. Composed of miniscule, perfectly shaped overlapping scales, the skin of shark provides them with protection. Often shark scales have been compared to teeth due to their hard enamel structure. They are strong, but also due to their intricate shape, these scales reduce drag and allow water to glide past them so that the shark can swim more effortlessly and silently. This natural flawless design has been used as inspiration for new neoprene fabric designs to help swimmers glide through the water. Although all sharks have this feature, the Leafscale Gulper Shark, Centrophorus squamosus, found in Ireland are specifically named due to the ornate leaf-shape of their scales.