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Displaying items by tag: Grand Canal

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels and users of the Grand Canal in Dublin that the waterway between Lock 5 at Kylemore Road and Grand Canal Dock will be closed from Wednesday 12 to Saturday 15 April inclusive to facilitate the visit of US President Joe Biden to Ireland this week.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels and users of the Grand Canal in Dublin that works to Camden Lock in Grand Canal Dock will commence on Monday 3 April.

This will involve the lowering of the water level in Grand Canal Dock by approximately 400mm to accommodate the works on the sea lock.

Water levels were gradually lowered during past week commencing Monday 27 March and will remain low for a period of eight weeks.

Masters of vessels should contact Waterways Ireland prior to undertaking passage in Grand Canal Dock during the works, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways adds.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels and users of the Grand Canal at Tullamore, Co Offaly that canal works between Lock 26 and Lock 27 will take place in the week starting Monday 27 March.

The water level on the Grand Canal between Lock 26 and Lock 27 will be lowered. All vessels between these locks — including the branch line to Tullamore Harbour — should relocated from that canal level by Monday.

Navigation through Tullamore on the Grand Canal will be restricted from Monday 27 until Friday 31 March, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways adds.

Masters of vessels should contact Waterways Ireland prior to undertaking passage on the Grand Canal in this area during the works.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels and users of the Grand Canal in Dublin that jetty repair works between Lock C4 and Lock C5 will commence on Monday 3 April and continue for around eight weeks.

The water level on the Grand Canal between these locks will be lowered to accommodate the repair works.

Masters of vessels should contact Waterways Ireland prior to undertaking passage on the Grand Canal east or west of Wilton Terrace during these works, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways says.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland reminds all masters and owners of vessels on the Grand Canal, Royal Canal, Barrow Line and Barrow Navigation that all canal permits expired on 1 November 2022 and must be renewed for 2023.

Permits can be renewed online at the Waterways Ireland website HERE.

The cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways emphasises that vessels with no permit, as required by Bye Law 6(8) of the Canals Act, will be “removed as operationally convenient”.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels and users of the Grand Canal in the Dublin area that construction of the greenway is ongoing and will necessitate lowering of water levels west of the city from this weekend.

Following recent works between Lock 13 and Lock 14, the water level between Lock 12 at Lucan Road and Lock 13 at Ardclough will be lowered by 200mm for a period of two weeks from Friday 3 March.

This is to accommodate stone works under Aylmer’s Bridge in Kearneystown as part of the ongoing Kildare County Council Phase 1 Greenway works, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways adds.

Published in Inland Waterways

This year, Waterways Ireland’s partnership with the St Patrick’s Festival will celebrate the beloved Dublin canals as one of 10 showpiece performances in the capital’s St Patrick’s Day Parade on Friday 17 March.

With half a million spectators expected to line this year’s route, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways says it’s proud to showcase and celebrate the history, heritage and recreational vibrancy of the Dublin canals as integral parts of Ireland’s culture.

As the parade passes by look out for ‘Uiscebhéal’, a performance inspired by the values of sustainability and community that will highlight the role of the Grand Canal and Royal Canal in the life of the city.

John McDonagh, Waterways Ireland chief executive said: “Our treasured historic canals are familiar welcoming places for generations, spaces for recreation, inspiration for artists and a sanctuary where nature can survive and thrive.

“It is a pleasure to have worked with the St Patrick’s Festival team to recognise the significance of the Royal and Grand canals in Dublin through this wonderful performance.”

Richard Tierney, St Patrick’s Festival CEO added: “Our partnership with Waterways Ireland celebrates some of the most intrinsic and loved parts of Dublin and Ireland, we are thrilled to shine a light on the usage of the canals and the many ways we can all enjoy these great amenities.”

The St Patrick’s Festival takes place in Dublin and nationwide from Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 March.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels and users of the Grand Canal that construction of the greenway is ongoing as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

As part of these works, water levels on the canal will be lowered by 400mm in northeast Co Kildare between Lock 13 at Ardclough and Lock 14 at Devonshire Bridge from Monday 20 February for a period of six weeks.

Waters are being lowered to accommodate greenway works under Henry Bridge, Ponsonby Bridge and Devonshire Bridge.

Further notices will be issued in due course to provide updates as the works progress, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways adds.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland and Dublin City Council have launched a new study that considers the outdoor recreation opportunities of the Grand Canal and its towpaths and land resources in Dublin’s south central area.

The jointly commissioned report by Irish Leisure Consultants, titled The Grand Canal Recreation Activation and Animation: Portobello to Kylemore Road, is informed by the views and knowledge of local communities and stakeholders as well as the ambitions of national and local strategies and plans.

The area in question has limited on-water activity at present, even though it has one of the longest stretches of the canal in the city with no navigation locks.

The Grand Canal and its towpaths represent a significant opportunity to unlock the potential of this inland waterway asset for local communities, Dubliners and visitors to the city.

The consultation process identified positive, strong and diverse connections among residents and communities with this section of the Grand Canal, including recreational uses, environmental stewardship, heritage, and active travel. The report emphasises the importance of balancing of opportunities and responsibilities to increase quality of life and provide for a diverse range of needs and interests.

The report also recommends a collaborative approach, with an initial programme of community-based activities and leadership training to enhance a sense of place and develop perceptions and engagement with the canal, followed by the physical development of a series of links, nodes and zones along the canal.

In spring and summer this year, the project partners say they will work with local stakeholders to pilot a number of on-water activities and explore sustainable initiatives to unlock the potential of the city’s Grand Canal.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises users of the Grand Canal Greenway that the greenway section from Digby Bridge to Sallins in Co Kildare will remain closed until the end of February for continued works on restoring the Four Pots overflow structure.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the Four Pots is a unique structure located alongside the Grand Canal towpath between the Leinster Aqueduct and Digby Bridge.

Its four circular channels of varying depth helped reduce the water pressure and volume rate before discharge from the canal back to the River Liffey through a series of channels, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways says.

Published in Inland Waterways
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Dun Laoghaire Harbour Information

Dun Laoghaire Harbour is the second port for Dublin and is located on the south shore of Dublin Bay. Marine uses for this 200-year-old man-made harbour have changed over its lifetime. Originally built as a port of refuge for sailing ships entering the narrow channel at Dublin Port, the harbour has had a continuous ferry link with Wales, and this was the principal activity of the harbour until the service stopped in 2015. In all this time, however, one thing has remained constant, and that is the popularity of sailing and boating from the port, making it Ireland's marine leisure capital with a harbour fleet of between 1,200 -1,600 pleasure craft based at the country's largest marina (800 berths) and its four waterfront yacht clubs.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour Bye-Laws

Download the bye-laws on this link here

FAQs

A live stream Dublin Bay webcam showing Dun Laoghaire Harbour entrance and East Pier is here

Dun Laoghaire is a Dublin suburb situated on the south side of Dublin Bay, approximately, 15km from Dublin city centre.

The east and west piers of the harbour are each of 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) long.

The harbour entrance is 232 metres (761 ft) across from East to West Pier.

  • Public Boatyard
  • Public slipway
  • Public Marina

23 clubs, 14 activity providers and eight state-related organisations operate from Dun Laoghaire Harbour that facilitates a full range of sports - Sailing, Rowing, Diving, Windsurfing, Angling, Canoeing, Swimming, Triathlon, Powerboating, Kayaking and Paddleboarding. Participants include members of the public, club members, tourists, disabled, disadvantaged, event competitors, schools, youth groups and college students.

  • Commissioners of Irish Lights
  • Dun Laoghaire Marina
  • MGM Boats & Boatyard
  • Coastguard
  • Naval Service Reserve
  • Royal National Lifeboat Institution
  • Marine Activity Centre
  • Rowing clubs
  • Yachting and Sailing Clubs
  • Sailing Schools
  • Irish Olympic Sailing Team
  • Chandlery & Boat Supply Stores

The east and west granite-built piers of Dun Laoghaire harbour are each of one kilometre (0.62 mi) long and enclose an area of 250 acres (1.0 km2) with the harbour entrance being 232 metres (761 ft) in width.

In 2018, the ownership of the great granite was transferred in its entirety to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council who now operate and manage the harbour. Prior to that, the harbour was operated by The Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company, a state company, dissolved in 2018 under the Ports Act.

  • 1817 - Construction of the East Pier to a design by John Rennie began in 1817 with Earl Whitworth Lord Lieutenant of Ireland laying the first stone.
  • 1820 - Rennie had concerns a single pier would be subject to silting, and by 1820 gained support for the construction of the West pier to begin shortly afterwards. When King George IV left Ireland from the harbour in 1820, Dunleary was renamed Kingstown, a name that was to remain in use for nearly 100 years. The harbour was named the Royal Harbour of George the Fourth which seems not to have remained for so long.
  • 1824 - saw over 3,000 boats shelter in the partially completed harbour, but it also saw the beginning of operations off the North Wall which alleviated many of the issues ships were having accessing Dublin Port.
  • 1826 - Kingstown harbour gained the important mail packet service which at the time was under the stewardship of the Admiralty with a wharf completed on the East Pier in the following year. The service was transferred from Howth whose harbour had suffered from silting and the need for frequent dredging.
  • 1831 - Royal Irish Yacht Club founded
  • 1837 - saw the creation of Victoria Wharf, since renamed St. Michael's Wharf with the D&KR extended and a new terminus created convenient to the wharf.[8] The extended line had cut a chord across the old harbour with the landward pool so created later filled in.
  • 1838 - Royal St George Yacht Club founded
  • 1842 - By this time the largest man-made harbour in Western Europe had been completed with the construction of the East Pier lighthouse.
  • 1855 - The harbour was further enhanced by the completion of Traders Wharf in 1855 and Carlisle Pier in 1856. The mid-1850s also saw the completion of the West Pier lighthouse. The railway was connected to Bray in 1856
  • 1871 - National Yacht Club founded
  • 1884 - Dublin Bay Sailing Club founded
  • 1918 - The Mailboat, “The RMS Leinster” sailed out of Dún Laoghaire with 685 people on board. 22 were post office workers sorting the mail; 70 were crew and the vast majority of the passengers were soldiers returning to the battlefields of World War I. The ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat near the Kish lighthouse killing many of those onboard.
  • 1920 - Kingstown reverted to the name Dún Laoghaire in 1920 and in 1924 the harbour was officially renamed "Dun Laoghaire Harbour"
  • 1944 - a diaphone fog signal was installed at the East Pier
  • 1965 - Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club founded
  • 1968 - The East Pier lighthouse station switched from vapourised paraffin to electricity, and became unmanned. The new candle-power was 226,000
  • 1977- A flying boat landed in Dun Laoghaire Harbour, one of the most unusual visitors
  • 1978 - Irish National Sailing School founded
  • 1934 - saw the Dublin and Kingstown Railway begin operations from their terminus at Westland Row to a terminus at the West Pier which began at the old harbour
  • 2001 - Dun Laoghaire Marina opens with 500 berths
  • 2015 - Ferry services cease bringing to an end a 200-year continuous link with Wales.
  • 2017- Bicentenary celebrations and time capsule laid.
  • 2018 - Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company dissolved, the harbour is transferred into the hands of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council

From East pier to West Pier the waterfront clubs are:

  • National Yacht Club. Read latest NYC news here
  • Royal St. George Yacht Club. Read latest RSTGYC news here
  • Royal Irish Yacht Club. Read latest RIYC news here
  • Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club. Read latest DMYC news here

 

The umbrella organisation that organises weekly racing in summer and winter on Dublin Bay for all the yacht clubs is Dublin Bay Sailing Club. It has no clubhouse of its own but operates through the clubs with two x Committee vessels and a starters hut on the West Pier. Read the latest DBSC news here.

The sailing community is a key stakeholder in Dún Laoghaire. The clubs attract many visitors from home and abroad and attract major international sailing events to the harbour.

 

Dun Laoghaire Regatta

Dun Laoghaire's biennial town regatta was started in 2005 as a joint cooperation by the town's major yacht clubs. It was an immediate success and is now in its eighth edition and has become Ireland's biggest sailing event. The combined club's regatta is held in the first week of July.

  • Attracts 500 boats and more from overseas and around the country
  • Four-day championship involving 2,500 sailors with supporting family and friends
  • Economic study carried out by the Irish Marine Federation estimated the economic value of the 2009 Regatta at €2.5 million

The dates for the 2021 edition of Ireland's biggest sailing event on Dublin Bay is: 8-11 July 2021. More details here

Dun Laoghaire-Dingle Offshore Race

The biennial Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race is a 320-miles race down the East coast of Ireland, across the south coast and into Dingle harbour in County Kerry. The latest news on the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race can be found by clicking on the link here. The race is organised by the National Yacht Club.

The 2021 Race will start from the National Yacht Club on Wednesday 9th, June 2021.

Round Ireland Yacht Race

This is a Wicklow Sailing Club race but in 2013 the Garden County Club made an arrangement that sees see entries berthed at the RIYC in Dun Laoghaire Harbour for scrutineering prior to the biennial 704–mile race start off Wicklow harbour. Larger boats have been unable to berth in the confines of Wicklow harbour, a factor WSC believes has restricted the growth of the Round Ireland fleet. 'It means we can now encourage larger boats that have shown an interest in competing but we have been unable to cater for in Wicklow' harbour, WSC Commodore Peter Shearer told Afloat.ie here. The race also holds a pre-ace launch party at the Royal Irish Yacht Club.

Laser Masters World Championship 2018

  • 301 boats from 25 nations

Laser Radial World Championship 2016

  • 436 competitors from 48 nations

ISAF Youth Worlds 2012

  • The Youth Olympics of Sailing run on behalf of World Sailing in 2012.
  • Two-week event attracting 61 nations, 255 boats, 450 volunteers.
  • Generated 9,000 bed nights and valued at €9 million to the local economy.

The Harbour Police are authorised by the company to police the harbour and to enforce and implement bye-laws within the harbour, and all regulations made by the company in relation to the harbour.

There are four ship/ferry berths in Dun Laoghaire:

  • No 1 berth (East Pier)
  • No 2 berth (east side of Carlisle Pier)
  • No 3 berth (west side of Carlisle Pier)
  • No 4 berth  (St, Michaels Wharf)

Berthing facilities for smaller craft exist in the town's 800-berth marina and on swinging moorings.

© Afloat 2020