New lock opening hours have been introduced on the Shannon Navigation as the 2022 boating season gets under way.

The new times have been agreed and implemented following a lock-keeping review process. The primary objectives of this review were to:

• improve the work/life balance of the lock/bridge keepers;
• help future-proof lock keeping on the Shannon Navigation;
• increase operational efficiency within the region; and
• continue to provide a high level of service to vessels travelling on the navigation.

As of last Monday 14 March, locks on the Shannon Navigation will be open from 9.30am to 6.30pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and 9.30am to 6pm on Sundays. From next Friday 1 April to the end September, weekday and Saturday hours extend by an hour to 7.30pm.

In October, weekday and Saturday hours will be 9.30am to 6.30pm. And for the winter season from 1 November this year to 13 March 2023, hours will be reduced to 9am to noon on weekdays and Saturdays, and 9am to 11am on Sundays.

Opening times for Portumna Bridge have also changed. Until and including next Thursday 31 March, the bridge will open six times on weekdays and Saturdays (10am, 11am, 12.40pm, 2.30pm, 4.30pm, 5.30pm) and five times on Sundays (10am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm, 4pm, 5pm).

From Friday 1 April to the end of September, there will be an additional opening at 6pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and 11am on Sundays.

And over the winter season from 1 November, there will be only three openings on weekdays and Saturdays (9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am) and two on Sundays (9.30am, 10.30am).

As the boating season commences, Waterways Ireland reminds masters of vessels and waterways users that COVID-19 continues to be present within the population, and urges continued vigilance and appropriate precautions to prevent its spread while using the inland waterways.

In this context, Waterways Ireland says toll-free passage will continue for the 2022 boating season on the Shannon Navigation.

Waterways Ireland advises all masters of vessels and water users on the Shannon Navigation that essential repair works will be carried out to the floating moorings in Carrick-on-Shannon from this coming Wednesday 23 March. There will be restricted access to the jetties while these repair works are ongoing.

Waterways Ireland advises users of the Grand Canal’s Barrow Line that navigation between Spencer Lock in Rathangan and Macartney Lock in Monasterevin will be closed from Monday 21 March to Friday 1 April inclusive to facilitate dredging works.

Waterways Ireland wishes to notify users of the Royal Canal that leakage repair works are ongoing at The Downs, outside Mullingar in Co Westmeath, and will continue until Thursday 28 April. The inland waterway will remain closed to navigation at this location until that date.

Waterways Ireland wishes to advise all masters of vessels and water users on the Shannon Navigation that Albert Lock on the Jamestown Canal in Co Roscommon has restricted operations since yesterday, Thursday 10 until next Wednesday 16 March as essential maintenance works are carried out.

Waterways Ireland wishes to recruit permanent part-time lock and bridge keepers for lock operations on the Shannon Navigation during the peak boating seasons.

The successful applicants will be based at a specific location and will assist inland waterways users in lock and bridge passage, collect tolls and carry out essential maintenance functions in and around the lock.

Visit the Waterways Ireland website for the full job description, application form and more information for applicants. The closing date for applications is Wednesday 23 March.

​Waterways Ireland has announced details of its partnership with the St Patrick’s Festival that will see, for the first time in the festival’s history, a floating pageant in the annual St Patrick’s Day parade.

Supported and inspired by Waterways Ireland, the installation will be on the River Liffey near O’Connell Bridge in Dublin city centre as a key feature of the parade on Thursday 17 March.

The festival’s creative team has designed the floating water garden as a visual interpretation of the biodiversity and sustainability of Ireland’s inland waterways.

In keeping with the overarching theme of this year’s festival, ‘Naisc/connections’, the floating garden shows how the physical waterway network connects Dublin to the rest of Ireland.

It will celebrate the inland waterways; the unrivalled access they give to our cultural and natural heritage and the network of towns and villages that line the banks; the connectivity between people who love, protect, and enjoy the lakes, rivers, and canals, managed by Waterways Ireland; and the connection to the outdoors.

Speaking at the announcement today, Thursday 3 March, Waterways Ireland chief executive John McDonagh said: “We are thrilled to have this wonderful opportunity during the St Patrick’s Festival to celebrate our waterway network in the capital city and its links to hundreds of communities across the island.

“Many of our poets, artists and lovers of heritage, nature and culture have drawn inspiration from the Royal and Grand canals. Reaching out to our communities in Ireland and abroad to share our story of the unexplored outdoors is the very essence of Waterways Ireland and well captured by the festival organisers through this innovative floating pageant.”

For more on events during the St Patrick’s Festival this month, visit stpatricksfestival.ie.

With spring in the air, thoughts will be turning to weekends away with the family to get a break from it all — and few places are better than Ireland’s inland waterways.

Waterways Ireland and Fáilte Ireland have enlisted travel writer Thomas Breathnach to compile a series of special 48-hour, family-friendly itineraries to ensure that “everyone has a blast” in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands.

The guides take in the waterways hubs of Athlone, Carrick-on-Shannon, Cavan and Lough Derg and feature plenty of things to see and do, and places to eat and stay, whether on or near the water.

Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners of vessels of issues affecting navigation on the Shannon-Erne Waterway this week.

Following Storm Franklin, the Woodford River was completely blocked to navigation by two partially submerged fallen trees immediately upstream of Old Aghalane Bridge.

In addition, there are high-water levels in all areas of the waterway. Masters should consult with the water patrollers prior to undertaking a passage.

The by-pass current across the navigation on the lower side of Lock 15 is strong and could affect low powered vessels.

Air draft under bridges has been reduced as a result of the high-water levels and masters of craft are advised to navigate with additional caution in the vicinity of bridges.

Elsewhere, users of the Royal Canal towpath in the Maynooth area are advised that the section from Lock 13 at Deey Bridge to Pike Bridge east of Maynooth has been closed due to flooding from a blocked culvert.

The cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways says it is working with Kildare County Council to resolve the issue as soon as possible and apologises to users for any inconvenience this may cause.

President Michael D Higgins was treated to a display of a wealth of waterways-related artefacts from Waterways Ireland’s archive when he visited the North-South body’s headquarters in Enniskillen today.

The President was accompanied on the visit by his wife, Mrs Sabina Higgins. They were briefed on the organisation’s work by chief executive, John McDonagh, and also met with a number of personnel.

Chief executive of Waterways Ireland, John McDonagh with President Michael D Higgins Photo: WI via Twitter

Waterways Ireland archivist, Nuala Reilly gave the President and Mrs Higgins a brief history of each artefact. These included the engineer’s record of a project at Meelick, Co Galway, a Shannon toll book and some images from the Waterways Ireland Digital Archive.

Launched last year, the digital archive provides global access to more than 3,000 drawings, sketches, maps, artefacts and records of Ireland’s inland waterways.

President Higgins previously had responsibility for inland waterways in his role as Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands.

Commenting, President Higgins said: “As an all-island body, Waterways Ireland is succeeding in its quest to reawaken Ireland’s waterways – they are truly a symbol of vitality in our shared culture and have become more appreciated in recent years. It was gratifying to play a part in this rejuvenation, as Minister with responsibility for our inland waterways in the mid-1990s and more recently as President of Ireland.”

The President was accompanied on the visit by his wife, Mrs Sabina Higgins

Chief executive of Waterways Ireland, John McDonagh added: “On behalf of Waterways Ireland, I was honoured to welcome the President and Mrs Sabina Higgins to our headquarters today. President Higgins, when Minister of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht, and the Islands, set out a vision for the future of the inland waterways, one that preserved and enhanced their heritage and culture. I wish to thank the President for his enduring support and passion for the waterways.”

He added: “I was delighted to share with President Higgins and Mrs Higgins today, the achievements of Waterways Ireland since its establishment in 1999, and how we intend to build on his vision, through our second Heritage Plan, Climate Action Plan, and our new vision for the future.”