Hi all

WI's plans as reported in the "Breaking News" sect on Eircom.Net....!!!!

M(W&W)F


Waterways Ireland plans unveiled
From ireland.com
15:25
Tuesday, 11th March, 2008

The Royal Canal will be reopened to boat traffic next year and a stretch of the Ulster Canal from Upper Lough Erne to Clones will be restored, according to plans unveiled today.


Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs ?amon ? Cu?v today published details of Waterways Ireland's capital works programme under the National Development Plan.

Under the cross-border body's plans, works on the Shannnon Navigation, including the extension of navigation to Glasson, Co Westmeath, will be completed, as will work on moorings at Ballina/Killaloe, and Kilglass, Co Roscommon.

Navigation will be extended to Lough Oughter and to Killeshandra, and the Longford Branch of the Royal Canal is scheduled to reopen.

A regional office will be built at Carrick-on-Shannon, along with offices, depot, workshops and stores at Thomastown on the Royal Canal, and new stores in Portumna and Tullamore.

The Waterways Ireland programme also plans to provide additional moorings and other facilities.

"Canal restoration projects have been shown to act as the catalyst for significant regeneration of rural communities in the past, including tourism growth," Mr ? Cu?v said.

"As these waterways run through some of the less developed areas of the country, their potential for acting as regeneration catalysts in this manner is considerable."

Waterways Ireland is an all-island body established under the British-Irish Agreement Act of 1999 to manage Ireland's inland navigable waterways. By the end of the NDP, Waterways Ireland expects to have in place a further 3,750m of moorings, 70km of new or improved waterway and a range of facilities such as car parks.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 16/03/2008 17:51 by michael.

That sounds great! There is a bit in the Irish Times also (not mine) on Page 2 but the extensions are only briefly mentioned. Does anyone know where the extension to Glasson will go? I know you can go in as far as Wineport now, but there is a lot of land between there and the village... or is it envisaged that Glasson Golf Club would suffice as Glasson?

Hi folks,



There are talks about this Glasson extension for a long time. There is a small, very small "river" entering the Inner Lakes in the reeds beside Ladywell, which is between Wineport and Glasson Golf. The idea seems to dig a canal following this little river for approx 500 metres, which will almost bring you into Glasson village.



Bye from Killinure Point

Sven







From: Tim O'Brien [mailto:tobrien[AG]irish-times.ie]
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 1:17 PM
To: waterways[AG]iwai.ie
Subject: RE: [waterways] WI's Extensions!



That sounds great! There is a bit in the Irish Times also (not mine) on Page 2 but the extensions are only briefly mentioned. Does anyone know where the extension to Glasson will go? I know you can go in as far as Wineport now, but there is a lot of land between there and the village... or is it envisaged that Glasson Golf Club would suffice as Glasson?

see map from EIS as publicised here back in 2006 at

/Michael

Bikes !!!!, what's wrong with a couple of pairs of wellies and let the tourists walk through the fields.

Gerry

Are you suggesting a rack "full of wellies" then Gerry....??? Would the
fields owner allow people to cross their land...?? Might the passage of
many walkers not lead to an environmental disaster....all those trampled
dasies and cow pats...????

M(W&W)F

Tim,
There's already a harbour at the golf club.
I suppose if one was a customer you would be welcome.
Paddy

Sounds like Shannonbridge!!

"To The Pub Through The Fields"

I feel a book coming on!!

Paddy

Sadly you are correct Sven. They have started the pre-planning
consultations.
Here is my "of the wall" alternative.

Put in a harbour at the public area near Wineport and install a rack of
those city bikes which are accessed free with a credit card with a proper
cycle track alongside the road to Glasson.
Add a big sign that says we of course would not desecrate the natural beauty
of the little river and this is our thoughtful alternative.
We could prove both to visitors and ourselves that we are not selfish
philistines.
Chances of it happening - nil but if it did - priceless!!

Paddy

Hi Paddy

Eminently sensible concept.

Noel
Put in a harbour at the public area near Wineport and install a rack of those city bikes which are accessed free with a credit card with a proper cycle track alongside the road to Glasson.

Good idea - but who is going to keep the bicycles in order ? Plus there also would be an insurance issue. And there is no cycle track and I reckon that it would be very hard to get the land to build one. They are talking about a footpath from Ballykeeran to Glasson since I am living here - and that is over 12 years now L



But still a proposal that I would support any time, even when I like the idea of a canal into Glasson as well, to be honest. And I do believe that WI know well how to do things a n d mind the nature - at least over the last couple of years.



Bye from Ballykeeran

Sven





From: Paddy Mackey [mailto:badoir[AG]iol.ie]
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 3:00 AM
To: waterways[AG]iwai.ie
Subject: RE: [waterways] WI's Extensions!



Sadly you are correct Sven. They have started the pre-planning consultations.

Here is my "of the wall" alternative.



Put in a harbour at the public area near Wineport and install a rack of those city bikes which are accessed free with a credit card with a proper cycle track alongside the road to Glasson.

Add a big sign that says we of course would not desecrate the natural beauty of the little river and this is our thoughtful alternative.

We could prove both to visitors and ourselves that we are not selfish philistines.

Chances of it happening - nil but if it did - priceless!!



Padd

Ehhhh......Regarding the Ulster Canal....I thought our shower in Leinster Hse were putting up the money...???

According to the press release on WI's site...."Restoration of a stretch of the Ulster Canal from Upper Lough Erne to Clones, by agreement with the Northern Ireland Executive. The funding for this project will come from the development of own resources by Waterways Ireland."

Is this another political promise that was'nt quite what it seemed...??

M(W&W)F

Mick wrote...

Ehhhh......Regarding the Ulster Canal....I thought our shower in Leinster
Hse were putting up the money...???

According to the press release on WI's site...."Restoration of a stretch of
the Ulster Canal from Upper Lough Erne to Clones, by agreement with the
Northern Ireland Executive. The funding for this project will come from
the development of own resources by Waterways Ireland."

Is this another political promise that was'nt quite what it seemed...??

Colin>>>> Well, the Irish tax payer was going to pay for the south of the
border bit anyway, even if the money was channelled through WI. I think
that whats happening is that the stream of money that was going into the
Royal and into their new (very swish looking I have to say having driven by
it yesterday) headquarters in Enniskillen can now be diverted into other
projects.

Best Wishes,

Colin

Colin Becker (Project Officer, IWAI) wrote:
> Mick wrote...
>
> Ehhhh......Regarding the Ulster Canal....I thought our shower in
> Leinster Hse were putting up the money...???
>
> According to the press release on WI's site...."Restoration of a
> stretch of the Ulster Canal from Upper Lough Erne to Clones, by
> agreement with the Northern Ireland Executive. The funding for this
> project will come from the development of own resources by Waterways
> Ireland."
> Is this another political promise that was'nt quite what it
> seemed...??
> Colin>>>> Well, the Irish tax payer was going to pay for the south of
> the border bit anyway, even if the money was channelled through WI. I
> think that whats happening is that the stream of money that was
> going into the Royal and into their new (very swish looking I have to
> say having driven by it yesterday) headquarters in Enniskillen can
> now be diverted into other projects.
>
> Best Wishes,
>
> Colin

Colin,
Beware of "waterways authorities" developing their own rescources...they
have a habit of getting out of control!

btw...how exactly was WI's new HQ funded?

Neil Arlidge - NB Earnest - Shannon Reg 7410 - shoving of for the first
cruise of the season next Monday...
Read about the TNC Irish travels at:
[www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk]
Defend the waterways - Ne sutor ultra crepidam
[www.saveourwaterways.org.uk]

Neil wrote....
> Beware of "waterways authorities" developing their own rescources...they
> have a habit of getting out of control!

Colin>>>>Oh indeed !

> btw...how exactly was WI's new HQ funded?

Colin>>>In the normal course of events WI's captial programme is paid for by
whichever country the asset is located in. So the South pays for the Royal,
the North for the Bann etc. I'm not sure whether this applied to the
headquarters. You can imagine the discussion..."we've decided that you can
have our new headquarters in Enniskillen, isn't that great, think of all the
kudos....oh by way, here's the bill.....!" Maybe when their 2008 annual
report comes out (c2011 given the current run rate) it will become clear.

Colin>>>>I did hear a whisper during the week to the effect that the budget
cut disease that has afflicted BW in recent times might have spread to WI.
Didn't get any details and to be honest haven't had time to trawl for it.
Given that the RoIs economy seems to be heading down the Porta-Potti with
every passing day, I guess its inevitable that we would start feeling the
squeeze.

Best Wishes,

Colin

One hopes that will be the case..!!

M(W&W)F

Sven,
A contract would be given to a local service provider (probably a bicycle
shop).
As these bikes are available in cities all over Europe then I'm sure the
insurance is not an impossible issue.
If we can build hundreds of miles of motorway/dual carriageway all over the
country surely a mile of cycle track should be possible. I believe that
realigning the present road and using the verges would give you most of the
land needed and the little bit extra could be purchased. Have a closer look
and you will see what I mean.

If you offset the costs against the cost of a canal the finances will make
sense.

The thing is we have to want to do it!!
Paddy

Paddy,



please don't get me wrong. I wrote that I would support this bicycle idea anytime. But in fact I have a very good bicycle at home, which I don't use around here because I am afraid of being killed on the roads, which don't have enough space for cyclists. And as I also wrote, there is a group of locals who is trying for many years to get a footpath from Ballykeeran to Glasson - I reckon it must be easier to sail a boat through the Sahara desert than getting a cycle track or a footpath in rural Ireland. And I did have a closer look, and I am literally looking at it every day, because I can see it from our house !



Bye from Killinure Point

Sven





From: Paddy Mackey [mailto:badoir[AG]iol.ie]
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 5:23 AM
To: waterways[AG]iwai.ie
Subject: RE: [waterways] WI's Extensions!



Sven,

A contract would be given to a local service provider (probably a bicycle shop).

As these bikes are available in cities all over Europe then I'm sure the insurance is not an impossible issue.

If we can build hundreds of miles of motorway/dual carriageway all over the country surely a mile of cycle track should be possible. I believe that realigning the present road and using the verges would give you most of the land needed and the little bit extra could be purchased. Have a closer look and you will see what I mean.



If you offset the costs against the cost of a canal the finances will make sense.



The thing is we have to want to do it!!

Paddy

Sven, the combined footpath and cycle path could be put beside the existing stream. If nothing else it could be put in now while we wait for the Canal.

Gerry
Sent from my BlackBerry as I am out of the office call me on + 353 86 2423 757 if we need to talk.

This could be the answer [www.hydrobikesontario.com]
It was the senior citizens special opffer that attracted me.

gaffcutter