Waterways Ireland have released a draft plan for the restoration of the first section of the Ulster Canal from the Erne to Clones.   The plan document is here. The Environmental Report is here.  The Natura Impact Report is here.  The public notice about the consultation process is here.  Information days about the plan will be held as follows:

Wed 1 Sept, 2-8pm. Community Centre, Bridge St. Newtownbutler, Co. Fermanagh

Fri 3 Sept,2-8pm. Ulster Canal Stores, Cavan Road, Clones, Co. Monaghan

WI have taken delivery of a new tug-boat for the lower Shannon. Designed as a multi-purpose workboat/tug, the Inis Muilinn is equipped with a Caterpillar C7 320hp engine and quick-shift Twin Disc gearbox,13 kVA Generator, Guerra deck crane and remote controlled man access basket, hydraulic bow thruster and a suite of electronic equipment including chart-plotter, radar and radio equipment. Environmentally friendly sealed tube coolers are used on both the main engine and generator. The substantial tube cooler supplied by Klima for the main engine is designed to enable the boat to operate at maximum power when travelling against the strong winter flows encountered on the Shannon. 

On Saturday July 24th, President Mary McAleese formally opened the 50th Annual Shannon Boat Rally at a ceremony in Carrick on Shannon.  Full story here.

A new guide to the Royal Canal is now available from our on-line shop.  Extensively revised and brought up to date by Waterways Ireland and IWAI, this guide is essential for anyone planning to use the Royal when it re-opens fully later this year. 

The IWAI shop now has supplies of PAMARIS RAIDER 150N Automatic Lifejackets in red or blue sporting the IWAI Logo. Click here for the shop and follow the lifejackets linkage.

A detailed calendar of events to celebrate the re-opening of the Royal Canal can be found here

RoI Minister for the Environment John Gormley has made regulations under the European Communities Acts to regulate and control recreational activities such as the use of jet-skis, power boats,  quad bikes and scrambler bikes. Full text of the press release here

Lost over the June Bank Holiday weekend between Dromaan and Kilgarvan. 10 ft long painted white and blue with a steering console and a 15hp Honda outboard. Name "Bobcat" on stern. Reward of 300 Euro offered for return. Information to John or Deirdre at 087 2392814.

The IWAI on-line shop now has copies of three further books from Cottage Publications: My Lagan Love, The Liffey and Following the Foyle

The IWAI on-line shop now has copies of the Tir Eolas Ramblers Guide and Maps for the Shannon Valley and Corrib Country.

CIE announced the closure of the Grand Canal to commercial traffic in December 1959 (an anniversary marked last year).  However, a few boats continued to transport Guinness into 1960 while a new store in Limerick was being completed.  On 27 May 1960, the 51M pulled out of Grand Canal Harbour, James Street, bound for Limerick with its cargo of Guinness.  This would never happen again. The 51M was the last trade boat to leave Dublin.

Organised jointly by the Carrick Branch and the Athlone Branch of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI), the 50th Shannon Boat Rally (1961- 2010) is being held this year. The Shannon Boat Rally is the most prestigious and well-attended boating event on Ireland's inland waterways. The main objective is to bring boaters of all types together to participate in a ten day long fun event for families and friends on the river. More information can be found here. 

Chairman of Lough Erne Branch & former president of IWAI Brian Cassells has received an OBE in the New Years Honours List published today 31/12/09

WI have issued a Draft Scoping Document for the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Ulster Canal (Upper Lough Erne to Clones) Restoration Plan.  They are seeking inputs on the document.  (Contact details in the document itself).  The report can be found here.

Two specially selected malt whiskey casks, Locke's "Grand Crew", were moved by canal from Locke's Distillery in Kilbeggan to the Grand Canal at Ballycommon on Saturday 29th August.  The event was organised to mark the 50th anniversary of the Grand Canal’s closure to commercial traffic in 1959, to celebrate the achievements of the boatmen who worked the commercial boats and to promote the restoration of the Kilbeggan Line and involved the combined muscles of Cooley Distillery,  Offaly Inland Waterways Association of Ireland, Heritage Boat Association, 107B Barge Project, Kilbeggan Harbour Amenity Group and the Irish Whiskey Society. Press Release here.

IWAIs North Barrow Branch are organising a number of activities to coincide with the 2009 Ploughing Championship in Athy.  See Invite & Schedule here and Press Release here for details

10 August '09 - Lough Neagh.  Reports are coming in of a battle between rival Pirate Gangs on Lough Neagh.  The battle between Capt. Jim (a.k.a. "The Enforcer") and Capt. Gerry "Scurvy Dog" Darby is said to over possession of a valuable treasure known as the Lough Neagh Necklace.  For more, read here. 

IWAI's Lagan Branch has just launched a new website with a host of information about their activities and the Lagan Navigation.  See here.

The Offaly Branch of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland  Float to the Fleadh 2009 was launched on Monday July 27th in Tullamore by well known  RTE Broadcaster Paddy O Gorman.

The intention of the branch is promote the Grand Canal and awareness of it during the Fleadh Cheoil and to encourage and promote boating usage of the canal, especially first time canal users.

Last year saw eighty two boats in Tullamore during the festivities from all over the country and there is much excitement and interest from boaters all over Ireland in travelling to Tullamore this year.

More information here.
The Press release is here . 
Photos of the Launch are here .

Clonmacnoise is to be nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  A draft management plan has been prepared and is available for public consultation here.
a public meeting on the plan will be held in the Athlone Springs Hotel on Wednesday July 29 at 7.30pm.

WIs new workboat Inis Cealtra arriving at Limerick.  Full details here

Details here

Details here. 

Tesco UK and Her Majesty’s Coastguard have developed a partnership to promote dialling 999 and asking for the Coastguard if you spot anyone in trouble, on the beaches, cliffs and seas around the coastline.  Tesco UK will be carrying the key message on the rear doors of eighty articulated trailers that transport goods from four of Tesco’s distribution hubs to their coastal stores.  You can see photos of the trucks here and here.

WI have announced that Lyneen Bridge on the Royal Canal has been completed.  When works at Richmond Harbour are complete, a sustained water supply secured and other restoration works completed a period of water testing will begin.  Any remedial works required will be undertaken and the final stretch of the canal will be ready to be reopened to the Shannon in 2010.  See here for before and after photos

WI has issued MN#99/08 about Product Safety Alert #1410-08 from the National Consumer Agency (Dublin)
The alert concerns the fuel hose on Yamaha Jet Ski models FX1800-G/H and FX1800A-G/H (2008 & 2009 year code) ID number range 800101-809300-809301-815900
In the affected watercraft, there is the potential for the fuel hose to come loose from the pipe joint at the fuel
rail on the engine. If this happens, fuel could spray into the engine compartment, increasing the risk of fire or explosion resulting in severe injury or death to the operator, passenger, or bystanders. If you have/ find this product please contact Kevin Campbell , National Consumer Agency, 4 Harcourt Road, Dublin 2,
Ph: (01) 4025563,e-mail: product_safety[at]nca.ie

WI has issued MN#98/08 about the regulations on the de-commissioning of marine vessels in the Republic of Ireland.
The Waste Management (Shipments of Waste) Regulations 2007 designated Dublin City Council as the competent authority of export, transit and import of all
waste shipments.  All ships, boats or other vessels, which are intended to be removed from use and decommissioned, are deemed as waste in accordance with the provisions of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1013/2006 and S.I. No. 419 of 2007 Waste Management (Shipment of Waste) Regulations, 2007.
A strict pre-notification and consent procedure is required under these Regulations.  All marine vessels, which are intended to be decommissioned and scrapped at facilities outside of the Rep. of Ireland must be pre-notified to this Office.  Where marine vessels are intended to be
scrapped/recycled within Ireland, the relevant Local Authority should be consulted.
Further information may be had from: The National Transfrontier Shipment Office, Dublin City Council, Eblana House,Dublin 8 Tel: 01 222 4342 Mob: 086 8150261
Email: evelyn.wright(at)dublincity.ie 

At a Seminar in Athlone last week the heritage Council launched a new interactive mapping and database system to allow users access information about concervation and heritage issues in the Shannon Corridor and view the recommendations made in the various studies.  See here for full details.

Dublin City Council have begun a new phase of consultation on their proposals for a new water supply for the city.  Most of the options include abstraction of water from the Shannon at Lough Ree, Lough Derg or the Parteen Basin.  Full deails on the Project Website

THIS LINK brings you to a short video showing the entire process of replacing the swing span on Portumna Bridge at the north end of Lough Derg.  The clip runs for about four and a half minutes.

HMRC have issued a paper detailing the rules for the use of Red Diesel in private pleasure craft.   See here for details.

On thursday November 27th the Heritage Council will be hosting a seminar in the Radisson SAS in Athlone entitled "WORKING TOGETHER BETTER FOR THE SHANNON, Corridor Studies: A tool for everyone."   The corridor study approach provides a tool for all the agencies involved in managing the Shannon to work together for the benefit of the river and its communities.  The Seminar will be opened by the renowned author and waterways historian Ruth Delany and Parks Canada will make a presentation on their application of the corridor study approach to the Rideau Canal, now a world heritage site. See calendar section for more details.

A near-complete archive of past IWNs from 1970 is now available on the IWAI website - labourously scanned by Colin Becker.  We're missing just one or two, so if you can contribute the missing issue(s), we'd be most happy to hear from you.  Also, if you have any newsletters that predate 1970, we'd be similarly delighted to get them scanned.

The archived IWNs are rather large downloads - they are effectively scanned images.  This means that the contents won't be found by search engines or humans without a good index.  Hopefully we'll tackle the task of indexing the main events over the past 40 years as recorded in IWN over the coming month or so.  Anyone volunteering to take on this task will be most welcome.The archive can be found at www.iwn.iwai.ie

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (UK) has published a draft Hire Boat Code covering a range of safety and regulatory matters relating to the hire-boats.   The code if adopted would cover all UK waterers including the inland hire-fleet in Northern Ireland. See the MCGA website for details.

A 15HP Yamaha Engine, 4 years old, was stolen from a green "Anglers Fancy" lake-boat at Lisloughry Quay, Cong (Lough Corrib) on Wed 6th July. Anyone with any information should contact Edmund at 087-1373649 or Ballinrobe Gardai on 094 954 1002

A trailer used in the Boyne Branch's restoration efforts was stolen from Oldbridge on the Boyne on the afternoon of Saturday 12th July. It is a twin axle 8' X 4' steel galvanised trailer with a mesh tail ramp.  It is unusual in that is has high side of which the top 15 ins 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 onto site on workday.  Please keep an eye out for it and contact Tommy McLoughlin at 087 2771591 if you've any information.

Iarnrod Eireann are seeking submissions from contractors who want to be included in a request for tenders to build the new railway bridge at Lough Tap which is due to be replaced in 2009.

At a ceremony in Birr (Co. Offaly) Technology Centre on Friday 27th June, the Taoiseach Brian Cowen TD announced the launch of a new tax-incentive Scheme for the Mid-Shannon region.  The Taoiseach's speech can be read here and the full details of the scheme can be found here

Dublin City Council has issued a Strategic Environmental Assessment Scoping Report for the proposed new water supply for the Greater Dublin Area. The 127 page document (which is about 4Mb) can be found at www.iwai.ie/download/SEAPh2-ScopingReport.pdf  The main objective of this scoping document is to identify key issues of concern that should be addressed in the assessment of the draft Plan and the  appropriate level of detail to be included in the Environmental Report Phase II.  DCC would like to get any inputs on this document by end July/Early august.

IWAI has received a report of a boat stolen from Antrim Boat Club recently.   Its a 19ft Ernecraft with a 60hp Johnston O/B on a Snipe twin axle trailer.  See here for full details.