From bjg@wordwrights.ie Sun Jun  6 14:47:41 1999
Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 12:11:23 GMT
From: Brian J Goggin <bjg@wordwrights.ie>
Reply-To: canals@blacksheep.org
To: canals@blacksheep.org
Subject: Trip report: Irish Grand Canal Part 6 (long)

On 22 May 1999, we stayed on our boat overnight, but didn't go
anywhere. This report is therefore about an interlude in our trip,
with some of the advance planning we've been doing.

The boat is still at Vicarstown, a lovely small village on the Barrow
Line of the Grand Canal. There is a bridge over the canal with a pub
either side of the bridge. The village also has a solicitor's office,
a church, a school and a community hall, but no shop. Someone is
building a narrowboat behind one of the pubs: I gather that they
intend to have a fleet for hire eventually.

We went to the boat for three reasons:

- to fix the loos

- to meet some friends

- to bring Carolan out to lunch on Sunday.

Fixing the loos is a nasty job that I've been trying unsuccessfully to
pay others to do for almost a year. It took some time to identify the
make and model of loo: Lee Sanitation recognised it from photographs I
faxed to them and sent me two spares kits, which I gave to the
boatyard where the boat spent the winter. However, it became clear
that the loos had not been repaired, although my spares kits vanished.
Eventually, I tackled the job: after many hours, I got the parts
changed in one loo, but it didn't work properly: the O-ring on the
piston was too large. I've sent a fax to Lee asking for help, and I
hope I can get the rest of the work done quickly on our next visit to
the boat.

On Saturday night we were visited by Wendy and Trevor Fennell and
three of their six kids. Wendy was at school with Anne many years ago
(Newtown School in Waterford, the Quaker boarding-school that Carolan
now attends). Trevor inherited a farm at Shrule; it has four
interesting features:

- there is a small castle in the grounds

- Lecky, the historian, lived there

- the farm is right beside the River Barrow

- canal-boats used to pull in there to load and unload.

Trevor and Wendy have a 21-foot cruiser with an out-drive, which they
keep at the bottom of their garden, as it were; we were hoping that we
might be able to get our boat in there for an overnight stop on our
way down the Barrow. It seems that there is plenty of water there, but
that overhanging trees may make it impossible for our (larger) boat to
get in. We'll see.

On Sunday we drove south to Waterford to collect Carolan from school
and bring her out to lunch. We went back upriver to New Ross, where we
went to lunch on the Galley Cruising Restaurant, run by a family
whereof the mother teaches at Newtown.

There are actually two Galley boats. It seems that one runs from
Waterford, but doesn't offer much in the way of food; the one from New
Ross offers lunch cruises, afternoon tea cruises and dinner cruises.
Its route is chosen to match the tides; that day, it was going up the
Nore to Inistiogue, which I particularly wanted to see.

At this stage, I have to give some idea of the geography. In the
south-east corner of Ireland (the Sunny South-East, according to the
slogan), three rivers are particularly important: the Barrow, the Nore
and the Suir. The Barrow rises in the Slieve Bloom mountains inthe
midlands: it curves north and then south, before flowing south to the
sea. It is joined by the Grand Canal Barrow Line at Athy and is
navigable from there to the sea.

The Nore and the Suir rise close to each other near the Devil's Bit in
Tipperary, south-west of the Barrow's source. The Suir goes south and
then east; the Nore curves north, like the Barrow, and then flows
south-south-west.

The Barrow becomes tidal at St Mullins, where there is a sea-lock. It
then joins the Nore above New Ross; the two flow together as far as
Cheekpoint, where they are joined by the Suir, which flows east
through Waterford City. The Suir is navigable by shipping above
Waterford and by small craft up to Carrick-on-Suir, where there is a
floating pontoon; the Nore is navigable to Inistioge, where one can
anchor in a pool.

The Galley (the St Ciaran, which was used by CIE as a cruising boat at
Athlone) doesn't go all the way to Inistiogue, at least at lunchtime.
But, as we had been told, the scenery is magnificent: wooded hills,
lots of trees (including at one stage what we were told was the
tallest stand of eucalyptus trees in Europe), distant views of larger
hills, houses I'd love to be able to afford ....

We were the only passengers for lunch that day: it seems that on
Sunday they usually rely on passing trade but that forecasts of rain
(which didn't arrive) had put people off: the previous day they had
had 40 people on board.

The Galley ties off a large retired sand-barge that is permanently
moored above the bridge at New Ross. Dickie Fletcher greeted us on
arrival; his daughter took our orders; his son drove the boat. There
was a cook as well --- which meant that there was one member of staff
for each passenger.

The food was simple but good. Anne and Carolan praised the soup; my
pate was quite good and the bread was extremely good. New Irish
potatoes accompanied the chicken and mushroom pie (A & C) and poached
ham (me). The potatoes (the only thing that Ian eats) were excellent,
with a slightly peppery tinge; the ham was wonderful: not salty at
all, it had been poached with baby thyme leaves that imparted a very
delicate flavour. Buttered broccoli and a salad with a good dressing
completed the main course. Then we had rhubarb tart or chocolate
mousse, with coffee to follow. There was a full bar. Good value for
£13 (adults)/£6.50 (children).

But the scenery was the highlight of the trip. We had hoped to be able
to go up to Inistiogue ourselves; now we know it would be worth the
effort.

After lunch, we got into the car and drove to the village of
Inistiogue itself, which we hadn't seen from the boat. And what a
beautiful village it is. The Nore runs through it, under a many-arched
bridge; there are walks, geese, trees, pubs, old buildings --- it's a
perfect gem of a place. Then we drove to Graignamanagh, which is on
the Barrow; it too is a very scenic village, with a lot of boating
activity.

So we've convinced ourselves that it will be worthwhile pressing on
down the Barrow. Everyone had told us it would be, but we've also had
the difficulties pointed out to us.

Some of the difficulties are attributable to the original decision to
use the Barrow as a navigation rather than building a canal, which
might in the end have been cheaper and more reliable! In the trading
days, the "Barrow Boys" were allowed to go anywhere on the cnaals, but
Grand Canal boatmen were not allowed down the Barrow on their own.

When the navigation was built, the boats were towed by horses.
Accordingly, there seemed to be no point in deepening that part of the
river away from the towpath (or "trackway", as it is called on the
Barrow). So only part of the river is dredged; you have to be careful
to stay in the "boatstream", away from the rocks in the rest of the
river. On different parts of the river, the trackway is on different
sides; you have to make sure you change sides when required.

Then there are the weirs. In many places the boatstream goes through a
cut (some of them quite long) with a lock while the rest of the river
flows over a weir. Many of the weirs are quite long --- and the boat
has to pass across the top of them before entering the cut. As the
weirs are quite unguarded, it's not the place to have your engine cut
out.

And, because of the weed, another of the dangers, it might do just
that. The weeds are cut from time to time, but from June onwards they
grow quite quickly.

When you get to the lock, you may find it's not in very good
condition: I understand that (because traffic levels are low) the
standard of maintenance is not as good as it is between Lowtown and
Shannon Harbour. I have heard of boats having to put ropes on to the
lock-gates, using the power of their engines to get the gates open.
And there are few lock-keepers; most of them don't live at the locks
they operate.

Then, below the locks, you often get silting when the cut rejoins the
river. A stout pole is useful, but I have been told that it may be
necessary to get into the water to guide the boat through. A guarded
propellor is a good thing to have.

There are also bridges that have to be raised by hand. Oh, and you
have to watch your water and diesel: I gather that Graignamanagh (at
the bottom end) is the only place where diesel is available.

But the bit that most concerns me is the water itself. The guaranteed
summer level is only 2' 6"; we draw 2' 10". The Barrow Branch IWAI
folk reckon we'll be OK: there is a lot more water in most places and
they've offered to help to guide us down. I think the question is not
whether, but how often, we'll run aground --- and how easily we'll get
off.

More worrying is the water-flow itself. If there is no rain, the
water-level will drop and we'll run aground more often, but if there
is a lot of rain there will be a heavy flow in the river --- and our
small, underpowered engine may not be able to cope. In the old days,
winches were installed in places along the trackway to enable boats
(even motor-boats, I gather) to be hauled upstream against the
current. We'll have to time things carefully: if it rains too much,
we'll have to stay where we are --- and if it rains too little, the
same will happen!

We've borrowed a 1/2-cwt weight from a friend. We'll attach a length
of chain and a nylon rope to it and keep it on the stern to be dropped
in if the boatstream gets too strong for us (or the engine fails).
We'll have the main anchor ready on the bow. We'll be bringing at
least one dinghy, so we'll have a chance of getting a line ashore in
case of need. And we'll be hoping for help and advice from the current
generation of Barrow Boys.

Anne tells me I worry too much about all this, but I prefer to be
prepared.

I should point out, by the way, that the hire-boats on the Barrow
(mostly narrowboat or wide-beam narrowboat styles) do not have the
same problems: they don't draw as much as we do and they seem to have
fairly powerful engines.

One further point. We do hope to be able to get below the sea-lock at
St Mullins, into tidal waters, and up to Inistiogue and perhaps even
to Waterford. However, we have no experience of tidal waters, so we'll
do that only if more experienced boaters are going as well.

Our next trip will take us through Athy, where we will join the River
Barrow for the start of our adventures.

bjg