canals

canals were greatly encouraged by the Irish parliament because overland transport was slow and expensive. Between 1730 and 1787 parliament provided upwards of £800,000 for canal construction. It was also hoped that canals would act as a spur to industrialization. The Newry navigation was the first, begun in 1731, connecting Carlingford Lough with the river Bann at Porta‐down. Its purpose was to bring the recently discovered coal deposits in east Tyrone to Dublin. The inland section was completed in 1742, predating the Bridgewater canal at Manchester by 20 years. Newry ship canal, handling vessels up to 150 tons burden, was completed in 1769, making the town a major port. The entire navigation was 18 miles long, with fifteen locks. The Tyrone navigation, built between 1733 and 1787, linked Coalisland via a 4‐mile cut to the river Blackwater which ran into Lough Neagh. An extension was built to the collieries at Drumglass. Because of inefficiency and neglect, the scheme never fulfilled its promise. The Lagan navigation, from Belfast to Lough Neagh, was completed in the 1780s. The marquis of Abercorn initiated the building, between 1791 and 1796, of the 4‐mile Strabane canal, linking that town with the river Foyle. Many progressive landowners engaged in canal building to stimulate industry and commerce. Landlords were behind the construction of the 42‐mile Ulster canal, connecting Belfast to Beleek, via Upper and Lower Lough Erne. Built between 1825 and 1842, it cost £250,000. An extension, through Leitrim, brought the canal to the headwaters of the Shannon in 1859. It was a commercial disaster, largely due to poor engineering.

By 1803 the Grand canal linked Dublin to Shannon harbour, 80 miles away, a journey of eighteen hours. It was later extended to Ballinasloe and Kilbeggan. A chain of hotels was built along the route. It was comparatively successful during its long existence. The Royal canal, linking Dublin to Mullingar was completed in the early 1820s, with branches to Longford and Richmond harbour on the Shannon. The Royal went bankrupt before completion, and was taken over in 1814 by the Directors‐General of Inland Navigation, a body formed in 1800. The Midland Great Western railway bought it in 1846. On both canals, boats drawn by towing horses carried around 80 passengers, on a usually pleasant cruise, with on‐board catering. By 1906, the Royal carried only 22 regular boats compared to 140 on the Grand. The Royal and Grand canals eventually passed to Coras Iompar Éireann, ultimately closing to traffic in 1961.

Between 1839 and 1850 extensive canalization, on the Shannon system, provided work for the destitute during the Great Famine. However, it never carried much traffic. In 1830, there were only 487 miles of inland navigation in Ireland, compared to 4,534 in England. Irish canals were never as successful as British, because there was not the volume of coal, raw materials, manufactured goods, and passengers. Traffic in goods and passengers moved away from canals to coaches, railways, and ultimately motor vehicles. Recently many inland waterways have been reopened for tourism.

Bibliography

McCutcheon, W. , ‘The Transport Revolution: Canals and River Navigations’, in Kevin B. Nowlan (ed.), Travel and Transport in Ireland (2nd edn., 1993)

Peter Collins