John Killaly
Encyclopedia
John Killaly was the most significant Irish canal engineer working originally for the Grand Canal company and later, as an engineer, under the Directors-General of Inland Navigation.
close to Edenderry, which at John Smeaton
's suggestion had been built high across the surface of the bog. William Jessop
had attempted to stem the water leakage by using 'ribs of clay' and eventually one of the directors of the company, Richard Griffith, challenged this approach and Killaly adopted a much more gentle profile that stabilized the canal, though it was to remain a problem. For the extension from Tullamore
to Shannon Harbour
another bog had to be crossed near the river Brosna
, and this time Killaly carried out extensive drainage works over several years along the line of the canal and allowed the land to subside before excavating the canal.
By this time he had become the company's chief with a salary of around £800. On the opening of the canal in 1803 he became an engineer under the Directors-General of Inland Navigation, whilst still receiving a reduced salary from the Grand Canal company until 1810. In 1805, he was sent on a six-week fact finding tour of engineering works in England and Wales, reporting on canals, bridges, docks and rail roads. On his resignation in 1810 the Board recorded that Killaly had 'conducted himself with the most unwearied assiduity and the most perfect and unimpeached integrity' during his service to the company.
Together with John Brownrigg, he inspected the state of the River Shannon
Navigation and made a comprehensive report to the Directors with a number of proposals for action on the upper part. He supervised the construction of lateral canal
s at Athlone and Meelick
. He also advised on the Corrib
, Lagan
, Newry
and Suir navigations. He surveyed an extension to the Royal Canal to Lough Allen
but by this time the Royal Canal Co was in financial trouble and was declared bankrupt in 1813, leaving the Directors-General to complete the line to the Shannon. Killaly resurveyed the route from the summit west of Mullingar
to a new entry into the Shannon using the Camlin River. This was let as a single contract and completed substantially on time and within budget in 1817, including a major aqueduct across the River Inny
. In 1814 he surveyed the line of a canal to connect Lough Erne
with Lough Neagh
. The plan was approved and the Ulster Canal Co was eventually formed in 1825 to undertake construction, though he was instructed to resurvey it to cut costs.
In 1823, he was asked to re-examine his plans for an extension of the Grand Canal to Ballinasloe in County Galway
and offered to act as Directing Engineer on condition that his son, Hamilton be appointed as superintending engineer. He used his experience of driving through bogs by driving a drainage channel along the centreline of the canal with similar and interconnecting drains at 25 and 60m on each side with transverse drains. In this way a uniform settlement was achieved over a wide area, avoiding the need for high embankments.
Between 1820 and 1826, Killaly was seconded by the government to deal with some 88 miles of road improvements to provide employment in Clare, parts of Limerick, Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, including numerous bridges. At times he was responsible for more than 9,000 workers in these famine relief schemes. Reporting in 1822, Killaly said "the great destruction of morals and waste of public property which have taken place in the county of Clare from this cause (jobbing) is beyond my power to calculate" and in 1830 he expressed the hope that the presentment system would be eradicated.
emigrated to Canada
and became an engineer on the Welland Canal
and later the first Chairman and Chief Engineer of the Board of Works for Lower Canada. His son became the first president of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers in 1887.
On his death in 1832 a large memorial was erected by his widow in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.
Career
The name Killaly is rare and associated with the county of Offaly, but no record of his parentage or birthplace has been discovered and it is possible that he was born and educated in England. In around 1791 Killaly started carrying out some surveys for the Grand Canal. By 1794 he had made such an impression on the directors that he was asked to join the company at a salary of £150 per annum. By 1796 they reported that from being 'a mere measurer and surveyor' he had become 'the complete superintendent of all kinds of work'. He took on the most difficult stretch of the canal, across the Bog of AllenBog of Allen
The Bog of Allen is a large raised bog in the centre of Ireland between the rivers Liffey and Shannon.The bog's 958 square kilometers stretch into County Offaly, County Meath, County Kildare, County Laois, and County Westmeath. Peat is mechanically harvested on a large scale by Bórd na Móna,...
close to Edenderry, which at John Smeaton
John Smeaton
John Smeaton, FRS, was an English civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a capable mechanical engineer and an eminent physicist...
's suggestion had been built high across the surface of the bog. William Jessop
William Jessop
William Jessop was an English civil engineer, best known for his work on canals, harbours and early railways in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.-Early life:...
had attempted to stem the water leakage by using 'ribs of clay' and eventually one of the directors of the company, Richard Griffith, challenged this approach and Killaly adopted a much more gentle profile that stabilized the canal, though it was to remain a problem. For the extension from Tullamore
Tullamore
Tullamore is a town in County Offaly, in the midlands of Ireland. It is Offaly's county town and the centre of the district.Tullamore is an important commercial and industrial centre in the region. Major international employers in the town include 'Tyco Healthcare' and 'Boston Scientific'. In...
to Shannon Harbour
Shannon Harbour
Shannon Harbour older name Cluain Uaine Bheag)is a small village on the banks of the Grand Canal of Ireland. There are facilities for boats to park up on the edge of the canal. There are two pubs in the village, McIntyre's and the Canal Bar....
another bog had to be crossed near the river Brosna
River Brosna
The River Brosna is a river in Ireland, flowing through County Westmeath and County Offaly.The river rises in Lough Owel north of Mullingar and is a tributary of the River Shannon. It meets the Shannon at Shannon Harbour.-Course:...
, and this time Killaly carried out extensive drainage works over several years along the line of the canal and allowed the land to subside before excavating the canal.
By this time he had become the company's chief with a salary of around £800. On the opening of the canal in 1803 he became an engineer under the Directors-General of Inland Navigation, whilst still receiving a reduced salary from the Grand Canal company until 1810. In 1805, he was sent on a six-week fact finding tour of engineering works in England and Wales, reporting on canals, bridges, docks and rail roads. On his resignation in 1810 the Board recorded that Killaly had 'conducted himself with the most unwearied assiduity and the most perfect and unimpeached integrity' during his service to the company.
Together with John Brownrigg, he inspected the state of the River Shannon
River Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
Navigation and made a comprehensive report to the Directors with a number of proposals for action on the upper part. He supervised the construction of lateral canal
Lateral canal
A lateral canal is a canal built along the same right-of-way as an existing stream. Water for the canal is usually provided by the original natural stream. Many French lateral canals have the word latéral as part of their name...
s at Athlone and Meelick
Meelick
-Places:Meelick, is a placename used in the West of Ireland.It may refer to:* Meelick, County Clare* Meelick, County Mayo* Meelick, County Galway...
. He also advised on the Corrib
Corrib
Corrib has multiple meanings. Among the possible ones are:*Lough Corrib, a lake in the west of Ireland, north of Galway.*River Corrib, a river connecting Lough Corrib to Galway Bay through the city of Galway....
, Lagan
Lagan
Lagan may refer to:*River Lagan, river in Northern Ireland**Laganside Corporation, public body formed to regenerate the Lagan in Belfast**Lagan College, the first integrated school in Northern Ireland**Lagan Valley, valley in Northern Ireland...
, Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
and Suir navigations. He surveyed an extension to the Royal Canal to Lough Allen
Lough Allen
Lough Allen is a lake situated on the River Shannon, in the north-central part of Ireland, near Ireland's border region. Most of the lake is in County Leitrim, with a smaller portion in County Roscommon. The lake lies to the south of the river's source, near the Iron Mountains, and is the...
but by this time the Royal Canal Co was in financial trouble and was declared bankrupt in 1813, leaving the Directors-General to complete the line to the Shannon. Killaly resurveyed the route from the summit west of Mullingar
Mullingar
Mullingar is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act of 1542, proclaimed Westmeath a county, separating it from Meath. Mullingar became the administrative centre for County Westmeath...
to a new entry into the Shannon using the Camlin River. This was let as a single contract and completed substantially on time and within budget in 1817, including a major aqueduct across the River Inny
River Inny
The River Inny is a river in Ireland. It flows from Lough Kinale under the Bridge of Finea into Lough Sheelin in County Cavan and heads south to Lough Derravaragh...
. In 1814 he surveyed the line of a canal to connect Lough Erne
Lough Erne
Lough Erne, sometimes Loch Erne , is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River Erne. The river begins by flowing north, and then curves west into the Atlantic. The southern lake is further up the river and so is named Upper...
with Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh, sometimes Loch Neagh, is a large freshwater lake in Northern Ireland. Its name comes .-Geography:With an area of , it is the largest lake in the British Isles and ranks among the forty largest lakes of Europe. Located twenty miles to the west of Belfast, it is approximately twenty...
. The plan was approved and the Ulster Canal Co was eventually formed in 1825 to undertake construction, though he was instructed to resurvey it to cut costs.
In 1823, he was asked to re-examine his plans for an extension of the Grand Canal to Ballinasloe in County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
and offered to act as Directing Engineer on condition that his son, Hamilton be appointed as superintending engineer. He used his experience of driving through bogs by driving a drainage channel along the centreline of the canal with similar and interconnecting drains at 25 and 60m on each side with transverse drains. In this way a uniform settlement was achieved over a wide area, avoiding the need for high embankments.
Between 1820 and 1826, Killaly was seconded by the government to deal with some 88 miles of road improvements to provide employment in Clare, parts of Limerick, Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, including numerous bridges. At times he was responsible for more than 9,000 workers in these famine relief schemes. Reporting in 1822, Killaly said "the great destruction of morals and waste of public property which have taken place in the county of Clare from this cause (jobbing) is beyond my power to calculate" and in 1830 he expressed the hope that the presentment system would be eradicated.
Family
In 1799, Killaly married Alicia Hamilton, a daughter of George Hamilton, the owner of the principal flour mill on the Tullamore River. In 1804, Killaly leased the mill property from him at an annual rent of the £300 and moved into the Mill House, with his growing family, which eventually numbered four sons and three daughters. Three of his sons (Hamilton Hartley, Richard Griffith and Benjamin) later graduated from the University of Dublin and two of them became civil engineers like their father. Hamilton Hartley KillalyHamilton Hartley Killaly
Hamilton Hartley Killaly was a civil engineer and political figure in Canada West.He was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1800, the son of a prominent engineer, and graduated from Trinity College. He served with the Board of Works as consulting engineer...
emigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and became an engineer on the Welland Canal
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that extends from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. As a part of the St...
and later the first Chairman and Chief Engineer of the Board of Works for Lower Canada. His son became the first president of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers in 1887.
On his death in 1832 a large memorial was erected by his widow in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.