Royal Canal of Ireland
Encyclopedia
River Liffey
The Liffey is a river in Ireland, which flows through the centre of Dublin. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water, and a range of recreational opportunities.-Name:The river was previously named An Ruirthech,...
at Dublin to 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...
at Cloondara
Cloondara
Cloondara is a village in County Longford, Ireland. It is situated just off the N5 road near Termonbarry, where the Royal Canal terminates at the River Shannon. It lies west of Longford Town. The Royal Canal is being upgraded so that canal boats can once again travel along it. The village of...
in County Longford
County Longford
County Longford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford.Longford County Council is the local authority for the county...
in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It fell into disrepair, but since has been restored for navigation. The full length of the canal was re-opened on 1 October 2010.
History
Work commenced in 1790 and lasted 27 years before finally reaching the Shannon in 1817, at a total cost of £1,421,954 http://homepage.eircom.net/~rcag/history/canal.html. The canal passes through MaynoothMaynooth
Maynooth is a town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to a branch of the National University of Ireland, a Papal University and Ireland's main Roman Catholic seminary, St. Patrick's College...
, Kilcock
Kilcock
Kilcock or Killcock is a town and townland in the north of County Kildare, Ireland, on the border with County Meath. Kilcock is a dormitory town for many of those who work in Dublin...
, Enfield
Enfield, County Meath
Enfield or Innfield is a town in south County Meath, Ireland, situated between Kilcock and Kinnegad and very close to the border with County Kildare...
, 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...
and Ballymahon
Ballymahon
Ballymahon on the River Inny is a town in the southern part of County Longford, Ireland. It is located at the junction of the N55 National secondary road and the R392 regional road. Ballymahon derives its name from Gaelic Baile Mathuna Town of Mahon...
has a spur to Longford. The total length of the main navigation is 145 kilometres (90.1 mi), and the system has 46 locks. There is one main feeder (from Lough Owel
Lough Owel
Lough Owel is a lough in the Midlands of Ireland, situated north of Mullingar, the county town of Westmeath. It is a deep lake, well known amongst anglers, and holds a few char along with brown trout. Water from Lough Owel feeds the Royal Canal, a canal crossing Ireland from Dublin to the River...
), which enters the canal at Mullingar.
At the Dublin end, the canal reaches the Liffey through a wide sequence of dock and locks at Spencer Dock, with a final sea lock to manage access to the river and sea.
In 1843, while walking with his wife along the Royal Canal, Sir William Rowan Hamilton
William Rowan Hamilton
Sir William Rowan Hamilton was an Irish physicist, astronomer, and mathematician, who made important contributions to classical mechanics, optics, and algebra. His studies of mechanical and optical systems led him to discover new mathematical concepts and techniques...
realised the formula for quaternion
Quaternion
In mathematics, the quaternions are a number system that extends the complex numbers. They were first described by Irish mathematician Sir William Rowan Hamilton in 1843 and applied to mechanics in three-dimensional space...
s and carved his initial thoughts into a stone on the Brougham Bridge
Broom Bridge
Broom Bridge, also known as Brougham Bridge, is a bridge along Broombridge Road which crosses the Royal Canal in Cabra, Dublin, Ireland. Broom Bridge is named after William Brougham, one of the directors of the Royal Canal company...
over the canal.
Transport links
The canal is notable in that the Dublin - Mullingar railway line was built alongside the canal for much of the distance. The meandering route of the canal resulted in many speed-limiting curves on the railway. The canal was bought by the Midland Great Western RailwayMidland Great Western Railway
The Midland Great Western Railway was the third largest Irish gauge railway company in Ireland. It was incorporated in 1845 and absorbed into the Great Southern Railway in 1924. It served part of Leinster, County Cavan in Ulster and much of Connaught...
to provide a route to the West of Ireland, the original plan being to close the canal and build the railway along its bed.
The canal travels across one of the major junctions on the M50
M50 motorway (Ireland)
The M50 motorway is a motorway in Ireland running in a C-shaped ring around the north-eastern, northern, western and southern sides of the capital city, Dublin. The northern end of the route is located at the entrance to the Dublin Port Tunnel. Anti-clockwise it heads northwest through the tunnel...
/N3 in a specially constructed aqueduct.
Present day
By the 1970s the canal was falling into total disrepair and became a dumping ground for old cars and rubbish. Proposals that the inner Dublin part of the canal be converted to a motorway led to the local community forming an action group to encourage the Dublin City CouncilDublin City Council
Dublin City Council is the local authority for the city of Dublin in Ireland. It has 52 members and is the largest local authority in Ireland. Until 2001, it was known as Dublin Corporation.-Legal status:...
to clean and maintain the canal.
Today Waterways Ireland
Waterways Ireland
Waterways Ireland is one of the six all-Ireland North/South implementation bodies established under the Belfast Agreement in 1999. It is responsible for the management, maintenance, development, and restoration of inland navigable waterways primarily for recreational purposes...
is responsible for the canal. The full canal between the Liffey in Dublin and the Shannon in Co. Longford reopened on the 2nd of October 2010. Access points currently exist near Leixlip
Leixlip
-Politics:Since 1988 Leixlip has had a nine member Town Council , headed by a Cathaoirleach , which has control over many local matters, although it is limited in that it is not also a planning authority...
and at Maynooth
Maynooth
Maynooth is a town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to a branch of the National University of Ireland, a Papal University and Ireland's main Roman Catholic seminary, St. Patrick's College...
, Enfield
Enfield, County Meath
Enfield or Innfield is a town in south County Meath, Ireland, situated between Kilcock and Kinnegad and very close to the border with County Kildare...
, Thomastown, Mullingar, Ballinea Bridge and Ballynacargy
Ballynacargy
Ballynacargy, or Ballinacarrigy, is a small village in County Westmeath, Ireland on the Royal Canal and the R393 regional road. The last official commercial navigation of the canal took place in 1955.-History:...
.
In 2006 a commemoration marker was erected at Piper's Boreen, Mullingar, to mark the 200 years since the canal reached Mullingar in 1806.
Royal Canal Way
The Royal Canal Way is a 79 kilometres (49.1 mi) long-distance trailLong-distance trail
Long-distance trails are the longer recreational trails mainly through rural areas, used for non-motorised recreational travelling ....
that follows the towpath of the canal from Ashtown, Dublin to Abbeyshrule
Abbeyshrule
Abbeyshrule is located in south-east County Longford, Ireland, on the Royal Canal. There is an airfield near the village, is also located beside the Royal Canal.The Abbeyshrule Aerodrome is located just outside the village alongside the Royal Canal....
, County Longford. It is typically completed in three days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail
Long-distance trails in the Republic of Ireland
There are 43 long-distance trails in the Republic of Ireland designated as National Waymarked Trails by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council. These trails are inspected annually by the National Trails Office and are maintained by local management committees, Local Authorities,...
by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council
Irish Sports Council
The Irish Sports Council or ISC is the organisation which directs the development of sport within the Ireland.The ISC is a statutory authority and was established in July 1999 under powers provided by the Irish Sports Council Act...
and is managed by Waterways Ireland. The Royal Canal Way connects with the Westmeath Way
Westmeath Way
The Westmeath Way is a long-distance trail in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is long and begins in Kilbeggan and ends in Mullingar. It is typically completed in two days...
west of Mullingar.
The Auld Triangle
The Royal Canal was immortalised in verse by Brendan BehanBrendan Behan
Brendan Francis Behan was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. He was also an Irish republican and a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army.-Early life:...
in The Auld Triangle
The Auld Triangle
"The Auld Triangle" is a song written by Dominic Behan for his brother Brendan Behan and is featured in Brendan's play The Quare Fellow. It is used to introduce the play, a story about the occurrences in a prison the day a convict is set to be executed...
. A monument featuring Behan sitting on a bench was erected on the canal bank at Binn's Bridge in Drumcondra
Drumcondra, Dublin
Drumcondra is a residential area and inner suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is administered by Dublin City Council.The River Tolka and the Royal Canal flow through the area.-History:...
in 2004.
- And the auld triangle went jingle jangle,
- All along the banks of the Royal Canal.
The other large canal in Ireland is the Grand Canal
Grand Canal of Ireland
The Grand Canal is the southernmost of a pair of canals that connect Dublin, in the east of Ireland, with the River Shannon in the west,via Tullamore and a number of other villages and towns, the two canals nearly encircling Dublin's inner city. Its sister canal on the Northside of Dublin is the...
from Dublin's southside through the Midlands to the River Shannon.
See also
- List of bridges over the Royal Canal in Greater Dublin
- Canals of IrelandCanals of Ireland*Boyne Navigation*Broharris Canal*Coalisland Canal *Dukart's Canal*Grand Canal*Lacy's Canal*Lagan Canal*Lecarrow Canal*Newry Canal*Royal Canal*Shannon-Erne Waterway*Strabane Canal*Ulster Canal...
- Rivers of IrelandRivers of IrelandThe longest river in Ireland is the The longest river in [[Ireland]] is the The longest river in [[Ireland]] is the [[River Shannon, 386 km . The river develops into three lakes along its course, [[Lough Allen]], [[Lough Ree]] and [[Lough Derg |Lough Derg]]. Of these, Lough Derg is the...
- Transport in IrelandTransport in IrelandMost of the transport system in Ireland is in public hands, either side of the Irish border. The Irish road network has evolved separately in the two jurisdictions Ireland is divided up into, while the Irish rail network was mostly created prior to the partition of Ireland.In the Republic of...