Grand Canal (Ireland)
The Grand Canal ( Irish : An Chanáil Mhór ) is a canal system in Ireland . The Grand Canal is around 130 km long, has a total of 52 locks and stretches from Dublin ( Lage ) to the River Shannon ( Lage ) in central Ireland.
history
The Grand Canal was built together with the Royal Canal to the north at the end of the 18th century. In 1804 the first cargo ship passed the canal on the entire route from Shannon to Dublin. The development of the railroad from 1852 and later of the road network led to the canal's loss of importance. In 1960 the last cargo ship passed the Grand Canal. After that the canal disintegrated and was also used as a garbage dump. There were plans to fill in the Grand Canal and Royal Canal and build an urban motorway on them. The Grand Canal was saved in the 1970s by resident and citizen initiatives, which carried out voluntary clearing campaigns and aroused a new awareness of the structure. In 1986 the canal was transferred to the state-owned Waterways Ireland company, which repaired it and has been operating it ever since. It is again passable along its entire length.
Tourist use
Today the canal no longer has any industrial significance. However, it is now used for tourism for houseboat trips. Sights on the shore are z. B. peat cutters , whiskey distilleries and historic buildings such as Toberdaly Castle and Ballyteague Castle .
Together with the River Shannon , the Erne Lakes and the Shannon-Erne Canal, the canal forms the largest houseboat area in Europe. Leisure captains have over 800 km of connected waterways at their disposal.
The Grand Canal Way long-distance footpath takes you along the rebuilt towpaths along the shore to Shannon Harbor .
From the Waterways Visitor Center at Dublin Harbor, a walk (approx. 30 minutes) leads along the most well-kept section of the Grand Canal. The canal is lined with beautifully renovated Georgian residential buildings. Romantic locks and elegant bridges lie in the narrow riverside park.
The waterway from lock 3 to lock 11 was reopened for houseboat travel in August 2015.
Ship dimensions
The following maximum dimensions apply to boats:
- Length: 18.5 m
- Width: 3.9 m
- Draft (water draft): 1.2 m
- Height above water (Airdraft): 2.75 m
- Top speed: 5 km / h
It is driven on the right. The locks may only be used in daylight.
Side branches
There were or are a number of side branches of the Grand Canal, some of which are now being renovated due to their tourist importance:
- James Street Basin, Guinness Brewery Harbor (filled in)
- Milltown Feeder
- Naas / Corbally
- Blackwood feeder
- Edenderry
- Kilbeggan
- Ballinasloe
Web links
Coordinates: 53 ° 19 ′ 0 ″ N , 8 ° 12 ′ 0 ″ W.