Grand Canal (Ireland)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Grand Canal (Irish: An Chanáil Mhór) is the southernmost of a pair of canals that connect Dublin, in the east of the country, with the River Shannon in the west, the two canals nearly encircling Dublin's inner city. Its sister canal on the Northside of Dublin is the Royal Canal. In 1960 the last cargo boat passed through the Grand Canal.
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[edit] Branches
There are a number of branches off the Grand Canal, some of which have been closed and of these, some subsequently restored and reopened.
- James Street Basin (Most of route now used by Luas)
- Milltown Feeder
- Naas/Corbally
- Blackwood Feeder
- Edenderry
- Kilbeggan
- Ballinasloe (Technically a canal off the River Shannon - now used by Bord na Móna industrial railway)
[edit] Route
The Grand Canal begins at the River Liffey in Grand Canal Dock and continues through to the River Shannon with various branches, including a link to the River Barrow waterway at Athy.
From Grand Canal Dock it passes through Ringsend and then traverses the southside, deliniating the northern extremities of Ballsbridge, Ranelagh, Rathmines, Harolds Cross and Crumlin. At Inchicore can be seen the path of the original branch to the Guinness brewery and James Street Basin which was filled in the 1970's. Most of the route of this branch is now used by the Red Luas Line.
From there the canal heads west through the suburbs of Dublin West and in to Kildare. At Sallins the Naas/Corbally branch diverts southwards while the Grand Canal continues west passing Caragh, Prosperous and Robertstown, its highest point. At Caragh, the Grand Canal passes over the River Liffey at the Leinster Aqueduct. Just east of Robertstown is the location where the Blackwood Feeder used to join the canal, whilst just to the west can be found the busiest junction on the canal where the Old Barrow Line, Milltown Feeder and the entrances to the Athy & Barrow Navigation. Further west, the canal passes Edenderry Tullamore and Rahan before it reaches the Shannon at Shannon Harbour in Co.Offaly.In total the main line of the canal is 82 miles (131 kilometres) with 43 locks, five of which are double locks.
[edit] Disasters
In December 1792, there was a major accident on the Grand Canal. A passage boat bound for Athy left Dublin. It seems that one hundred and fifty people, many of them drunk, forced their way onto a barge, in spite of the captain warning them that the boat would capsize if they did not leave. Near the eighth lock, five men, four women and two children drowned when the boat capsized. The rest of the passengers escaped. Unfortunately there have been a large number of drownings in the Grand Canal since it opened in 1756.
[edit] Ownership
Until 1950 the Grand Canal Company had ownership of the canal, when the Transport Act, 1950 transferred the canal to Córas Iompair Éireann. This situation continued until the Canals Act, 1986 gave it to the Office of Public Works. Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, a new all-Ireland body called Waterways Ireland was established in 1999 and assumed responsibility for most inland navigable waterways including the Grand Canal.
[edit] See also
- List of bridges over the Grand Canal in Greater Dublin
- Canals of Ireland
- Rivers of Ireland
- Transport in Ireland
