Ulster Canal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ulster Canal is a disused canal running through part of County Armagh, County Tyrone and County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland and County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. In the early 19th century the idea of linking the lowlands around Lough Neagh with the Erne Basin and the River Shannon system became popular with the more progressive landowners and merchants of Armagh, Monaghan and Fermanagh. The Ulster Canal was built between 1825 and 1842 and was 74 km (46 mi) long with 26 locks. It ran from Charlemont on the River Blackwater to Wattle Bridge on the River Finn, south-east of Upper Lough Erne.
It was originally planned as an important section of a great waterway which was to cross Ireland from east to west, from Belfast to Limerick. A poor water supply, inappropriately sized locks and the arrival of rail and road transport meant that it was eventually abandoned in 1931.
At the North/South Ministerial Council meeting on July 17, 2007, it was announced that the Governments would jointly invest £30 million in the partial re-development of the County Monaghan stretch of the canal.[1][2]
