Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners of vessels on the Grand Canal that the Barrow Line from Lock 24 (McCartney’s) to Lock 25 (Moores) will reopen to navigation on Thursday 28 March following essential quay wall refurbishment at Bell Harbour in Monasterevin.

Localised quay wall restrictions will remain within Bell Harbour to facilitate ongoing paving and landscaping works, and vessels navigating within the harbour are asked to proceed with caution, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways adds.

Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners of vessels on the Grand Canal that the Barrow Line will be closed to vessel traffic from McCartney’s (Lock 24) to Moore’s (Lock 25) to enable essential quay wall refurbishment at Bell Harbour in Monasterevin.

This closure will commence on Wednesday 1 November for a period of around 18 weeks, until early March 2024.

Mooring in Bell Harbour and through navigation will not be possible in this area for the duration of the works. Vessels moored in Bell Harbour will be accommodated on the 24th and 26th levels during this period.

Vessels in Bell Harbour are requested to vacate the harbour and 25th level by Tuesday 31 October.

Any craft remaining in this area on 1 November will be removed to alternative mooring on the 26th level by the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways.

Waterways Ireland advises masters of all craft on the Grand Canal that the lifting bridge at Monasterevin on the Barrow Line will be closed for canal traffic on Thursday 24 August only to facilitate emergency road repairs. The bridge will return to normal operations on Friday 25 August.

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels in Monasterevin’s Bell Harbour and all masters of vessels and users of the Grand Canal’s Barrow Line that water levels in the canal will be reduced by approximately 600mm between the 24th Lock at Ballykelly and the 25th Lock in Monasterevin for essential bank repair works.

Reduction of levels will commence at 9am on Monday 28th November and will last until Friday 2 December, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways adds.

Waterways Ireland wishes advises masters of all craft on the Barrow Line of the Grand Canal that Monasterevin Lifting Bridge in Co Kildare will be closed for canal traffic this coming Wednesday 17 August.

This closure is due to a scheduled one-day electrical power outage in the Monasterevin area. The bridge will return to normal operations once power is restored, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways says.

Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners of vessels on the Grand Canal that the 24th level of the Barrow Line will be temporarily closed to navigation for essential maintenance and repairs from Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 June.

Passage from Rathangan to the 24th Lock and through McCartney’s Lock in Monasterevin will not be possible during this time, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways adds.

Waterways Ireland advises users of the Grand Canal’s Barrow Line that navigation between Spencer Lock in Rathangan and Macartney Lock in Monasterevin will be closed from Monday 21 March to Friday 1 April inclusive to facilitate dredging works.

Amid concerns over reduced water levels this year on the Grand and Royal Canals, Afloat.ie reader and former Oireachtas policy advisor Cathal Murphy fears for the future of Ireland’s inland waterways…

Water levels on the canals plummeted over recent months. This was seen on the Royal Canal and Grand Canal and along the latter’s Barrow Line. They were so bad in parts that boats could not move on these 200-year-old navigations.

The water levels in parts were allegedly down over half a metre, the lowest in living memory. These historic pieces of heritage are under threat because if water levels continue to decrease they will not survive.

Is it structural problems? Is climate change responsible? The answers are yet to be found. The canals are supposed to have a stable water level, they are supplied off feeders which are water sources redirected from rivers.

These canals are great pieces of engineering, naturally maintaining their levels for boats to navigate. But suddenly after two centuries of functional infrastructure, we are seeing boats halted as water levels shrink.

The State at the moment is putting millions into greenway and blueway routes along these canals, but without the water and the boats these will become just paths along empty trenches in the countryside. It should be a basic function to keep water levels up as has been done for the past 200 years.

Illustrating the reduction in water levels on the Barrow Line in Co Laois in September 2021 | Credit: Cathal Murphy

It is not just the heritage affected. These waterways maintain immense biodiversity. Low water levels increase algal blooms, with devastating effects on fish and other invertebrates that use the habitat of the canal.

There is huge cultural and historical importance to the canals, forming a network upon which nature flourishes, history is functioning and people travel. Ireland needs them. They encourage tourism from both home and abroad so people can navigate these waterways like the canals of England and France.

Waterways Ireland, who maintain the canals, have said previously that low levels are due to leaks and not enough machinery to maintain the feeders that supply the canal, and maintain canal navigation.

Although this year we have seen some of the lowest levels, this has been an ongoing issue for a decade. This year marine notices stated that water levels were down 45cm in late August, and anecdotally they were down 60cm from Monastarevin to Athy along the Barrow Line.

The drying up of our canals is happening in front of our eyes. Some interim measures have been taken that have seen a rise in water levels in recent weeks but these are not long-term.

Whatever the reason for the water disappearing, the canals need to be protected, and to be seen as the asset of the State that they really are — and an amenity to all.

Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners of vessels that low water levels are being experienced on the 26th level (Long Level) of the Grand Canal’s Barrow Line.

As of Friday 30 July, water levels are down 400mm from expected levels. As a result, masters of vessels are advised to proceed with additional caution and to contact the water patroller (Joe Moore at 087 247 3093) for latest advice and assistance.

Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners of vessels that due to technical difficulties, the lifting bridge on the Grand Canal’s Barrow Line at Monasterevin cannot currently be opened for navigation traffic.

Staff are working to put the bridge back in operation, and the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways says it hopes to issue an update by the coming weekend.