The Royal Canal ( ga, An Chanáil Ríoga) is a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

originally built for freight and passenger transportation from

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

in Ireland. It is one of two canals from Dublin to the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Shan ...

and was built in direct competition to the Grand Canal. The canal fell into disrepair in the late 20th century, but much of it has since been restored for navigation. The length of the canal to the

was reopened on 1 October 2010, but a final spur branch, to Longford Town, remains closed.

History

Construction

Plaque under the keystone identifying Ranelagh bridge

In 1755, Thomas Williams and John Cooley made a survey to find a suitable route for a man-made waterway across north Leinster from Dublin to the Shannon. They originally planned to use a series of rivers and lakes, including the Boyne, Blackwater, Deel, Yellow, Camlin and Inny and Lough Derravaragh. A disgruntled director of the Grand Canal Company sought support to build a canal from Dublin to Cloondara, on the Shannon in West County Longford. Work on this massive project commenced in May 1790 at Cross Guns Bridge,

Phibsborough Phibsborough (; ), also spelled Phibsboro, is a mixed commercial and residential neighbourhood on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. The Bradogue River crosses the area in a culvert, and the Royal Canal passes through its northern reaches, n ...

in a westerly direction towards Ashtown. This is commemorated in the plaque beneath the keystone of Ranelagh Bridge. Twenty-seven years later, in 1817, the canal reached the Shannon. The total cost of construction was £1,421,954. Building was unexpectedly expensive and the project was riven with problems; in 1794 the Royal Canal Company was declared bankrupt. The Duke of Leinster, a board member, insisted that the new waterway take in his local town of

Maynooth Maynooth (; ga, Maigh Nuad) is a university town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to Maynooth University (part of the National University of Ireland and also known as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth) and St Patrick's ...

. The builders had to deviate from the planned route and necessitated the construction of a 'deep sinking' between Blanchardstown and Clonsilla. The diversion also called for the building of the Ryewater Aqueduct, at Leixlip.

Operation

The original 1796 fare from Dublin to Kilcock was 1/1, much cheaper than the stagecoach. By the 1830s the canal carried 80,000 tons of freight and 40,000 passengers a year. William Rowan Hamilton Plaque - geograph

William Rowan Hamilton Plaque - geograph

Ferns' Lock - about 3 Km west of Kilcock, Co

In 1843, while walking with his wife along the Royal Canal, Sir

William Rowan Hamilton Sir William Rowan Hamilton LL.D, DCL, MRIA, FRAS (3/4 August 1805 – 2 September 1865) was an Irish mathematician, astronomer, and physicist. He was the Andrews Professor of Astronomy at Trinity College Dublin, and Royal Astronomer of Irela ...

realised the formula for

quaternion In mathematics, the quaternion number system extends the complex numbers. Quaternions were first described by the Irish mathematician William Rowan Hamilton in 1843 and applied to mechanics in three-dimensional space. Hamilton defined a quatern ...

s and carved his initial thoughts into a stone on the Broom Bridge over the canal. The annual Hamilton Walk commemorates this event. In 1845 the canal was bought by the Midland Great Western Railway Company. They considered draining the canal and building a new railway along its bed but decided instead to build the railway beside the canal. The two run side by side from Dublin to Mullingar. In May 1847, during the Great Famine, tenants of Major

Denis Mahon Sir John Denis Mahon, (8 November 1910 – 24 April 2011) was a British collector and historian of Italian art. Considered to be one of the few art collectors who was also a respected scholar, he is generally credited, alongside Sacheverel ...

, left his

Strokestown Park Strokestown Park House is a Palladian villa in Strokestown, County Roscommon, Ireland, set on about . The house is open to the public, as is the Famine Museum on the grounds. History The house was the family home of the Cromwellian conquest ...

estate in County Roscommon. The tenants, who would become known locally as the "Missing 1,490", had been offered a choice of emigration with assisted passage, starvation on their blighted potato farms or a place in the local workhouse. Weakened by starvation, the 1,490 walked for days along the towpaths of the Royal Canal to Dublin, where they were put on boats to Liverpool, and from there travelled to Grosse Île, Quebec on four "coffin ships" – cargo vessels that were also, ironically, loaded with grain from Ireland, and were unsuitable for passengers. It is estimated that half of the emigrants died before reaching Grosse Île. This was the largest single exodus of tenants during the Famine. Mahon was assassinated in November 1847, after news reached Roscommon about the fate of his former tenants. An annual walk on the canal banks commemorates these events. Competition from the railways gradually eroded the canal's business and by the 1880s annual tonnage was down to about 30,000 and the passenger traffic had all but disappeared. It had a brief resurgence during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, when horses and barges returned to the canal. CIÉ took over the canal in 1944. As rail and road traffic increased, the canal fell into disuse. In 1974, volunteers from the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland formed the Royal Canal Amenity Group to save the canal. By 1990 they had 74 kilometres of canal, from the 12th lock in Blanchardstown to Mullingar, open again for navigation. In 2000, the canal was taken over by Waterways Ireland, a cross-border body charged with administering Ireland's inland navigations. On 1 October 2010, the whole length of the canal was formally reopened.

Management

Since the early 19th century, the canal has been maintained by eight successive agencies: the Royal Canal Company, the Commissioners of Inland Navigation, the New Royal Canal Company, Midland Great Western Railway Company, Great Southern Railways, CIÉ, (from 1986) the Office of Public Works, and Waterways Ireland, in addition to the restoration and maintenance by the volunteers of the Royal Canal Amenity Group.

Route

The canal passes through

Kilcock Kilcock () is a town and townland in the north of County Kildare, Ireland, on the border with County Meath. Its population of 6,093 makes it the ninth largest town in Kildare and 76th largest in Ireland. The town is located 35 km (22 ...

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

, Longwood,

Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeat ...

and

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. History Ballymahon derives its name from the Irish lang ...

has a spur to

. The total length of the main navigation is , and the system has 46 locks. There is one main feeder (from

Lough Owel Lough Owel () is a mesotrophic lough in the Midlands of Ireland, situated north of Mullingar, the county town of Westmeath. It has a maximum depth of . Water from Lough Owel feeds the Royal Canal, a canal crossing Ireland from Dublin to the Ri ...

), which enters the canal at Mullingar.

Transport links

The Royal Canal was originally planned to terminate in Dublin at Broadstone, to serve the then fashionable area of residence, as well as King's Inns and the nearby markets, but it was extended so that now, 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. The Dublin – Mullingar railway line was built alongside the canal for much of its length. The meandering route of the canal resulted in many speed-limiting curves on the railway. The canal was bought by the

Midland Great Western Railway The Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) was the third largest Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland. It was incorporated in 1845 and absorbed into the Great Southern Railways in 1924. At its peak the MGWR had a network of , making it Irela ...

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 where it meets the N3, in a specially constructed aqueduct.

Present day

Today

Waterways Ireland Waterways Ireland ( ga, Uiscebhealaí Éireann; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Watterweys Airlann'') is one of the six all-Ireland North/South Ministerial Council, North/South implementation bodies established under the Belfast Agreement ...

is responsible for the canal, and it was under their stewardship, in association with the Royal Canal Amenity Group, that the Royal Canal was officially reopened from Dublin to the Shannon on 2 October 2010. Access points currently exist near

Leixlip Leixlip ( or ; , IPA: �lʲeːmʲənˠˈwɾˠad̪ˠaːnʲ is a town in north-east County Kildare, Ireland. Its location on the confluence of the River Liffey and the Rye Water has marked it as a frontier town historically: on the border betwee ...

and at

, Thomastown, Mullingar, Ballinea Bridge and

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. Public transport Bus Éireann route 44 ...

. 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 long-distance trail that follows the towpath of the canal from

Ashtown, Dublin Ashtown () is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is also a townland in the civil parish of Castleknock and falls largely into the postal districts of Dublin 15, with some addresses falling into the Dublin 7 postal district. Ashtown is bounded r ...

to Cloondara, County Longford. It is typically completed in three days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the

Irish Sports Council Sport Ireland ( ga, Spórt Éireann), formerly the Irish Sports Council, is a statutory authority that oversees, and partly funds, the development of sport within Ireland. It is located at the National Sports Campus in the townland of Sheephill ...

and is managed by Waterways Ireland. In 2015, Dublin City Council began extending the walking and cycling route along the Royal Canal from Ashtown to Sheriff Street Upper. The Royal Canal Way connects with the Westmeath Way west of Mullingar, and will eventually form the eastern end of the

Dublin-Galway Greenway The Dublin-Galway Greenway is a partially completed 'coast-to-coast' greenway and partial rail trail, in Ireland, funded by the Department of Transport, which is due to become the western section of EuroVelo EV2, a cycle route from Galway, Ire ...

, the final part of

EuroVelo ''EuroVelo'' is a network of currently 17 long-distance cycling routes criss-crossing Europe, in various stages of completion. When completed, the EuroVelo network's total length will almost be . more than were in place. EuroVelo is a project of ...

Route 2, a cycling path from

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

across

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

. The Royal Canal Greenway is the greenway encompassing the Royal Canal Way between

and Cloondara, with a branch to

. It was launched in March 2021.

Popular culture

The Auld Triangle

The Royal Canal was immortalised in verse by

Brendan Behan Brendan Francis Aidan Behan (christened Francis Behan) ( ; ga, Breandán Ó Beacháin; 9 February 1923 – 20 March 1964) was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and Irish Republican activist who wrote in both English an ...

in ''

The Auld Triangle "The Auld Triangle" is a song by Dick Shannon, often attributed to Brendan Behan, who made it famous when he included it in his 1954 play ''The Quare Fellow''. He first performed it publicly in 1952 on the RTE radio programme 'The Ballad Maker's ...

''. A monument featuring Behan sitting on a bench was erected on the canal bank at Binn's Bridge in Drumcondra in 2004. :''And the auld triangle went jingle jangle,'' :''All along the banks of the Royal Canal.''

Superstition

Royal Canal boatmen believed the 13th lock at Deey Bridge, between Leixlip and Maynooth, was haunted. This tale became the subject of a poem by

Arthur Griffith Arthur Joseph Griffith ( ga, Art Seosamh Ó Gríobhtha; 31 March 1871 – 12 August 1922) was an Irish writer, newspaper editor and politician who founded the political party Sinn Féin. He led the Irish delegation at the negotiations that prod ...

, ''The Spooks of the Thirteenth Lock'', which in turn inspired the name of the band ''The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock''.

Gallery of Locks from the Liffey to the Shannon

Royal Canal Lock beside the Convention Centre is the beginning of an exciting journey - panoramio (10).jpg, 1st lock Royal-Canal-Dublin.jpg, 2nd lock Royal Canal 4th Lock - geograph.org.uk - 347944.jpg, 4th lock 10th lock Royal Canal.jpg, 11th lock Royal Canal 12th Lock and Eponymous Pub - geograph.org.uk - 857718.jpg, 12th lock Royal Canal Lock 13.jpg, 13th lock County Offaly - 22nd Lock - 20190907112725.jpg, 22nd lock Cloondara - Lock 45 - 20200912080953.jpg, 44th lock Cloondara - Lock 46 - 20180401085748.jpg, 46th lock County Kildare - Chambers Bridge and Lock - 20191102133054.jpg, Chambers bridge and lock County Kildare - Digby Bridge and Lock - 20200620110150.jpg, Digby bridge and lock

References

External links

IWAI – Guide to the Royal Canal of Ireland

The Royal Canal(Longford Branch)

Royal Canal Amenity Group

Royal Canal Walk

Broadstone station history

Broadstone line walk
{{Coord, 53, 21, N, 6, 14, W, display=title, region:IE_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki Canals in Ireland Inland waterways under restoration Transport in Fingal Transport in County Kildare Transport in County Meath Transport in County Westmeath Transport in County Longford Dublin-Galway Greenway Canals opened in 1817 1817 establishments in Ireland Transport in Dublin (city)