The Grand Canal at Cock Bridge.
The Status Quo versus the Greater Good
No, not a battle of the bands, but the dilemma that is currently playing out on Ireland’s inland waterways.
The three major canals that form the backbone of Ireland’s network – the Grand Canal, Royal Canal and Barrow Navigation – were built in the early 19th century to transport goods and people across the country at a time when travel by road was slow, uncomfortable and inefficient.
The emergence of the train and then the automobile meant that they slowly became obsolete. In the 1960s there was a plan to fill them in and build motorways on top of them. Fortunately, that plan was scrapped and today, after considerable work to bring them back to a navigable state, they serve as a purely recreational amenity for walkers, cyclists, paddlers and boaters. For the most part, the towpaths are intact, continuous and accessible to the public. In most places, they consist of a hard surface of either tarmac or fine gravel, but in others, they are rough, often just a narrow muddy path through long grass.
And it is these towpaths that are at the heart of the dilemma – should they be left as they are, in a somewhat wild state or should they be upgraded to a more durable, comfortable surface?
The path that runs alongside the River Barrow between Graiguenamanagh and St. Mullins.
As the majority of the towpaths on both the Grand and Royal Canal have been improved at this point, it is somewhat moot. However, the Barrow Line still has extensive sections of more natural towpath. In 2018 Waterways Ireland’s proposal to replace the grass with a more permanent surface was refused planning permission by Carlow County Council. A year later its appeal to An Bórd Pleanála was also refused on practical and environmental groups supported by a large volume of local objections.
Meanwhile, work is close to being completed on the 46km stretch of the Barrow that runs through County Kildare from its junction with Grand Canal at Lowtown and Athy.
(As an aside I find Waterway Ireland’s use of the term Blueway very unhelpful. They really mean Greenway, the only thing blue about them is that they happen to run alongside water, however, I’m not sure the distinction is material and only creates confusion.)
The muddy towpath between Hazelhatch and the 12th Lock.
This issue has been on mind recently as only two weeks ago I cycled a stretch of the Grand Canal between Hazelhatch and Adamstown. The weather hadn’t been great in the fortnight beforehand so the ground was very muddy, the thick clay stuck to the bike and was very slippery. Our wide mountain bike tyres made it just possible to keep moving, but we met a lad coming the other way, forlornly pushing his bike whose smooth, skinny tyres couldn’t cope with the conditions.
It was enjoyable, a challenge, and we weren’t in a rush. And thanks to the difficult conditions it was very quiet, the bike pusher was the only person we met on the 5km stretch. It was hard to believe we were on the edge of the city.
However, the reality is that the path as it stood could only be enjoyed by the few; the majority don’t want to battle their way through sticky mud and even if they did it wouldn’t be sustainable for large numbers to do so.
The last remaining wild stretch of the Grand Canal between Lock 20 and Edenderry.
For me it is quite clear that the greater good is served by upgrading the towpath to a hard-surface and that is what is happening. Waterways Ireland posted a notice last week that the section between Hazelhatch to the 12th Lock is to be closed – from today – so that it can be upgraded.
A small detail from my forthcoming map of the Grand Canal.
That said I think it might be nice to preserve one of the three waterways in a more natural state and it seems that the bureaucrats agree. Seemingly Waterways Ireland have given up on their plans to ‘improve’ the Carlow stretch of the Barrow so it is likely to stay wild for another few years at least.
The Waterways Ireland Marine Notice announcing the start of work on one of the few wild sections of the Grand Canal.
And while we desperately need more houses in this country, it is still sad to see fields and hedgegrows make way for housing estates, similarly, while a small cohort will mourn the demise of this quiet and untamed path, many more people will get to enjoy it once it has been upgraded.
So, I welcome the upgrades while also being glad that I got to experience it in its more natural state.