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Press Release April 5th 2011
HERITAGE BOAT ASSOCIATION (HBA)
THE THREE SISTERS …… CELEBRATING THE NAVIGATION
This year the River Barrow and her sisters, the Nore and the Suir, will greet again some old friends, the barges of the Heritage Boat Association. These barges, or canal boats as they are more accurately known, are the same boats that in their earlier working lives carried the cargos that were the commercial lifeline of Ireland.
This year we celebrate the 220 th anniversary of the opening of the Barrow Navigation. This linked the Grand Canal with the rivers Barrow, Nore and Suir, and opened up a large area of the hinterland to the great ports of Dublin and Waterford. When the canals closed to commercial traffic in the 1960s it was feared that all use of the navigation would soon cease. Indeed, non-commercial traffic did become very light, but now, following excellent remedial works by Waterways Ireland we welcome a new era for this navigation, one which will bring new life and vitality to the waterway in towns and villages along the system.
A hundred years ago, 1,200 boatmen were engaged in the business of transporting cargo, connecting people in inland towns with those in Irish ports, and in turn linking them with the great sea ports of the world. Today, many of their descendants live along our inland navigations.
Three of these great canal boats, numbers 72M, 68M and 107B, escorted by a flotilla of other HBA boats will, over the next few months, travel the entirety of the Navigation including Carlow, Waterford, Carrick on Suir, Inistioge and all points in between. The crews are anxious to meet with those whose families had connections with the commercial trade along the waterway, and perhaps even re-unite some long retired boatmen with their old boat.
The following are the expected arrival dates in various locations over the next few weeks:
° Carlow April 9th from 14.00
° Leighlinbridge April 16th from 14.00
° Bagenalstown April 24th from 13.00
ENDS
Fógra Preasa Aibreán 5iú 2011
CUMANN BÁD OIDHREACHTA (CBO)
NA TRIÚIR DEIRFIÚRACHA ... AG CEILIÚRADH AN UISCEBEALACH
An bhliain seo cuirfidh an Bhearú agus a deirfiúracha, an Fheoir agus an tSiúr, fáilte roimh a sean chairde, na báirsí ón gCumann Bád Oidhreachta. Is iad na báirsí, nó báid canálacha mar atá tugtar orthu go cruinn, seo na báid céanna a d'iompair an lasta a bhí mar croí tráchtála na hÉireann níos lua ina saol oibre.
Ceiliúrainn muid an 220iú lá cothrom d'oscail Uiscebealach an Bhearú i mbliana. Cheangail sé seo an Chanáil Mhór leis an Bhearú, an Fheoir agus an tSiúr, agus d'oscail sé an tuaithe do na calafort i mBaile Átha Cliath agus Port Láirge. Nuair a dúnadh na canálacha do trácht tráchtála sna seascaidí bhí eagla ann nach n-úsáidfear an uiscebealach ar chor ar bith. Go deimhin, d'éirigh trácht ar an uiscebealach ann éadrom, ach anois, tar éis obair iontach Uiscebhealaí Éireann cuireann muid fáilte roimh ré nua, ré a tabharfaidh saol agus fuinneamh nua don uiscebealach sna bailte agus sráidbhaile ar an córas.
Céad bhliain ó shin bhí 1,200 fir-bháid páirteach san gnó iompar lasta, ag ceangal daoine i baile intíre leo siúd sna calafort Éireannach, agus dá réir sin iad a cheangal leis na calafort mór idirnáisiúnta. Inniu, tá cónaí ar clann na fir-bháid in aice ár uiscebealaí intíre.
Rachaidh trí de na báid canálacha, uimhreacha 72M, 68M agus 107B, in éineacht le báid eile do muintir an CBO, thar cúpla mhí síos córas iomlán an Uiscebealach, tríd Ceatharlach, Port Láirge, Carraig na Siúire, Inis Tíog agus gach phointe idir na pointí seo. Tá súil ar na foirne báid casadh le daoine a raibh baint ag a chlann le córas tráchtála an uiscebealach, agus b'fhéidir fiú cúpla sean fir-bháid a ath-aontú lena sean bháid.
Is iad na dátaí a leanann na dátaí a cheaptar go mbeidh na báid sna láthair:
Bagenalstown 24iú Aibreán ó 13.00
Graiguenamanagh 21 iú Bealtaine
DEIREADH
Tuilleadh eolas faoin Cumann Bád Oidhreachta ag www.heritageboatassociation.ie
Teagmháil Paul Martin, Cathaoirleach CBO ag 087 2523908 nó
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