Boyne canal restoration

fergal.b

Today I arranged to spend some time with the guys working on the Boyne Canal restoration https://www.facebook.com/bnbiwai these are the unsung hero's of what will one day be another amazing stretch of Irelands canal system.The entrance to the work site is across this all stone horseshoe bridge in Staleen, Donore, Co Meath it's almost like a wormhole that brings you back in time once crossed.



As you would expect across the bridge there is no phone signal and the only sound you can hear is water flowing over the weir from the Boyne across the field and the blowing of a deer in the distance.




The landscape is unchanged from the days that a canal worker would have stood here back when it was being build and by the look of the mounds many thousand's of years before that.




The day was spent cleaning out the old joints in the stone work and repointing it more or less the same way that it would have been done back in 1748.





Hopefully one day I will travel along here by boat maybe even a boat or barge of the time.





The lock walls look in very good condition for their age almost like they were frozen in time waiting for the water to return and fill them up. Hopefully the won't be charged for it





The Boyne sits patiently at the entrance to the lock gates waiting to welcome back a new generation long forgotten travellers.




Even in the state it's in there is a magical feel about this place, today it was like autumn and spring wrapped up in midsummer sunshine with the smell of a cold winters morning in a time that could be anytime.

The Hill Billy

Nice one. I only discovered that there was a canal up there last weekend. I walked along a stretch near the Battle of the Boyne site. It was beautiful.

fergal.b

It is a little gem alright, they have already done some great work from the seagate up to the first lock that I hope to take a little boat trip on in the near future

fergal.b

Crossing the bridge again this weekend to join the work party.



The colours of autumn alongside the lock keepers house.



The canal bed is more like an jungle garden fighting to take control.



In a way it seems a shame to get rid of what nature created and replace it with something man made but at least it won't be a parking lot.



The ironmongery of the old lock gate plays paper scissor stone with nature.



A little walk along the towpath to the Boyne as the mist starts to lift.



Great web reception down here.



The Iwai Boyne Navigation Branch



Dark forrest.



I was told to do a bit more pointing to the wall so thats what I did I stood here and pointed.




As the mist burned away the rest of the work party arrived.




I did manage to find an old boat that needed restoring.



It is like some sort of medieval killing machine used to chop the weedy legs of anyone that came near it.The prop is also used as a mincemeat machine.



So I think I'll pass on this one and let nature have her way with it.

fergal.b

This weekend we did a bit of a clean up at the sea lock, after all the rain we had last week there was a lot of debris about.







It was nice to see some kayakers out and about and they welcomed the chance to go through the gates.

fergal.b

A little video from yesterday on the Boyne canal.

fergal.b

These are photos of a slipway which was laided on behalf of Meath Co. Co. exactly at Pass, Co. Meath/ Co. Louth border. It is located not far from The Sealock/ Tiernan's Lock - Lock 1 of the Boyne Navigation (upstream). Photos taken after the 25/04/2015 workday. This is just reestabilishing a slipway that was in the same locate many years ago.