News, Tips & Bargains : Old Waterway Reopens in Ireland
Travelers in Ireland can now cruise up the River Shannon in the south to the River Erne in Northern Ireland thanks to the restoration and reopening of the Shannon-Erne Waterway linking the two rivers.
The 75-mile waterway, also called the Ballinamore-Ballyconnell Canal, was built more than a century ago but was used for only nine years before being abandoned in favor of rail travel.
When the $45-million refurbishing project was undertaken in 1991, years of neglect had reduced the waterway to a weed-choked channel of broken bridges and locks; now the original sites and stonework have been restored. Locks are now operated by a push-button electro-hydraulic system.
The Shannon, the longest river in Great Britain or Ireland, is considered one of Ireland’s great natural resources and is a popular cruising site. The River Erne widens into the Upper Lough Erne and the Lower Lough Erne, which are known for their fishing.
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