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Feeding the Monster

(from Ireland’s Waterways)

The following year we hired a cruiser on The initial plan to save them from the
England’s Norfolk Broads and although a scrapper was successful with a bid
busy water system it served to encourage approximately 75% of scrap value. This
us to continue with the hobby and beautiful craft is in fact ten years younger
acquire a boat of our own. The chosen than 4.E having been built in 1905 and
route was to build a small trailable luckily enough the hull was found to be
cabin cruiser in plywood and this was in reasonable condition once she was
accomplished over a winter which re-floated and docked. A spell in college
allowed a return to some sea fishing and has somewhat curtailed work on 92.E but
the family holidays on the inland canals she was re-engined and has been used
and river system. The addition of another extensively. Her history and plans for the
child to the family led to the move up to future are a story for another day.
a slightly bigger fibreglass cruiser with a
smaller outboard this time and by now The almost half a century of inland
a large proportion of Ireland’s inland boating has involved me joining and
waterway’s system had been visited. getting involved with voluntary groups
The fuel crisis of the late 1970’s had us with the preservation of canals as their
looking to move to something with an main aim and also the training and
inboard diesel engine and of course guiding of newcomers to our amazing
he title I have chosen comes from some more space. The plan was to fit out inland system. In 2001 an association
a saying I used almost ten years a fiberglass shell myself of about 30ft. was formed to represent the owners of
Tago while recording the progress (10m.) length but for some reason I was heritage boats and in its short life has
of an old canal boat along the Royal diverted towards 60ft. (20m.) old canal become a formidable force in dealing
Canal. My then fourteen-year-old son barges. with government agencies. Books have
was employed to skipper the camera been published which have documented
boat for a five-week journey which was Having been unsuccessful in the bidding the history of these boats and boatmen
to be turned into a six-episode television for one that needed some work to and a lot of the information is available
series. I began a blog on a boating forum complete, I was really hooked on this on-line.
and spent considerable time in the type of craft and scoured the country for
countryside seeking internet access in something to call our own. The result was At this point in time 4.E and 92.E are tied
order to “feed the monster”. the purchase of “4.E” as and where she up for the winter in Mullingar Harbour
lay and the beginning of a journey with a which is the summit level of the Royal
My love affair with Ireland’s inland piece of history which has given such joy Canal. The journey from the River
waterways began almost fifty years ago to all associated with her. The link below Shannon to here was made in October
and it followed a decade of inshore is to a web page giving the history of the
fishing from the family’s converted ship’s boat (more or less) and of course she is
lifeboat. Sea fishing was a seasonal affair still travelling our waterways forty years
and certainly not a pastime for young from our original acquisition.
families, so I went to my local library and
read through the section on canals etc. I http://heritageboatassociation.
was thoroughly smitten with the stories ie/cms/index.php?option=com_
of travellers across mysterious canals content&task=view&id=125&Itemid=64
through villages very much off the beaten
track. Armed with my copy of Rolt’s The love of canals and boating has passed
“Green and Silver” and our five-month- to my four children with the ownership
old daughter, we set out on a hired day- of their own boats as adults, but another
boat for a week of magic on the Grand major step was taken when my youngest
Canal and River Shannon. This was in son Ben was given an identical old canal
August 1972 and was the beginning of boat for his eighteenth birthday! Child
a love affair with waterways which has abuse was one description of this new
strengthened with experience. venture. The canal authorities had put
some surplus hulls of canal barges in
their possession up for public tender.

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