Canals will reopen as soon as possible, organisation says

Stretches of the canals which link Dublin to the Shannon "will reopen at the earliest opportunity", Waterways Ireland said on Monday.

Responding to media reports that the 200-year-old Grand Canal and Royal Canal have been closed indefinitely due to attacks on boat owners by stone-throwing youths, Waterways Ireland said boat traffic in Dublin had been "suspended" while security arrangements were "reviewed".

The North-South body, which is responsible for the management and development of most of Ireland’s inland navigable waterways, issued a “marine notice” on September 25th last suspending passage on the canals in the Dublin area.

The notice said the suspension was in response to attacks on boaters and that the organisation hoped to reopen the Dublin stretches “at the earliest opportunity”.

A spokeswoman for Waterways Ireland said no passages along the canals had been booked for the winter months.

However, she said that event-planning to mark the 200th-anniversary of the opening of the Royal Canal next year was “well under way”.

The Royal Canal, which had fallen into disrepair in the latter half of the 1900s, was refurbished and reopened to the Shannon in 2010, after a multi-million euro investment.

‘Temporary measure’

The spokeswoman said the marine notice was a temporary measure and “it wasn’t our intention to announce the closure of the canals.

“Waterways Ireland wishes to advise masters and owners that passages into and out of Dublin are presently suspended in light of recent anti-social behaviour which has given rise to safety concerns for boaters and staff alike.

“The present arrangements are being reviewed to ensure that there is adequate security to ensure safety for all concerned and that passages can be resumed at the earliest opportunity.”

Waterways Ireland was set up under the Belfast Agreement in 1999.

Its remit is the development of certain inland waterways, primarily for recreational purposes.

The waterways under its remit include the Barrow Navigation, the Erne System, the Grand Canal, the Lower Bann, the Royal Canal, the Shannon–Erne Waterway and the Shannon Navigation.