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Welcome to the special section “BAM 35 Years.” We are presenting “cult” articles from the Motor Boats archive, starting in 1990. A journey through time among stories unobtainable today, even in the great sea of the internet! A dive into the world of epic moments in motor boating. Here is one of the stories we were most passionate about.
From Boats by Motor 1998, no. 2, March, pp. 42/47.
Along the Shannon and the Erbe, the island’s two major rivers, discovering an unusual Ireland.
Quiet, tranquility, the taste of a vacation with a slow pace, in contact with nature and sheltered from the unexpected. For the past few years, Italians have also discovered the pleasure of cruising on a riverboat. And the possibilities are many, both in terms of the means of hire and, above all, the region one wants to visit. You can do “houseboating” all over the world, on Amazonian rivers or on those of former Soviet Union countries, but it is dear old Europe that is leading the way in this field, thanks to the experience of decades of freshwater tourism and deep-rooted traditions. From Holland to Spain, from Germany to Portugal, via England and France, one could ideally travel the entire continent through its canals.
In most cases you will find modern-style boats, specially designed and built for the calm waters of the inland canals. But you can also rent the old barges that were once used to transport building materials, coal and gravel, now converted into cruising boats. Of course, they too are equipped with every comfort and, despite their appearance, many are designed from scratch to revive centuries-old traditions. Whether they are called penichettes, in the French style, or houseboats and narrowboats, in the English style, they are true houseboats, with varying numbers of cabins depending on size, usually ranging from 8 to 15 meters. Fully equipped, they have a kitchen with associated dining area, toilets, hot water and can accommodate from four up to a dozen passengers.
Widespread mainly in northern Europe, riverboats can also be easily rented from Italy. No license or previous boating experience is required, and everyone will be amazed to see how quick and easy it is to become familiar with one of these vessels. The choice of itinerary is totally free, as is the choice of moorings. Many, in fact, consist of the water and fuel stations, often located even outside of population centers. Excellent encounters are made along the rivers overlooked by boatmen’s quarters, usually placed to guard some lock that cannot be passed in the dark. And it is precisely the locks that punctuate the slow march of these boats, helping to characterize the surrounding landscape. All kinds and sizes of them can be found, usually still to be operated by hand by willing crews-and here everyone lends a hand! – armed with winches and sometimes even a healthy competition in opening a lock faster than fellow passengers or simply than the one opened the day before. But the work of a crew normally ends there, and there is certainly no shortage of opportunities to do all the things you never find time for: reading, resting in the sun, hiking on bicycles-which can be rented along with the boat-or whatever. From grandparents to children to the house dog, everyone can have such an experience without fearing sudden gales. One will still feel like a bit of a sea wolf, especially in the evening, falling asleep lulled by the gentle lapping of the waters of the canals, which are always reserved and not prone to bad surprises.
The country where green is the color par excellence is the ideal destination for a type of vacation like this. Of all the practicable itineraries, two are, in our opinion, more striking than the others, both from the point of view of river navigation-with repeating locks, almost terracing the mountains, narrow passages for only two boats or tunnels and aqueducts-as well as from the purely tourist point of view. While Ireland’s two major rivers, the Shannon and the Erne, are indeed scenically formidable destinations, with navigation without the slightest difficulty and very rare locks, it is above all the canal linking the two, the Shannon-Erne Waterway, and the Grand Canal, from Dublin to the Atlantic coast, that receive the favor of those who want to experience houseboating. Two different itineraries that allow you to visit a special Ireland, which is not only that of the best-known cities or traditions (don’t forget to try some of them, however: oysters with Guinness, for example. are a real delicacy!). Summer is definitely the best time, but there are many companies that open their doors in spring. As early as March/April, without of course a guarantee of sunshine, you can arrange a river cruise. But be careful, inquire to know exact dates and prices and, the charter companies hope, avoid any all-outs.
Starting from the northernmost of the lakes formed by the Erne River-the Lower- the sixth-century island-monastery of Devenish and Boa Island, rich in proto-Christian remains, are worth a visit, before arriving in Enniskillen, the largest town in Fermanagh County, once a bastion of the Celtic Maguires people. It is a 17th-century town with narrow alleys, lots of local crafts and the inevitable souvenirs. Other water sports such as canoeing or sailing can be practiced here, bicycles can be rented or horses can be rented to tour the surrounding area, and, for those with a passion for the sport, there is an eighteen-hole golf course in the surrounding hills. In town, the Coole Castle and the Watergate Heritage Museum are noteworthy. Among the many cafes and restaurants, it is pleasant to take a break and enjoy local specialties: fish
from the river and cheeses accompanied by “soda bread,” the typical homemade bread made with a milk dough, and washed down with world-famous beers and whiskies. Descending southward, in the direction of the channel connecting with the Shannon, one encounters a myriad of small islands, almost all covered by dense forests, which continue to the mouth of the artificial channel. To get an overview of this beautiful river archipelago, climb Knockninny Hill, from where you can admire the entire Upper Lough Erne valley. Directly opposite, at Lisnakea, are a seventh-century monastery and Balfour Castle, dating from 1618. Another important castle is encountered a few miles before entering the Shannon-Erne Canal. It is Crom Castle, from 1611, witness to many battles between Celtic clans. Leaving the breadth of the Erne, with its castles and islands, begins an interminable series of locks, at least twenty-five, before reaching Ballyconnell-another eighteen-hole golf course-which, with the town of Ballinamore, gave this canal its first name. It can be a good mooring base, and something more if you go exploring the various pubs overlooking the canal’s waters, and then pass, the next day, fifteen more locks, before reaching Ballymagauran Lake. There are no locks, on the other hand, to pass Garadice Lake, before reaching Ballinamore and then St. John’s Lake. One finds oneself completely surrounded by nature, and it seems to be a long way from Keshearrigan, a distance of only about ten locks. Here is the megalithic tomb of Sheemore and, nearby, a number of Dolmens, which can be visited on foot or by pony. Before arriving at Leitrim-a castle dating from 1540-and plunging back into a wide riverbed, the Shannon, the last effort is eighteen downhill locks with which to “graduate” to houseboat conducting, lock-opening specialization.
Boating on the Grand Canal, a wide transport route between Dublin and the port of Shannon dating back to the 1800s, does not involve much difficulty, with only thirty-six locks in more than 130 navigable kilometers. But while the charms of the Irish capital alone might justify this itinerary choice, for lovers of more traditional houseboating it is worth pointing out the Tullamore-based Celtic Canal Cruisers, the only company recognized by the Irish Tourist Board to offer narrowboats, vessels of the past that have been finely restored or built following traditional nineteenth-century designs. These boats have much the same features as those of more modern design, but an inimitable atmosphere that immediately projects one into another time. Through this canal one sails through the “gardens of Ireland,” in the counties of Offaly and Kildare. In Tully are Japanese gardens and a riding museum, while in Kilcock, Naas and Straffan are Donadea Forest Park, Coolcarrigan Gardens and Lodge Park Walled Gardens, respectively, as well as, also in Straffan, a Boat Museum.
Ireland’s second largest river is navigable for more than 80 kilometers, where it widens to form two lakes: Upper and Lower Lough Erne. Navigation here is very easy, among the hilly landscape of Fermanagh. There is only one lock there, where the river narrows between the two lakes, but the levels are rarely very different. There are two charter bases, both in Upper Lough Erne, which, contrary to its name (“the higher”), is the southernmost lake: one at Knockninny, near the lock, the other at Belturbet, in a scenic ‘inlet.
The Shannon is the longest river in the British Isles, at over 345 kilometers in length of which as many as 250 are navigable. Its source is at Derrylahan, County Cavan, and as it flows south toward the Atlantic and Limerick, it flows through Lough Ree and the beautiful lakes of Lower and Upper Lough Erne. The navigable part from Lough Key to Killaloe, a few miles from Shannon International Airport on the Atlantic, has only six locks for over 200 kilometers and is not affected by tidal influences. In the central part it is a succession of lakes and ponds, on the shores of which are castles, abbeys and old forts, as well, of course, as incredibly virgin nature. From the Cuilcaigh Mountains, in Cavan, there is a breathtaking view of three large lakes surrounded by a myriad of other bodies of water: small lakes, streams or simply jagged creeks, ideal for anchoring, so much so that to visit them all it has been estimated that one would have to travel more than 600 kilometers. The charter bases of the river companies that form IBRA-the Irish Boat Rental Association-are located in the north, at Carrick-on-Shannon, before the Great Lakes, at Athlone, just beyond, or in the south, at Banagher, Portumna, William-stown and Killaloe. The Shannon, connected to the other waterways, is perfect for everyone: archaeologists, historians, photographers, as well as ornithologists, fishermen, botanists, or simply would-be boaters looking for a little relaxation.
Between the two rivers lies this man-made canal built over a hundred years ago for commercial traffic (known as the Ballinamore and Ballyconnell Canal) and only made navigable for recreational traffic in 1994. Along its 60 kilometers of channelized river are 16 locks, as well as the ever-present lakes and inlets that distinguish the houseboating experience in Ireland. The canal has the towns of Ballyconnell and Leitrim at its mouths, but one must go back to the bases of the two rivers it connects in order to hire boats.
Built in the 1800s, this wide canal had great commercial fortunes even in our century by hosting the multicolored, horse-drawn barges of the Shannon “stemers,” which were the most popular form of transportation between Dublin and the port of Shanon, or northward into Limerick Carriek-on-Shannon. Along its 136 kilometers are no less than thirty-six locks, as well as meeting, at Monasterevin, with the Barrow Navigation, the navigable channel that plunges into the river of the same name at Athy. Here boats can be hired at Tullamore , near the confluence with the Shannon River.
Compared by many to the Rhine, the Barrow Navigation is a navigable stretch of the Barrow River, the second longest in Ireland, connecting the towns of Athy and St. Mullins. It is an important historic waterway for commercial transportation and now provides opportunities for recreational activities such as boating and boating.
by Alberto Vita
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