Ireland’s boating season officially reopens on waterways
Ireland’s boating season officially reopens from March 17, in line with other European countries, with all services and facilities once again accessible at the extensive range of moorings and harbours across Ireland.
Over 15,000 registered boats avail of Ireland’s navigations for recreational use, with Waterways Ireland looking forward to welcoming their return to the water throughout the spring and summer seasons.
Waterways Ireland provides a range of services and facilities at over 250 amenity sites across the 1,100km of navigable waterways. These range from waterfront rural sites with parking and a mooring or quay wall to semi-urban and urban waterside sites with floating moorings electricity, toilets and showers. Local businesses, including cafes, restaurants, bike and water activity rentals, will also benefit from the new and returning boaters visiting their communities throughout the peak seasons.
Since 2002, Waterways Ireland has invested over €100m along the Shannon Navigation and Shannon-Erne Waterway alone with significant investments across other navigations. This investment has created an international boating destination capable of attracting and accommodating thousands of boaters and visitors, both from home and abroad, to enjoy the Shannon and Shannon-Erne facilities and experience the wonders of Ireland’s Hidden Heartland.
In addition, boaters returning to the waters will enjoy several new and refurbished facilities opening this year that will enhance boaters’ waterways experience. This includes a refurbished and extended Connaught Harbour in Portumna and a new section of Blueway in Portumna, linking Connaught Harbour and Castle Harbour. Extension work on jetties on the Erne at Devenish Island will also be finished shortly, and a Service Block Refurbishment (Ballyconnell and Ballinamore) will be underway this spring.
175 locks and chambers, and 360 bridges are ready to operate for the season ahead across the Grand Canal, Royal Canal, Shannon, Shannon-Erne, Erne, Barrow, and Lower Bann navigations.
Commenting on the season reopening, Inspector of Navigation, Paddy Harkin said: “As the boating season reopens, we look forward to welcoming locals and visitors back to enjoy everything the waterways have to offer. Each year, we’re seeing boating increase in popularity, and it affords visitors a fantastic opportunity to immerse themselves in nature in a way they might not have experienced before. At Waterways Ireland, we ask boaters to please remember to be safe when out on the water and to always make sure to have boat safety equipment such as life jackets and fire extinguishers on board. We would like to wish everyone an enjoyable and safe boating experience in 2024.”