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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour
Irish Summer Tour 2007
9 - Bagenalstown to New Ross - River Barrow Navigation and Tidal River Barrow.
Click here for maps of Barrow and Suir estuaries
Friday 29th June 2007
Ian Clarke left early, as he had a bus to catch from the "Royal Oak", so we pushed off at 08:10. Around Bagenalstown Lock there are some large
empty warehouses, lets hope they are at least retained for residential use. The Boatstream stays to the left hand (east) side now until the tideway at St Mullins. Royal Oak Bridge is passed close to the bank, through the outer arch, as is the
next railway bridge.
Approaching Fenniscourt Lock Cut the 77M crane barge can be seen, a nice restoration project for someone! Locky John O'Neill was about and he
assisted us through the next series of locks. Between Fenniscourt and Slyguff Locks there is a lift bridge over the towpath, this goes to a mooring basin that was used by the now moribund South Star Cruisers hire firm.
Slyguff Lock is a lovely setting with it's lock cottage gradually crumbling back to nature. There is a working lime works by Upper Ballyellen Lock. There is still a strong pull in by the mill stream intake and strong current to push you out into the river on the exit from the lock.
Above Goresbridge there is a large pet food works on the west side of the river.
At Goresbridge the second arch from the east side is used for navigation. Once passed the island after the bridge you can pull over to the other side of the river for the visitor moorings. Soon the Lower Ballyellen Weir was upon us and we pulled into the lock cut. Lower Ballyellen lock cottage is inhabited and is a characteristic pink colour.
Between Lower Ballyellen and the next lock at Ballytiglea there are such big rocks in the non-boatstream side, one has actually been named - Clehown
Rock. The next lock cut at Ballytiglea has a series of weirs between islands. The lock cottage is another ruin, a shame for it is a stunning location. Ballytilea Bridge is in the next section, this has some visitor mooring just after. The navigation arch is the second from the east. Soon after the bridge the long weir above
Borris Lock starts. Borris Lock Cottage is still intact. In the lock chamber was a big Waterways Ireland RIB, we managed to share with it, We believe the bods were trying to remove a fallen tree in the lock cut below.
The weirs and locks now come in quick
succession, next was Ballingrane, followed by Clashganna. Pat Gill was about at
Clashganna Lock, as there was some dredging going on below, he advised us to keep close to the bank to miss the
remains of a shoal brought down by a side stream. There was hardly any open river before we went into the lock cut for Ballykennan Double Lock. There was no trouble here, the swing bridge is kept locked to one side.
The
incised section continues round a few bends until the vista opens out, as Graiguenamanagh appears. This stunning location was somewhat
spoilt by there being no where to moor! There are a couple of good restaurants and pubs. If Waterways Ireland want to encourage more boaters down the Barrow and for boats to move about, there must be in season 48 hr visitor moorings on the main
wharf in
honey pot sites. The navigation arch under Graiguenamanagh Bridge (13:40), is the second from the left (east). Skirting round the weir we arrived at Upper Tinnahinch Lock and worked ourselves through.
The next lock down, Lower Tinnahinch was soon set and we decided to moor up in the chamber and have a spot of lunch (14:10 - 15:20), seeing as we were having an unexpected sunny bit of the day.
Some walkers passed by, disappointed that they were not to see a boat go through the lock. There was logic to this as we were ahead of ourselves, seeing as we to be using an evening tide at the St Mullins sea lock, to take us down the Tidal Barrow to New Ross.
Carriglead Lock was just round the corner, after this there was around three miles down to St Mullins Weir and Lock Cut. This reach has sunken weirs in the non-boatstream side, which were very
visible, as a series of rapids! We
arrived in St Mullins Lock chamber at 16:25 and waited the couple of hours until high water at 18:25, before we dropped down and idled off to New Ross. This section of river is probably more stunning than the end of the non tidal section, the river is incised in a deep richly wooded valley.
Once past St Mullins, with its classic waterfront (where we had to pick up the wandering John Chapman from a moored narrowboat) the river runs rounds to the Steamer Hole, a deep outside of a bend where boats can stay afloat at all states of the tide. Above here can be seen the Mulvarra Guest House, where Neil and Peter Wright stayed with Brian Goggin a few
years ago, while on an exploratory trip round the waterways of Ireland. The river winds around for a good few miles.
The first structure encountered is the bascule lifting section road bridge at Ferrymountgarrett. Since trade ceased on the river and the new New Ross Bridge is
now a low fixed affair, this bridge does now not lift. There is around 2m
air draught at high water. After this the valley widens out and the junction with the River Nore is passed. By the time we reached the old
railway bridge the ebb was in full swing and we were gathering speed. the first thing that greets you in New Ross are the new apartments on the east
bank.
Soon we approached New Ross Bridge and phoned up our contact, John
Dimond of the New Ross Boat Club. John is truly a man of the Barrow, he has been captain of the New Ross Boat Club numerous times and Chairman of the Barrow Branch IWAI, he is presently their PRO and what a good job he makes of that position. Just before the bridge is an old barge restaurant moored on the east bank, this is a sister ship to Brain Goggin's barge Knocknagow and on the other west bank is the New Ross Boat Club, with a floating pontoon.
We were going downstream to the new Three Sisters Marina. There was plenty of clearance under the bridge. Just beyond the bridge is the magnificent replica of the Dunbrody, a famine sailing ship. John
Dimond had come down to the marina, we spun round below the marina and checked our speed against the ebb, then with John's guidance, ferry glided between the moored boats to a long inner berth (20:45). John had a boating
colleague with him, Maurice Power, brother of Jim Power of the Carrick - On -
Suir Boat Club, who was to be our next contact.
Maurice did some calculations and told us we should leave at 11:30 tomorrow, which would get us to Cheekpoint, the junction with the Tidal Suir at low water, then we could ride the flood tide up to Carrick. After saying or farewells until the morning we tidied up then repaired to the fish and chip shop. As it was not actually raining we sat and ate our fish supper overlooking the Barrow. After this we went to the Riversview Bar for a couple of pints of Guinness.
Bagenalstown Cut. Barrow Navigation.
Approaching Bagenalstown Lock and Swing Bridge. Bagenalstown Cut. Barrow
Navigation.
Bagenalstown Lock and Swing Bridge. Bagenalstown Cut. Barrow Navigation.
Bagenalstown Lock and Swing Bridge. Barrow Navigation.
Bagenalstown Lock and Swing Bridge. Barrow Navigation.
Bagenalstown Lock and Swing Bridge. Barrow Navigation.
Royal Oak Bridge. Barrow Navigation.
Looking back at Royal Oak Bridge. Barrow Navigation.
Railway Bridge. Barrow Navigation.
Looking back at the Railway Bridge. Barrow Navigation.
Fenniscourt Lock Cut and the 77M crane barge. Barrow Navigation.
Fenniscourt Lock Cut and the 77M crane barge. Barrow Navigation.
Fenniscourt Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Fenniscourt Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Slyguff Weir. Barrow Navigation.
Slyguff Lock Cut. Barrow Navigation.
Looking back at Slyguff weir. Barrow Navigation.
Slyguff Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Slyguff Lock keeper, John O'Neill chats to John Chapman. Barrow Navigation.
The remains of Slyguff Lock cottage. Barrow Navigation.
Slyguff Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Looking back at Slyguff Lock Cut. Barrow Navigation.
Upper Ballyellen Lock Cut. Barrow Navigation.
The Lime works by Upper Ballyellen Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Upper Ballyellen Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Looking back at Upper Ballyellen Lock. Barrow Navigation.
A good reason to keep to the trackway! Barrow Navigation.
Pet food works above Goresbridge. Barrow Navigation.
Goresbridge. Barrow Navigation.
Goresbridge. Barrow Navigation.
Goresbridge visitor moorings. Barrow Navigation.
Entering Lower Ballyellen Lock Cut. Barrow Navigation.
Entering Lower Ballyellen Lock Cut, looking back at Goresbridge. Barrow
Navigation.
Brian Goggin's old boat at Lower Ballyellen Lock Cut. Barrow Navigation.
Brian Goggin's old boat at Lower Ballyellen Lock Cut. Barrow Navigation.
Looking back at Lower Ballyellen Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Clehown Rock. Some of the rocks, just out of the boat stream are so big they
have names! Barrow Navigation.
Ballytiglea Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Looking back at Ballytiglea Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Ballytiglea Bridge. Barrow Navigation.
Looking back at Ballytiglea Bridge. Barrow Navigation.
Borris Weir. Barrow Navigation.
Borris Lock Cut. Barrow Navigation.
Borris Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Borris Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Ballingrane Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Ballingrane Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Barrow Navigation.
Clashganna Weir. Barrow Navigation.
Clashganna Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Barrow Navigation.
Ballykennan Weir. Barrow Navigation.
Ballykennan Double Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Ballykennan Double Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Ballykennan Double Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Ballykennan Double Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Graiguenamanagh comes into view. Barrow Navigation.
Graiguenamanagh. Barrow Navigation.
Graiguenamanagh. Barrow Navigation.
Graiguenamanagh Bridge. Barrow Navigation.
Graiguenamanagh Weir. Barrow Navigation.
Graiguenamanagh. Upper Tinnahinch Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Looking back at Graiguenamanagh Bridge. Barrow Navigation.
Graiguenamanagh. Upper Tinnahinch Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Graiguenamanagh. Upper Tinnahinch Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Lower Tinnahinch Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Looking back at Lower Tinnahinch Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Carriglead Lock. Barrow Navigation.
Looking back at Carriglead Lock. Barrow Navigation.
St Mullins Lock Cut off to the left. Barrow Navigation.
Lift bridge in St Mullins Lock Cut. Barrow Navigation.
St Mullins Lock. Barrow Navigation.
St Mullins Lock. Barrow Navigation.
The canoeists shoot St Mullins Tidal Weir. Barrow Navigation.
St Mullins Lock. Barrow Navigation.
High water and we leave St Mullins Lock. Barrow Navigation.
St Mullins. Tidal River Barrow.
St Mullins. Tidal River Barrow.
St Mullins. Tidal River Barrow.
St Mullins. Looking up at the Mulvarra Guest House. Tidal River Barrow.
St Mullins. Looking down from the Mulvarra Guest House. Tidal River Barrow.
Tidal River Barrow.
Tidal River Barrow.
Tidal River Barrow.
Tidal River Barrow.
Tidal River Barrow.
Ferrymountgarrett Bridge. Tidal River Barrow.
Ferrymountgarrett Bridge. Tidal River Barrow.
Tidal River Barrow.
The River Nore comes in from the west. Tidal River Barrow.
Disused Railway Bridge. Tidal River Barrow.
Disused Railway Bridge. Tidal River Barrow.
New Ross. Tidal River Barrow.
New Ross. Tidal River Barrow.
New Ross Bridge. Tidal River Barrow.
New Ross. Tidal River Barrow.
New Ross. The replica Dunbrody famine ship. Tidal River Barrow.
Looking back at New Ross bridge. Tidal River Barrow.
The impounded cargo vessel MV Lillian. New Ross. Tidal River Barrow.
The new Three Sisters Marina, New Ross. Tidal River Barrow.
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