Dry docks

I’m looking for help ….

It would be nice to have a list of all dry docks, graving docks, patent slips and other devices, past and present, on the Irish inland waterways. And then it would be nice to have old and new photos, descriptions, histories, anecdotes ….

I have photos of only some of the old and new docks. Most of them are illustrated below; the only ones of which I have many photos are those at Shannon Harbour, where the Grand Canal meets the River Shannon; I’ve put some of them on a page about Shannon Harbour dry docks.

In addition to those shown here, I am aware of the existence of dry docks in:

• the Waterways Ireland canals maintenance HQ in Tullamore

• Athy on the Barrow Line of the Grand Canal

• Michael Barrett’s Lakeside Marina on Lough Ree (110 feet: used to build what is now the Shannon Princess II) .

There was a patent slip at Killaloe and a grid at Ballylynch, Carrick-on-Suir, where the Dowleys fleet could be maintained.

There were dry docks at the Grand Canal Harbour (see my sketch map here) and at Portobello Harbour in Dublin, and on the Royal Canal in Mullingar and on the Broadstone Line in Dublin. That’s off the top of my head; I’d be grateful for help in filling gaps, especially on the northern waterways. I’d also be grateful for photos, descriptions, histories and anecdotes about those listed here and any others that can be added to the list.

Update November 2012

I am grateful to Derek Doyle for permission to show his five photos of the dry dock at Athy; I have added them below.

update december 2010

Added two pics of New Ross dry dock, courtesy of Eamonn Coady, under Tidal Barrow below.

Update July 2010

Eunice Jeffers (to whom many thanks) points to a dry dock at Rathellin on the Barrow, shown on the 1840s OS map; switch to Historic 6″ if necessary.

Grand Canal

Here is Jamie McNamara’s thesis [PDF] on the case for conserving the Ringsend graving docks.

More information on the Sallins dry dock here.

grand canal (Barrow Line)

I am grateful to Derek Doyle for permission to show these five photos of the little-used dry dock at Athy.

The next photo shows the safety barriers, but also shows that there is no security for boats or their contents left in the dock overnight. As a result, few boat-owners use the facility and, I believe, that few use it only for short jobs that can be completed within a day.

Evidently the Shannon Harbour Health and Safety bods haven’t been to Athy yet.

Barrow Navigation

Tidal Barrow

Still further downriver, at New Ross, there is an enormous dry dock. Eamonn Coady says:

The dry dock was built by the old “Ross Company” in the 1970s for general shipbuilding work but was abandoned in the early 80s when the yard closed down. The Dock has now been renovated with a new gate and pump system by the current owners of the yard. Dunbrody was built there and she was the last ship built there. She is back in now until March 2010 for a refit.

Eamonn says:

We have a full boat yard here and would love more of the inland waterways users to come stay with us for repairs or storage. We can lift up to 50 tonnes with our travel lift so there aren’t too many inland boats we couldn’t handle.

Royal Canal

Shannon

Northern waters

Fred Hamond says in Comments (below)

There was a dry dock on the Lagan Navigation at Lisburn (now infilled) and another at the N end of the Ulster Canal at Charlemont (still open; gravity drainage).