Category: IH News 2023

Irish Rail regularly warn about the impact that bridge strikes have on their network.

Today, the CIE Group went for an own goal, when a railway overbridge in Cork (on the Dublin – Cork line) was hit by a Bus Eireann bus.

One wonders how CIE, which is allowed to self insure*, will handle any costs associated with this.

* It is my belief that this provision of the Road Traffic Act is unconstitutional as the State is allowing one public transport operator to self insure and not others, thereby showing favourtism. Constitutionally, the State is not permitted to favour itself and must favour all equally or not at all.

H/T to Newry.ie for this story.

Mourne Textiles, based in Rostrevor, Co. Down, has launched a crowd funding campaign to “restore vintage flax processing and spinning equipment, to create a sustainable circular supply chain in Ireland.”

Further details of their plans and a link to the crowd funding page can be found here. The closing date for the crowd funding campaign is 30th June 2023.

H/T to the DonegalDaily website for news that the OPW owned Newmills Corn and Flax Mill is to reopen for visitors for the summer period from 1st June to 30th September. The complex will be open 6 days/week (closed on Mondays).

The Dundalk Democrat reports on local lobbying to have Dunleer Station on the Dublin – Belfast line re-opened.

That would be Dunleer station that was closed by CIE without the requisite notice required by law being given.

Sometime in April 2023, the commemorative stone below appeared at the canal harbour in Kilcock.

I have no idea about who is behind it or why it was felt necessary to note the restoration of the canal harbour at this remove from the actual event.

Irish Mist was a liquer produced in Tullamore, Co. Offaly between 1947 and 1985.

Offalyhistory, with the support of Creative Ireland and Offaly County Council, are looking to publish a book on the production of Irish Mist and are calling for those who can provide first hand accounts of working in the production of the drink to get in touch to share this or any other relevant information.

From the Offaly Express:

“Please contact John Flanagan, Ardan Heights, Brian Jaffray or Michael Byrne or Frank Nicholson. Why not email us info@offalyhistory.com or call to Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore.”

TheJournal.ie have an article reporting on the uncovering of what they claim is part of the former City Basin, which was located to the west of the Grand Canal Harbour in Dublin 8 (the latter also filled in).

However, I am not convinced it is part of the City Basin and, in fact, the article goes on to state:

“Long since filled in, the city basin, which was situated between what is now the St James’s Hospital campus and the Guinness Storehouse, was once part of the Grand Canal’s original mainline from Inchicore to Grand Canal Harbour”

The last part of this statement is incorrect. The City Basin was separate to the canal mainline from Grand Canal Harbour and based on the location of the excavation, this feature is more likely to be connected to the canal.

Here in Ireland, we tend to delay taking action until it is too late and also to tolerate those engaging in inappropriate behaviour. In the case of the Naomh Éanna, we have both.

The Naomh Éanna is a former Aran Islands ferry, which has been sitting in a dry dock in Grand Canal Docks in Dublin for years, with various promises to restore it, none of which have materialised.

Per RTE, the boat has now listed in the dock and the most appropriate solution now is to remove the boat and scrap it. However, no-one wants to bell the cat.

It is not helped that the land on which the dry docks (there are multiple dry docks) sit is tied up in NAMA and neither Waterways Ireland nor NAMA appear to want to take action in this regard.

It does beg one question – is the owner(s) of the vessel paying for the occupation of the dry dock and if not, why not?