industrialheritageireland.info

I give up.

As if the madness around a virus with an IFR of 0.15% (i.e. 99.85% of people who get this virus don’t die) wasn’t bad enough, the Irish Government (which is borrowing billions to pay people to not work who should be working and paying people to work (public servants) who shouldn’t be working) intends to spaff some more money on the dead horse that is the Ulster Canal.

I had to read the press release many times to understand what is being funded (it is a very clever spinning of words which looks like it is promising a lot but is actually delivering the sum total of sweet fuck all) and all it is is an open air swimming pool in Clones, which they have mislabeled as a marina.

At this stage, I almost wish that there was a deadly virus that was wiping out the world’s population.

Edit 02/05/2021: Below is a map of the area and canal I prepared many years ago, which I have updated by highlighting the section of canal to be “restored” in continuous dark blue. This will be a disjointed section from nowhere to nowhere. The dotted blue either side is the derelict canal.

Ports, Past and Present is a project that will consist of eight short documentary films and one feature-length film, primarily about the west coast of Wales but which will also feature Dublin Port and Rosslare Harbour. The films will be part of a wider campaign to raise awareness of the rich coastal and maritime heritage of these communities.

To get involved contact the team by emailing Rita Singer ris32@aber.ac.uk or message on Twitter @PortsPastPres or Facebook @portspastandpresent.

Initial plans for extending the DART to Hazelhatch and Celbridge are being prepared. Early drafts of this plan included a station on the Kylemore Road in Ballyfermot but, according to the Dublin Inquirer, this will not now happen.*

With trains terminating in Heuston Station, a station at Kylemore Road probably does not make sense, however, with DART running through the Phoenix Park Tunnel to Grand Canal Dock or even a new Spencer Dock station beside the existing LUAS station of that name, this would work as part of an overall network.

I will declare an interest here – I live on the Kylemore Road – about 500m from the bridge over the railway. A DART station on my doorstep would work wonders for property values.

However, I am currently considering moving home – likely to be to somewhere along the Maynooth Line in advance of the price rises that will follow commencement of DART construction work on that line.

* Ever conscious of the date, the Dublin Inquirer article is dated 31st March 2021.