industrialheritageireland.info

RTE One will be showing the third in a new series called "The Way We Worked", described as a look at changing attitudes to work during the 20th Century, on 30th October 2009. The programme is on at 2030-2100 on RTE One.

This week's edition looks at the industrialisation of turf cutting in Ireland.

The programme was a no holds barred take on the difficult conditions in which employees of the Turf Board (now Bord Na Mona) worked. The Turf Board was no decent employer. The programme is a mix of industrial and social history.

Days Hotel Belfast - located in a lovely area of Belfast where the Union Jack flies from every lamppost and the kerbstones are painted blue white and red.

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I have added three book reviews - two to the railway book review section of the site - Railway Days in Strabane and To Make A Railway and the other to the non railway book review section of the site - The Flooding of the Lee Valley

Days Hotel Belfast - located in a lovely area of Belfast where the Union Jack flies from every lamppost and the kerbstones are painted blue white and red.

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The Belfast Telegraph has reported on plans to restore the Lagan navigation to use for pleasure traffic. Initial plans will centre on the section of the canal from Belfast to the point where the canal disappears under the M1 motorway.

Days Hotel Belfast - located in a lovely area of Belfast where the Union Jack flies from every lamppost and the kerbstones are painted blue white and red.

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I have added a new book review - Tales of the Anvil - about blacksmiths and forges in Co. Wexford to the non railway book review section of the site.

Days Hotel Belfast - located in a lovely area of Belfast where the Union Jack flies from every lamppost and the kerbstones are painted blue white and red.

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The BBC has reported that the level of water loss from leaky water pipes in Northern Ireland amounts to 180m litres a day - down from a high of 315m litres prior to the commencement of a repair programme.

Days Hotel Belfast - located in a lovely area of Belfast where the Union Jack flies from every lamppost and the kerbstones are painted blue white and red.

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After WW2, the Northern Irish Government considered making Belfast City centre a public transport free zone, as buses got in the way of cars. Looks like the idea is coming around again - this time with a "safety" bent, according to the BBC. From the BBC website:

"The move follows a meeting between Northern Ireland's transport, environment and social development ministers, which focussed on road safety in the city centre.

Proposals include urban regeneration, the creation of a more pedestrian-friendly environment and improvements to public transport to encourage less dependency on the private car."

Makes you wonder, how do you improve public transport if you intend to ban buses.

Days Hotel Belfast - located in a lovely area of Belfast where the Union Jack flies from every lamppost and the kerbstones are painted blue white and red.

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The Waterford city bypass has opened and includes a 1500ft long cable stay bridge spanning the River Suir.

Days Hotel Belfast - located in a lovely area of Belfast where the Union Jack flies from every lamppost and the kerbstones are painted blue white and red.

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RTE One will be showing the second in a new series called "The Way We Worked", described as a look at changing attitudes to work during the 20th Century, on 23rd October 2009. The programme is on at 2030-2100 on RTE One.

This week's edition looks at creameries in Ireland.

The programme was a worthwhile look at the development of creameries in Ireland and the ultimate decline due to mergers and mechanisation. Drumcolligher creamery in Co Limerick was the first farmer owned creamery in Ireland. It has since been restored as a museum.

Days Hotel Belfast - located in a lovely area of Belfast where the Union Jack flies from every lamppost and the kerbstones are painted blue white and red.

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I was reading an article in a 1950's IRRS Journal about the Meath Road (Clonsilla to Navan) and it mentioned the interesting arrangement for water supply to Kilmessan Station. This was obtained from a pond a mile away and brought by millstream to Kilmessan.

Using the OSI aerial photography which can be viewed online, there is indeed the remains of what appears to be an ornamental pond at Ringlestown and there are sufficient water channels marked that it would have been possible to bring this back to Kilmessan Station.

Days Hotel Belfast - located in a lovely area of Belfast where the Union Jack flies from every lamppost and the kerbstones are painted blue white and red.

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The BNM crossing of the River Shannon south of Shannonbridge is well known. Less well known is the BNM bridge over the River Shannon north of Lanesborough. I came across reference to it in a 1950s IRRS journal which noted the tender being issued for the bridge. A photo of the bridge can be seen here.

Days Hotel Belfast - located in a lovely area of Belfast where the Union Jack flies from every lamppost and the kerbstones are painted blue white and red.

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