Summary, References, and Resources

Summary

In this chapter, we have learned about the place of man-made and naturally occurring waterways in Ireland, focussing on the cases of the River Shannon and the Grand Canal. These two waterways have shaped Ireland in relation to settlements and the growth of particular towns and villages, and has afforded the creation of jobs through the work of navvies on the Grand Canal or workers in the Ardnacrusha project. There is also cultural value in these waterways, as is evident in the myths that emerge in relation to the Shannon Pot, but also the remnants of material culture that exist today from the building of the Grand Canal across Ireland, including the bricks made and shipped from Pollagh to create homes and buildings in Ireland’s major cities.

Waterways change in use and function over time. While the River Shannon once provided the majority of electricity to Ireland, it now features as a centre of leisure including swimming, kayaking, fishing, and river walks; likewise, the Grand Canal – that once focussed on trade – is now developing into a greenway, affording opportunities for new generations to chart these waterways through walking, running and cycling. In this sense, waterways are always in-flux, changing the landscape over time, but also changing in their relationship to the surrounding human environment across generations.

References

Banting, Erinn. 2002. Ireland: The Culture. New York: Crabtree Pub.

Coyle, Eugene. 2021. “Ireland’s ‘Canal Navigators’”. History Ireland 29 (6): 24-27.

Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark. 2022. “Cuilcagh Mountain Park, Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark.” Accessed August 26, 2024.

Devery, Caitríona. 2021. “From bricks to Bikes: Traces of History on the Grand Canal in Offaly.” Offaly County Council Libraries Blog. Accessed August 19, 2024.

Dublin Canals. n.d. “Heritage, Dublin Canals.” Accessed August 26, 2024.

Energy for Generations Ireland (ESB). n.d. “Ardnacrusha Tours 2025.” Accessed August 26, 2024.

Freeman, T.W. 2021. “Irish Towns in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries.” In The Development of the Irish Town, edited by R.A. Butlin, 101-138. London: Routledge.

Gibling, Martin. 2021. River Planet: Rivers from Deep Time to the Modern Crisis. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press.

Kerrigan, Jo. 2023. All the Way by the Grand Canal. Dublin: O’Brien Press.

McInerney, Sian. 2022. “11 Centuries of Limerick, No. 1 the Vikings – the Hunt Museum.” The Hunt Museum. Accessed August 26, 2024.

“Shannon Pot – Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark,” 2021. Accessed August 26, 2024.

Waterways Ireland. 2024. “Guinness – Stories and Exhibitions. Waterways Ireland Archive Portal.” Accessed August 26, 2024.

Resources

O’Brien, Sorcha. 2017. Powering the Nation: Images of the Shannon Scheme and the Electrification of Ireland. Dublin: Irish Academic Press.

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The Making of the Irish Landscape Copyright © 2024 by Katie Young is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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