Contents:
Events Calendar
Belturbet Town
Branch History
Ballinamore-Ballyconnell
Canal
Lough Erne
European Wanderings
Out and About
Overseas Tourist Information
1994 Cruising Guide
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A Cruising Guide and Anthology of the Ballinamore
- Ballyconnell Canal
Published by the Erne-Ballinamore-Ballyconnell Rally Committee
1994
for the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland
Ballinamore-Ballyconnell Navigations
A Memorandum Together With Some Notes On The Erne Navigation Prepared For
The Inland Waterways Association Of Ireland 1965
By P.C.Denham Honorary Secretary
Use of the Shannon as a holiday cruising ground has grown at a phenomenal speed,the traffic through the locks having
multiplied more than ten times in the past five years. This growth is not slowing down but is still getting better
each year.Whislt the Shannon is unlikely to become overcrowded in the next fine years we can certainly contemplate
congestion,as on the Norfolk Broads within twenty;so there is good reason now to examine the possibility of adding
to the waterway.
For this reason the Ballinamore-Ballyconnell Navigation has been under consideration.This connects the Erne,through
two towns after which it is named,with the Shannon at Leitrim.If restored it would bring the entire lough Erne
Navigation with Belturbet and Enniskillen into the system adding some 75% to the area presently available for inland
navigation.It passes through delightful country,six lakes of over a mile in length,(Scur,St John's,Garadice,Ballymagauran,Derrycassan
and Coologue), and three counties,(Leitrim,Cavan,Fermanagh). Its restoration,if practicable,is obviously to be
desired.
History
In the 18th century the Woodford river was amde navigable from Lough Erne to Ballyconnell by means of "flash
locks",the old method that preceded the normal canal lock that we know today.
When the Ulster canal reached the Erne from Belfast about 1840 it was thought desirable that it should connect
up with the Shannon and so navigation was improved and carried on through Ballinamore to join the Shannon at Leitrim
in 1860. As a navigation it was never successful.
There were several reasons for its failure:
a) There was little traffic between Enniskillen and Limerick at the best of times.
b) As there were no tow paths round the lakes,barges without engines could not easily make the passage.
c) The summit levels were badly designed
d) The construction of the Cavan and Leitrim railway at almost the same time and serving the same area killed it
completely.
It ceased to be used for navigation about a hundred years ago,but it is still the main drainage channel for a large
part of county Leitrim on the South-Eastern slope of Slieve Anierin. Its failure as a commercial canal is not relevant
to-day when we are considering its restoration as an amenity for pleasure traffic.Its relationship with the drainage
problems is of course extremely important.
Description
The navigation is about thirty.nine miles long,of which about twenty-five miles are canalised river,eight pass
through the lakes and the remaining six are still water canal.There are sixteen locks,eight rising from upper Lough
Erne to the summit level of Lough Scur and a further eight falling to the Shannon.The locks were designed to 82
feet long and sixteen and a half feet wide and to have a depth of water of 5 feet 6 inches over the cills.
From Lough Erne there are two locks in the seven miles to Ballyconnell.The first of these locks is in County Fermanagh,the
second and third in County Cavan whilst the other thirteen are in County Leitrim. Preceding upstream from Ballyconnell
for six miles and one lock the course next enters an enchanting system of lakes,Coologue,Derrycassan,Ballymagauran
and Garadice.This last is much the largest,being three miles long and about two at its widest.Even after a hundred
years there are still afew of the old navigation markers to be seen in this area.
The navigation next enters the valley of the canalised Yellow River with four locks in the eight miles to St.Johns
lough.This section runs through a steep sided valley and passes through the town of Ballinamore.Having passed through
the complicated windings of St,Johns Lough there is one more rising lock,this time on the Aghacashlaun River,to
reach the summit level of Lough Scur.Thence six miles of still water canal with eight descending locks bring the
waterway to Leitrim and the Shannon.
Engineering Problems
Restoration of the still water canal from Leitrim to the summit level would be very simple,replacement of the missing
lock gates would suffice,with a little clearing of the vegetation,etc,to bring craft up to the summit lock.It seems
likely that the summit level would have to be reduced from its designed level,which would mean lowering the cill
of the ninth lock.As this has already been damaged by flood waters it does not present any great feat.The channel
to Lough Scur would also need some excavation.
The eight and ninth lock would need alteration to fit with the reduced water levels but the Yellow River valley
is so steep that the old levels could be restored without causing flooding.The third level,which includes Lough
Garadice would also need to be retained at present levels but below that the Ballyconnell lock is used for power
development and the river through that town is at its original level.
From this it will be seen that restorationof five locks and lowering the cill of another,deepening about six miles
of canal and river and repalcement of the gates and paddles of the sixteen locks is nearly all that needs to be
done to restore the waterway.
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