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Living on the Irish Waterways?


Tony1

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I'm wondering about how feasible it would be live on the Irish waterways.

I've seen almost all of the significant towns and places in England on my various travels, and in a few years from now I think I might feel like a change of scenery, but still living on a boat.

The Scottish canals are beautiful but you need to pay for a home mooring (that I would not often use), as well as your cruising license, and there just isn't the length of inland waterways that is available in england.  

Ireland seems to have a decent waterways network, but I have no idea how well it is set up for living aboard. 

For example, how common are the facilities points with water, elsan etc? Is living aboard even officially recognised/condoned, or is it something that is tolerated, but is done under the official radar? 

I do think there is a community of liveaboard boaters, but they dont have all that much visibility in places like youtube or discussion forums, so I'm not sure how many there are, and how official they are, and whether they follow the formal rules very closely. 

Does anyone have any sources of info about this community and this lifestyle in Ireland? 

 

 

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10 hours ago, PCSB said:

I've had a boating holiday on the Shannon, wonderful place it is too. Perhaps this video will point you in the right direction 

 

 

Thanks, I do watch some of her videos but missed this one. 

Some interesting snippets of info in there. 

 

 

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10 hours ago, enigmatic said:

Widebeam waterways so

 image.png.0d4d4c5715227439bc8c9b8260c9857d.png

 

Its just a germ of an idea, but if I ever considered it seriously, I would 100% get a wide beam GRP cruiser.  

So far I can't find any online forums or liveaboard boater groups to look for real life experiences and info, but its early days yet.

 

 

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I like your other idea of a slow boat to the med. Through the French Canals, past Italy, onto Greece. Sell the boat after 2 years and fly home. 

 

Oh, hang on brexit killed all that. 

 

Maybe you could do the schengen shuffle like the van people. 

Edited by rusty69
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4 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

I like your other idea of a slow boat to the med. Through the French Canals, past Italy, onto Greece. Sell the boat after 2 years and fly home. 

 

Oh, hang on brexit killed all that. 

 

Maybe you could do the schengen shuffle like the van people. 

 

The canal du midi is only 150 miles long and you have 90 days 'free travel' so it should not be impossible to take a 'slow boat' and average under 2 miles per day.

 

Once in the Med you can shuffle about from non-EU country to non-EU country for a few months, then a slow run back North on the Midi, or, fly home.

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3 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

The canal du midi is only 150 miles long and you have 90 days 'free travel' so it should not be impossible to take a 'slow boat' and average under 2 miles per day.

 

Once in the Med you can shuffle about from non-EU country to non-EU country for a few months, then a slow run back North on the Midi, or, fly home.

Yeah, I wasn't really referring to the canal du midi as a through route, but I suppose that is an option. 

 

Oooops, this isn't the French Canals thread. 

Edited by rusty69
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4 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

I like your other idea of a slow boat to the med. Through the French Canals, past Italy, onto Greece. Sell the boat after 2 years and fly home. 

 

Oh, hang on brexit killed all that. 

 

Maybe you could do the schengen shuffle like the van people. 

 

I couldn't agree more Rusty, but I won't elaborate as it will initiate another brexit debate that will occupy 10 pointless pages, and I'm hoping this thread might garner me some actual useful info. 

 

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6 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

I couldn't agree more Rusty, but I won't elaborate as it will initiate another brexit debate that will occupy 10 pointless pages, and I'm hoping this thread might garner me some actual useful info. 

 

 

Brexit? 

 

Does that look like happening then? I've not heard it mentioned in the news for years....

 

 

 

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Whilst trying to redeem myself having mention the 'B' word, and failing miserably, I offer this link as part compensation payment. Whilst no use to the OPs question, I hope it does at least show my remorse, and allow some reading material for the OP whilst they wait for usefull replies on the topic. 

 

 

https://archive.waterwaysireland.org/history-of-the-waterways

Edited by rusty69
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6 minutes ago, Tam & Di said:

 

Where was that?

 

I would really struggle to find it now, it predated 2016.  In the days of free movement one of my mad retirement ideas was a boat that had a shallow enough draft to cruise most canals, with a folding roof of some sort allowing low enough air draft for European canals (and if possible some English canals), but it could cross the Channel and the Irish Sea in calmish weather.  

 

 

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6 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

I would really struggle to find it now, it predated 2016.  In the days of free movement one of my mad retirement ideas was a boat that had a shallow enough draft to cruise most canals, with a folding roof of some sort allowing low enough air draft for European canals (and if possible some English canals), but it could cross the Channel and the Irish Sea in calmish weather.  

 

 

Ermmm, I'm sure it was last week. 

 

https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/topic/115737-dutch-barge-style-narrowboats/&do=findComment&comment=2816233

 

Edited by rusty69
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9 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Ermmm, I'm sure it was last week. 

 

Blimey, I'm getting worse in my old age. 

I did start a whole thread about it years ago but the circumstances that would have made it practicable, affordable (for me anyway) and enjoyable are no longer in existenence, as we know. 

 

I think the thing last week might have been to touch upon the idea of moving aboard a yacht and cruising the Med and then maybe further, but for a slow vessel dependent largely on winds and fair weather, Med cruising is greatly complicated by the 90 day limit. 

But what puts me off the idea of yacht cruising is more the hard core nature of it all, at least when out on the water. Not much sleep, a very bouncy boat, limited water, and expensive marinas when you arrive somewhere- it all sounds a bit too hard core for a softy like me. 

 

 

Edited by Tony1
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17 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

Blimey, I'm getting worse in my old age. 

I did start a whole thread about it years ago but the circumstances that would ahve made it practicable, affordable and enjoyable are no longer in existenence, as we know. 

 

I think the thing last week might have been to touch upon the idea of moving aboard a yacht and cruising the Med and then maybe further, but for a slow vessel dependent largely on winds and fair weather, Med cruising is greatly complicated by the 90 day limit. 

But what puts me off the idea of yacht cruising is more the hard core nature of it all, at least when out on the water. Not much sleep, a very bouncy boat, limited water, and expensive marinas when you arrive somewhere- it all sounds a bit too hard core for a softy like me. 

 

 

Not wishing to detract from your thread any more ( oh, I just did), my final comment would be to agree with you. I haven't done any Mediterranean sailing , but being stuck in coastal marinas waiting for the weather, whilst watching your  limited funds slipping away from you isn't much fun.

 

Anchorages are probably more popular over there, so I guess there is some scope to save some pennies. I guess there is also the opportunity to pop over to the North African countries, and the few other non shengen countries that have a Mediterranean coastline.

Edited by rusty69
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Someone with real knowledge will be along soon but... 

 

Yes, people live aboard in Ireland, there is quite a community in Sallins (I think - or thereabouts). Yes people moan about CMers etc. Yes, people make "continuous and progressive journeys" The rules are somewhat different and probably easier to comply with. The two proper canals, the Grand and the Royal, have far, far fewer boats than our canals do. As a result there are fewer facilities. 

 

You need a boat that is suitable for the canals (which are rather like ours) and the rivers, which in the case of the Shannon is most definitely NOT like anything we have! Big huge lakes and even the river is half a mile across in places. People do use narrow boats there, but they're not ideal. 

 

Join the IWAI and get some first hand information - I'm a member. 

Edited to add - I'd say living aboard on a continuos and progressive journey is just about the only way to do the Royal to Grand canal connection, there is a railway lift bridge that is only opened on the third Tuesday in June following a total eclipse of the sun in Namibia, or something like that.  

Edited by magpie patrick
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We took our 50ft narrow boat to Ireland by truck it was lifted out at Calcutt and put in the Grand Canal at Salins near Dublin. We spent 2 summers from April til end September traveling around the Irish system and the N.Irish Loch Erne. There are live aboards with some concentrated at the Dublin end but also Sharon harbour and Richmond harbour and we left our boat at Shannonharbour for the winter months. The license included mooring when we were there and it was very casual you tied up where you could and alongside another boat if needed. There are marinas on the Shannon but we never used one. It’s a wonderful system and the Irish boaters were very friendly and helpful but it’s the pubs that really make it so enjoyable as long as you like Guinness and singing.

the slight drawback to a narrow boat is the weather conditions on the big lakes so you need to study the forecast and be prepared to wait for suitable weather.

Two of the people who took their NB over at the same time of us liked it so much that they now live in Ireland and one has married an Irish lady.

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13 minutes ago, Dav and Pen said:

We took our 50ft narrow boat to Ireland by truck it was lifted out at Calcutt and put in the Grand Canal at Salins near Dublin. We spent 2 summers from April til end September traveling around the Irish system and the N.Irish Loch Erne. There are live aboards with some concentrated at the Dublin end but also Sharon harbour and Richmond harbour and we left our boat at Shannonharbour for the winter months. The license included mooring when we were there and it was very casual you tied up where you could and alongside another boat if needed. There are marinas on the Shannon but we never used one. It’s a wonderful system and the Irish boaters were very friendly and helpful but it’s the pubs that really make it so enjoyable as long as you like Guinness and singing.

the slight drawback to a narrow boat is the weather conditions on the big lakes so you need to study the forecast and be prepared to wait for suitable weather.

Two of the people who took their NB over at the same time of us liked it so much that they now live in Ireland and one has married an Irish lady.

 

That's really interesting, thanks very  much. 

As I said its just the germ of an idea for the future- but if I ever tried it, I think I'd look for a wide beam GRP cruiser rather than take my narrowboat.

 

 

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4 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

And the problem of red diesel between North and south probably. 

 

There is no problem with Red diesel in either NI or Eire - Recreational boats are banned from using any colour rebated fuel in both countries.

 

When we bought Diesel in Ireland (a long time pre-Brexit) I think their rebated diesel was colour Green. 

Being moored up in Holyhead we could do the 60 miles to Dublin in about 3 hours, go over on a Friday evening and back Sunday evening.

 

According to the log the last trip was in 2001 and we filled up before departing Ireland with 97 gallons of diesel at a cost of £94.72 (equivalent to 21.5p / litre)

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