Grand Canal

The Grand Canal stretches from Gand Canal Dock in Dublin where the canal joins the River Liffey to the River Shannon at Shannon Harbour. The canal is approx. 130km long with 43 locks with a number of branch lines heading south such as the Barrow and Naas branches.

The Grand Canal comes to an end in the Grand Canal Dock area, now one of Dublins most vibrant districts, with a range of cafes, bars, restaurants. The canal takes a semi-circle route along the south city, heading west through a series of locks known as the C locks, until it reaches Drimnagh in West Dublin. After which it heads due west.

In 1779 the Sallins Dublin was the first section of canal to be opened and a passenger service started in 1880 and operated twice weekly between the city and village. In 1784 the canal was extended to Robertown in 1784. A spur connecting the canal to the River Barrow was later constructed and completed by 1791.

Crossing the Bog of Allen was much more difficult than envisaged. The construction teams struggled for over 5 years with supporting walls of clay to help prevent the bog sliding into the canal. But this method of construction proved inadequate as many serious breaches occurred. Building clay retention walls, was finally abandoned as a construction method. The canal reached Daingen in 1997.

The town Tullamore in the centre of Ireland lies on Grand Canal. The town makes an ideal stopping off point for anyone boating, canoeing, walking or cycling along the canal. There are good restaurants and accommodation in the town.

The final stretch of canal runs from Tullamore, via Pollack, crosses a number of bogs as it heads towards Shannon Harbour and the River Shannon. From Tullamore the engineering works continued under the stewardship of John Killaly, who successfully crossed the bogs by draining the area for several years before construction began. The final leg was completed by 1803 and opened the following year.

Lough Boora Discovery Park is a cutaway bog area that has been developed as an amenity with high biodiversity value. The park is close to the Grand Canal and the town of Tullamoe is nearby. Activities in the park include off road cycling, walking, fishing and bird watching.

The Grand Canal enters the River Shannon just west of Shannon Harbour. Before entering the Shannon, the canal joins with the River Brosna and then enters the Shannon. During the summer, the canal here is busy with boaters and barges.