Welcome to the Boyne Navigation Branch website
Work party on the Boyne Navigation this Saturday the 12th May commencing at the sea lock at 09:30.
Last work party we were not able to complete work on the Tailgate cill due to missing the tide and high water levels in the river. This Saturday we are going for a second try at the cill, an early start is required as the next suitable tide is not till the end of July.
Insomniacs could you have the pump going by 07:00 and have the small submersible pump ready with the long outlet hose attached. Despite the tidal difficulties we are making steady progress on the landscaping of the lock as this weeks photo shows kerbing at the Tailgate and that age old gardening job stone picking.
Regards, Tommy Mc Loughlin BNB.
Photo: shows Meath County Council's road side kerbing, along with two of the guys laying kerbing on the side facing the lock & other members preparating an area (stone picking, raking, etc..) where grass will be sown.
Further details (eg driving directions, etc.) on branch events can be found at the Events & News section of the IWAI website.
Restoration Progress
Since the start of Spring 2012 we have once again concentrated all work on the Sealock. All vegetation cutting has ceased due to the Habitats directive. The lock is been pumped out at each work party to allow for fitting of the tailgate, clearance of silt from the lock base, laying of kerbing near the edge of the lock chamber & other general tidying up of the lock chamber. Work to be done over the next while will be the removal of the timber beams from the estuary end of the lock which currently slows down the tidal waters entering/ exiting the lock. We will then move onto the concrete barrier which is blocking the full opening of the breastgate thus preventing navigation of the Boyne canal. Careful planning will be involved at both these stages. This work will progress over the Summer months also. The branch will have a big event on the 16th September, keep checking back to the website for further information closer to that date.
The work programmes of Autumn/ Winter 2011 included clearance of vegetation, maintenance of the cleared navigation, painting of both sets of lock gates at the Sealock, the installation & testing of the newly fitted breast gate, fitting of hand railings to both lock gates, the refitting of loss or damaged stonework at the Sea Lock and ongoing upkeep at the Oldbridge upper Guard Lock section at the Horse Bridge.
The main activity of the Branch - restoration of the Navigation - reached a significant milestone on Saturday 30th July 2011 when the new breastgates at the sealock at Oldbridge were lifted into position in the lock these gates nicely complemented the tailgates already in situ.
The tailgates were originally lifted into position in the lock on the 19th July 2010 at the sealock in Oldbridge. The main lift was carried out with a 60ft crane located partly on the public road beside the lock, and careful control & diversion of traffic along the road was needed for the lifting operation. For the first time in over ninety years a lockgate was swung in the sealock, and it fell to our Vice Chairman & Project Manager, Tommy Mc Loughlin to perform the historic act!
Click here for our gallery of images.
Fitting and adjustment of the gates will continue over the next few workparties, using an overhead lifting beam and lifting tackle, which has also been installed across the lock. Stonework restoration of the lock walls and floor is also continuing, as is initial fabrication of the breastgates. All in all a busy time! We must again thank our many sponsors for their several kinds of help in our efforts, particularly Halco Ltd., and Larry Drew & Co. for their supply of heavy construction machinery during the past months.
The project has been in progress since 2003. The work to date has been concentrated on the canal section from the sea lock at Oldbridge to the turf lock at the Horse Bridge, approximately 0.5 miles to the east of the upstream junction with the River Boyne. This work has involved significant voluntary effort and has resulted in the restoration of a considerable length of navigable waterway. The
The branch has received an award in recognition of its Excellence in Community Commitment from Drogheda Chamber for its work.
Inland Waterdays Association of Ireland wrote a really inciteful article about the history of the canal along with the progress the branch was making a couple of years ago, this article can be found here.
