IWAI Dublin

06/10/2026

Last weekend saw the start of the winter Green and Silver Fleet travel east on the Grand Canal.

The fleet left Shannon Harbour Saturday morning with a stop over in Pollagh. Sunday morning the fleet departed with eyes on Tullamore.

Big thanks to Waterways Ireland staff for manning the locks on the weekend ☺️

At the same time, the fleet on the Royal Canal are positioning for the Effin Bridge lift this Saturday

Are you interested in the Green and Silver? Contact IWAI Dublin to join the Spring trip!

Waterways Ireland Ireland's Hidden Heartlands Ireland's Ancient East

08/09/2026

Liffey Trip! 3 Bridges Festival

Members of IWAI Dublin were a part of a flotilla of 55 boats which took part in the annual 3 Bridges festival organized but the Cruising Association of Ireland 🛥️⛵🚢🛶

The flotilla mustered at Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club before heading upstream through the Tom Clarke Eastlink lifting Bridge, the Samuel Beckett Swing Bridge and finally through the Sean O'Casey pedestrian swing bridge.

Weather was great, the boats were dressed and spirits were high!

A great day on the water!

29/08/2026

Great news! IWAI is organizing a boat jumble!

Announcing the Boat Jumble Sale taking place at this years IWAI River Heritage Weekend which runs over the weekend of 25th, 26th and 27th of September 2026.

The Boat Jumble will take place on Sun Sept 27th from 11am.

This is your ideal chance to move on and sell some of your spare or unwanted boating items such as parts, tools, ornaments and any other boating related bric a brac or it could be your chance to pick up a bargain.

For those interesting in coming along on the day to sell your items please let us know in advance by contact us via email on: [email protected]

14/07/2026

Green and Silver got done!!!

After two years of planning and ex*****on, the Green and Silver Fleet made it across the Liffey through Buckingham and Spencer Sealocks. Moving West, the fleet passed under the infamous Effin Bridge.

A huge thanks to members of IWAI Exec and our IWAI Dublin committee for the continued pressure which was applied to Irish Rail and Waterways Ireland to get the bridge repaired.

Shortly afterwards, the fleet experienced extremely challenging canal conditions. Some crew members entered the water to clear w**d and prop fouling materials.

In hindsight it is the wrong time of the year to be travelling the canal, and things aren’t always plain sailing. A fleet will be departing Shannon Harbour in October to start Green and Silver 2027, if anyone is interested reach out to IWAI Dublin Chairman John Kearns.

IWAI are engaging with Waterways Ireland to discuss the situation of the current state of the canals. waterwaysireland irelandshiddenheartlands discoverireland.ie Ireland's Ancient East Dublin Tourism

02/07/2026

It is a GOOD morning members,

As you'll see attached, AT LONG LAST the EFFIN Bridge has been FIXED!!!

The Green & Silver Challenge is once again a workable boating option.

IWAI Dublin has worked hard for the last year, putting pressure on both Irish Rail and Waterways Ireland to get this bridge on the Royal Canal, back into working order.

IWAI Dublin would like to thank the members of IWAI Exec for the many hours spent working on getting the bridge fixed.

Constructed so low over the canal that this section of railway must be lifted on four hydraulic legs.....sin sceal eile!!!!

Dublin branch's objective now is to promote greater use of both waterways, into and out of Dublin City. Anyone interested in doing the trip can contact the branch about plans for travelling from the Shannon in October

01/07/2026

Maybe something WI should think about when cutting the w**ds on the canals? 😅 food for thought 💭

The Liffey being cleaned out - not sure of the year?

18/06/2026

The long overdue presentation of this year's prestigious IWAI Dublin branch Endeavour Cup has taken place, and we're thrilled to share the exciting moment with you all! 🎉 The Vice Chairman, Mr. Kevin Dunne, and Mr Tim Wrafter, came together to present the esteemed award to the very deserving James Bennett, in recognition of his outstanding support to the Dublin branch and the Green & Silver. His tireless efforts and dedication have not gone unnoticed, and we're honored to have him as part of our branch. 🙏 This award is a testament to his hard work and commitment, and we can't wait to see what the future holds for him! 🎊

17/06/2026

Guided tour of Camden Sealock 😊

IWAI Dublin was invited for a guided tour of Camden Lock by the Regional Engineer Peter Graham.

Being a wealth of knowledge and a long time with Waterways Ireland, Peter explained the process of conservative of the listed structure and to be able to make the lock operational and complying with the planning permission conditions. A minefield for the team, but well done to Peter and his team.

We as a branch have been advocating for the restoration of all three Sealocks in GCD for over 15 years and thankfully we are seeing Waterways Ireland progressing this. The aim is to have all three Sealocks operational before the end of 2026.

Some interesting facts about the Sealock

1. The new gates are made of Ekki hardwood and expected to have a 50 year life. Ekki is sustainably sourced and doesn't need any painting/protective treatment

2. The old metalwork was planned to be sued in the rebuilding of the gates but it's not structurally safe. It will be repurposed as featured in the landscaping of the lock at the finals stages.

3. The gates were built and assembled in Holland then disassembled for transport. They were rebuilt on site at the Sealock. The gates fitted first time!

4. The island between the gates is strapped with support walls which are not on any historical plans.

5. The timeline for the project started in 2010 when the breast gate stop plank/adjustable weir was built as a safety measure in case the gates failed. 2019 the tail gate stop planks were installed. Then the process of design began. Timber was ordered in 2022 and delivery of the gates arrived in 2026.

6. The gates will be hydraulically operated versus manually operated in the past. The hydraulic system will be hidden in existing structures.

Massive thank you Peter for coordinating. We genuinely appreciate it!

14/06/2026

The sun was out so it was time to catch up in GCD!

Since the Green and Silver Fleet are trapped in GCD with Lock C1 broken, Buckingham Sealock out of commission with a damaged control panel, Camden Lock under refit and Westmoreland Lock closed until the gates are replaced later this year, some of the fleet looked to take advantage of the good weather to catch up for some chats and a BBQ 🌞

IWAI Dublin is awaiting an update this week from Waterways Ireland in relation to the repairs to ensure we get out on to the Liffey on the 11th of July for the long awaited Effin Bridge. We have received confirmation from Iarnrod Eireann that the repairs are on track 😊 watch this space for an update this week for our planned Effin Bridge reopening rally!

Ireland's Ancient East Ireland's Hidden Heartlands

08/06/2026

Great to see a new enterprise starting off in Dublin Bay! This boat is wheelchair accessible and fully compliant with MSO spec! IWAI Dublin wishes these guys the best of luck!

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