Anne Cassin and Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh spend all this week on the Royal Canal.
All this week on RTÉ Nationwide, our presenters take a journey along the Royal Canal, 146km stretching from Spencer Dock in Dublin, all the way to Clondra, Co. Longford.
Anne Cassin starts in Dublin, heading west, and Bláthnaid Ni Chofaigh starts in Clondra, going east, towards Mullingar where the presenters meet. Each presenter meets communities all along the way, for whom the canal is of great importance.
Anne takes a barge trip from Dublin through the unique landscape of the Deep Sinking, to Leixlip, rambles on to Maynooth, where the Royal Canal greenway begins. From there she visits an art gallery in Kilcock, runs a bit with a running club, and meets some canoeists at Ribbontail.
Bláthnaid goes to Strokestown House and learns about the National Famine Way, visits Tidy Towns winning village of Abbeyshrule, joins a rambling group in Ballinacarrigy and meets Clare Crinnigan, who was born in a lock house on the canal.
EPISODE DETAIL
ROYAL CANAL GREENWAY – Monday 21st
On Nationwide all this week presenters Anne Cassin and Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh are taking the journey along The Royal Canal. The Royal Canal, starts its 146km journey from the River Liffey in Dublin to the River Shannon, passing 46 working locks along the way. The work on constructing the canal, started in 1790 and was completed in 1817 when it reached Richmond Harbour in Clondara. By the 1950’s the canal had fallen into disrepair and was officially closed in 1961. Following extensive restoration work the Royal Canal was re-opened to navigation in 2010 and earlier this year, The Royal Canal Greenway was launched. Anne Cassin begins in Dublin and heads East to West and Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh starts in Clondra in Co Longford going West to East, meeting people along the way who share their stories of the canal & we learn some of the history and heritage attached to the Royal Canal. She also goes to Strokestown House and learns about the National Famine Way.
ROYAL CANAL GREENWAY – Wednesday 23rd
In the second of our three special programmes along the Royal Canal, presenter Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh begins at Mosstown Harbour just outside the village of Keenagh and Anne Cassin is in Maynooth which is the start of the Royal Canal Greenway from the East side. We pass through the wonderful bog lands of Longford and find out about it’s history. Anne meets up with a local man who has lived in the beautiful university town Maynooth all his life and he talks about growing up there on the banks of the Royal Canal. We meet an art gallery owner in Kilcock, one of the first places to embrace the renovation of the Canal and Bláthnaid visits the Tidy Towns winning village of Abbeyshrule. Anne Cassin also joins Na Fianna runners for a run along a stretch of the Greenway at Enfield.
ROYAL CANAL GREENWAY – Friday 25th
In our final programme focusing on the Royal Canal, Anne Cassin begins in Ribbontail, just outside Longwood in County Meath and Bláthnaid at Ballinacarrigy, on the final part of our journey on the Royal Canal Greenway. We meet some members of Ballinacarrigy Rambling Group and join them for a ramble on the Greenway. We also meet members of Ribbontail Paddlers who tell us about their club and how it got started. Bláthnaid speaks to lockhouse owners at Coolnahay and we hear of their fond memories of growing up in such an idyllic setting. We speak to Norma Forrest at Waterway’s Ireland who are the custodians of the Royal Canal and hear how it’s a great addition to the tourism offering in the Midlands. Anne meets up with Alan from Mullingar Bike Hire and cycles the last stretch of her journey into Mullingar while Bláthnaid arrives by boat.