• Bolinder Engine and the Grand Canal Company

    The Grand Canal Company had long been aware of the problems of transportation on a mixed navigation of canal, river and lake. The existing fleet was mainly horse-drawn boats with a number of steam tugs which towed them across lakes and along the Shannon, with some…

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  • The Saffer I met

    The first encounters were short affairs beginning with a shout from the canal bank – how far are you going today? The morning after, he appeared on the bank near Fureys as we struggled to haul the beast backwards for a film re-take. This South African living…

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  • Bring us back a Parrot – Barrow to Bagenalstown – 2005

    “Bring us back a parrot” the Dublin kids used to shout over the bridges at the barges as they headed west out of the city, or so the story goes. Well, we were a long way from Dublin, and still not a parrot to be seen! It was June 2005 and the HBA fleet was

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  • Launch of the HBA, Dublin – 2001

    It was agreed that old Canal Boats (Irish Barges) attending the World Canal Conference in force would be stunning, so the ‘HBA Launch’ sub-committee was established ………………. The Idea The Heritage Boat Association (HBA)…

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