Ireland river/canal cruise suggestions

[Zonker]

I'm going to Ireland with the family (21 yr old daughter, two middle aged couples, reasonably fit, and 80 yr old father in law who don't walk that much). We are travelling in this area by canal boat. www.leboat.com is the company. We did a trip to the Canal de Midi last year in May https://forums.sailinganarchy.com/threads/canal-de-midi-report.237455/

I'm looking for suggestions to see/do in this immediate area when travelling by boat and also for the week spent before / after the boat anywhere in Ireland. We'll fly into Dublin and spend a few days there before a train to the boat. Then get 1 person to Galway to rent a car who will return and pick us all up from Porttumna.

What we like to do:

eat locally, not too fancy but good food. Pubs are fine but like to have some variety
cook on the boat with our own food
drink wine
seeing historical stuff - but not too many museums. 1 or 2 would be OK
cool nature stuff (west coast cliffs and big waves?)
drinking whiskey (maybe 1 distillery tour?)
taking pictures of everything
my father in law likes to fish so he will bring a collapsing rod and spinning reel for fishing along the way.

 

[Tacoma Mud Flats]

Know nothing about Irish canals to be honest, but if you have an extra day or two consider to go to Galway, the Aran Islands and the west coast.

Galway Bay is the home of the Galway hooker, these fine sailing craft sailed all of Galway Bay and to the Arans. Galway is a pleasant town to wander by foot. The Aran Islands are a day excursion or spend the night

Have a great trip!.

 

[Fah Kiew Tu]

There was a book by Harold Rolfe (?) written on traveling on the Irish canals. Very very dated so no use for places to eat etc but a decent overview of the canals when written some 50 years ago.

I'm on my boat ATM but if it's of any interest I'll find my copy when I get home again and take a look at it, see if there's anything you might be interested in.

FKT

 

[vibroman]

I'm going to Ireland with the family (21 yr old daughter, two middle aged couples, reasonably fit, and 80 yr old father in law who don't walk that much). We are travelling in this area by canal boat. www.leboat.com is the company. We did a trip to the Canal de Midi last year in May https://forums.sailinganarchy.com/threads/canal-de-midi-report.237455/

I'm looking for suggestions to see/do in this immediate area when travelling by boat and also for the week spent before / after the boat anywhere in Ireland. We'll fly into Dublin and spend a few days there before a train to the boat. Then get 1 person to Galway to rent a car who will return and pick us all up from Porttumna.

What we like to do:

eat locally, not too fancy but good food. Pubs are fine but like to have some variety
cook on the boat with our own food
drink wine
seeing historical stuff - but not too many museums. 1 or 2 would be OK
cool nature stuff (west coast cliffs and big waves?)
drinking whiskey (maybe 1 distillery tour?)
taking pictures of everything
my father in law likes to fish so he will bring a collapsing rod and spinning reel for fishing along the way.


View attachment 572387

Did that trip in reverse in the late 60’s so no recent knowledge. Started at Killaloe (which became the name of all our boats from then on) and ended up in Carrick. I remember catching pike in loch derg. The monastery at Clonmacnois was memorable even for an obnoxious teenager. Compared to Midi (done 20 years ago)the shannon seemed quite remote. Back then we were the only boat around. If we saw other cruisers we stopped and passed the time of day. A very different era! I also remember it rained a lot. Don't remember restaurants but that was not our style. Do remember pubs and market day at a small town complete with herds of cattle and sheep being driven down main street.

 

[robtoujours]

How long are you staying Zonker?

Add the dinghy option to the main boat if you haven’t already. The lakes and islands in them are charming; including Lough Derg if you can. Pack good rain gear!

Don’t forget you’re in the home area of the Shannon One Design class - the LDYC or LRYC would be worth a call as they have most of them.

 

[Zonker]

A week on the boat and about a weeks travel around the country. Dublin hotels are crazy $$ I am finding.

 

[robtoujours]

Hotels are all full of refugees.

Dublin will have all the museums etc you need. Just ignore tourist traps like temple bar area or the Guinness experience. But you don’t need more than a few days, it’s just an average mid size Euro city.

Galway, Aran Islands, and Clew Bay in Mayo if you have time.

 

[Eoin]

There was a book by Harold Rolfe (?) written on traveling on the Irish canals. Very very dated so no use for places to eat etc but a decent overview of the canals when written some 50 years ago.

I'm on my boat ATM but if it's of any interest I'll find my copy when I get home again and take a look at it, see if there's anything you might be interested in.

FKT

The Irish canals have mostly fallen into disrepair so I would treat an older book as entertainment rather than a useful cruising guide. Information about using the waterways for cruising is pretty scattered, between the Waterways Ireland website and various internet forums. Boards.ie has the occasional useful nugget of value. Any time I've looked for information on the inland waterways I've given up before finding what I was looking for but the route that you're planning Zonker is probably the most traveled in the country so should be pretty straightforward.

You'll have a great trip. The inland waterways and the west coast are both stunning, in very different ways. You can't really go wrong if you go exploring by car, I would suggest going off the beaten track and discovering stuff for yourselves rather than following the regular tourist trail. The likes of Achill island, the Beara peninsula and North Donegal are as beautiful as any of the more well known places, minus the people. Most towns and villages will have some traditional music happening somewhere, usually the smaller and less organised it is the better the craic. Just wander around with your ears open in the evenings, and ask locals. If you're into modern history and politics Belfast is a must-visit, and they have a great museum on the Titanic.

As people have said bring good rain gear, and allow for car journeys on everything except the main roads to take twice as long as you expect!

 

[Bilge Boy]

Yes, I think there is confusion in replies above as to canals and inland waterways here. The route you marked is the Shannon, the largest river in Ireland, with a couple of bigger lakes etc. Along the way. Well marked, good guides etc., and some 'canal' sections. Also linking to it are real canals, Grand, Royal and a link at the top to the Erne system in NI.

On the spots to visit on the route, definitely Clonmacnoise and probably some of Athlone. But the is lots of historical stuff on islands and villages along the way. Like a lot of these things, finding your own pace is best - because it is bigger than a canal, it is not linear or single speed, so don't just rush. Most villages have good pubs that do good food - they have had this business with cruisers since the late 60's, originally mostly serving Germans with good disposable income if you gave them a good product.

And agree on the rest. The west of Ireland is beautiful- look at the map, and the jagged bits that stick out in the sea are the best bits for me.

 

[Mendigo Diver]

The Burren is not far from your end point and is stunning, through there to Doolin for decent pubs and live trad music, also close to the Cliffs of Moher. As mentioned, Galway and Aran Islands are great. I wouldnt bother spending any time in Dublin personally. West Cork and Kerry are great but might be a bit too much driving as you dont have that much time.

 

[Mr. Funky]

For the time without the boat i would recommend Achill Island, if you like remote places.
For scenic views at the coast, follow the "wild atlantic way". It covers all the beatiful parts of the west coast. Plan a lot of time even for short trips on the map, the roads there are incredibly small and bendy.

 

[Steam Flyer]

For the time without the boat i would recommend Achill Island, if you like remote places.
For scenic views at the coast, follow the "wild atlantic way". It covers all the beatiful parts of the west coast. Plan a lot of time even for short trips on the map, the roads there are incredibly small and bendy.

That is true, driving in Ireland is an adventure all in itself. Get the insurance!!

 

[Whinging Pom]

Don't hurry, I always have such fun every time I visit Ireland. You can't have too much fun.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Are there are any knitters in your group?

 

[robtoujours]

The Burren is not far from your end point and is stunning, through there to Doolin for decent pubs and live trad music, also close to the Cliffs of Moher. As mentioned, Galway and Aran Islands are great. I wouldnt bother spending any time in Dublin personally. West Cork and Kerry are great but might be a bit too much driving as you dont have that much time.

Agree with this and similar replies, @Zonker is with other family members including elderly parent so an intense schedule is counterproductive imo.

Two weeks is not a long time. If flying into Dublin it’s worth a look around for a day or two but you’ll be glad to get out of it, add a few extra days to the boat hire instead.

So leisurely pace on the boat is best, then hire a car for a day to go to Galway/Burren/Cliffs of Moher and then another day for areas like Clew Bay, Lough Corrib, the various Atlantic islands.. whatever takes your fancy. Ireland is very car centric though this is slowly improving. Despite this, as others pointed out, the road network outside a few new Autobahns is “interesting”. The government has heavily invested in promotion of the Wild Atlantic way, it’s a handy way to organise routes and points of interests. Foodie places and pubs are everywhere nowadays. Far cry from even 10 years ago.

Plenty of fishing in the Loughs - perch, pike, trout. No problem traversing the Shannon, I think Eoin was in part referring to the secondary canal network which is not relevant to you. If someone knows German it will be an advantage when shouting at one to get out of the way ;-)

Southern coast esp West Cork is my preferred cruising area in a sailboat or a camper but it’s a bit far from the Shannon, save it for another trip and don’t bother going further south of Limerick.

Some might say avoid Limerick altogether, it’s known as “stab city” for a reason ;-)