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In the NEW SEASON 4 of Waterways through Time, historian Turtle Bunbury explores Ireland's rivers, lakes, and canals through conversations with remarkable voices. Historian Rob Goodbody explains how our waterways were first mapped. Brian Cassells tells the story of the Ulster Canal and its modern revival. Liam Kenny shares the lore and legends of Kildare's towpaths. Admiral Michael Clarke recalls the yachting traditions of Lough Erne and its role in World War Two. John and Sandra Lefroy invite us aboard the Phoenix at Killaloe. Military historian Dr Harman Murtagh reflects on war and settlement along the waterways. And sailing historian Vincent Delany charts the story of the Shannon One Design.
32 Episodes
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Turtle recounts the remarkable tale of the rise, fall and resurrection of the vital docks and locks that linked Dublin Port and the River Liffey to the Grand Canal and the inland system beyond.
Turtle interviews Brian Cassells about the creation of the Ulster Canal, including its 2024 renaissance in Clones.
Turtle talks with Kildare historian Liam Kenny about the impact of the canals and the River Barrow on the history and lore of county Kildare, which has 120 km of canal side walking routes. Liam tells Turtle about some of the engineering triumphs, architectural legacies and other fascinating anecdotes.
John and Sandra Lefroy talk with Turtle about the Phoenix, their beloved boat, which is moored at the foot of their garden in Killaloe.
Turtle talks with yachting historian Vincent Delany about the Shannon One Design - Ireland's iconic 18-foot clinker-built racing yachts - and explores their origins, design, as well as colourful yachtsmen from Lord Crofton to Jimmy Furey, and the rich heritage of sailing on the Shannon's lakes.
Turtle talks with Michael Clarke, an admiral of the Lough Erne Yacht Club, about the lake's unique water culture, the legacy of yachting, the original regatta, and its role as a base for RAF Catalina (American, California) flying boats in World War Two (Pacific battles.)
Turtle talks with Rob Goodbody, a prominent historian and conservation consultant, about how Ireland's waterways were surveyed and mapped in times past.
Turtle talks with Dr. Harman Murtagh, a former president of the Military History Society of Ireland, about the story of the historic settlement on the lakeshore and the islands. Harmon also homes in on boating on the lough from ancient times and the lakes' island monasteries.
Turtle is joined by Ultan Cowley who shares his insights into the daily lives, motivations and semi-mythological reputations of the Irish navvies who built the canals, and how their successors built Britain's railways, motorways and the Channel Tunnel.
Beginning on the eve of the French Revolution, the Royal Canal is Ireland's longest manmade waterway running for 145 km (90 miles) from Dublin to the River Shannon. Here Turtle tells the colourful story of its founders Long John Binns and William Cope, and looks at why it took almost 30 years to finish the project.
It is now 30 yrs since the completion of the Shannon-Erne waterway, linking the Shannon and Erne river systems. It was a pioneering project in many ways, not least as one of the first major collaborative efforts between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Turtle talks with renowned engineer Joe Gillespie, the main OPW representative on the project, for a reflection on how the transformational waterway came about.
Irish language novelist and historian Séamas Mac Annaidh discusses his childhood on the island of Enniskillen, as well as the monks who compiled the Annals of Ulster on Belle Isle, the school where Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett studied, and a poem about American GIs playing baseball amid the ruins of Devinish Island.
Featuring cameos by James Joyce's canal-building forbear and Black Tom Wentworth, we learn how the desire to drain and improve Ireland's boglands led the industrious Georgians to slowly (very slowly) construct some of the island's earliest canals and waterways.
Turtle charts the twists and turns of the long-running project to connect Dublin to the River Shannon.
Patsy Cummins is the third generation of her family to work on the Grand Canal. Having been keeper of the 29th lock near Tullamore, she talks of the friendships she made along the way and explains how a tragedy at Shannon Bridge brought her family east to Ballycowan.
Dive into this gorgeous interview with Gwen Wilkinson, who named her homemade boat 'Minnot' before setting out on her 400 km journey from the shores of Lough Erne to the tidal waters of the River Barrow in Ireland.
Turtle talks with marine archaeologist, Dr Connie Kelleher, about the exciting revelations of underwater archaeology on Irish waterways from Neolithic logboats to battle debris to the treasures of the modern age.
Boating guru Cliff Reid of www.boatrips.ie discusses the glorious historical, geographical and natural elements of the River Barrow, the second-longest river in Ireland.
The Maguires, Kings of Fermanagh, were once among the most prominent dynasties in the north-west of Ireland. At their peak, their fleet of white sail boats gave them complete dominance of the waterways in and around Lough Erne, where they built the first castle at Enniskillen. This is the story of their rise and all.
Turtle talks with historian, Cathy Scuffil about one of the most iconic aspects of the Canal Age – the sight of barges laden with Guinness barrels voyaging through the Irish countryside.
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