But in the early 1970s, having read Tom Rolt's account, in Green & Silver, of his journey through the Royal in 1946, Dr Ian Bath's interest in the Royal Canal came to the fore. In 1973, he attended an An Taisce meeting in Maynooth to discuss "The fate of the Royal Canal". Speakers suggested developing stretches of the Canal for angling or canoeing, but navigation was not considered.
Early days
The seeds were sown. Dr Ian joined the IWAI and, in February 1974, wrote to the secretary. He drew attention to the considerable local interest in the Canal and said "I would like to see a Royal Canal Restoration Society formed."
After he addressed a meeting of Dublin Branch IWAI, a small sub-committee was formed to mount a display of maps and photographs of the Royal Canal at the forthcoming Boat Show. The campaign to save the Royal Canal had begun.
Dr Ian convened a public meeting in Coolmine School attended by supporters, IWAI members, residents' associations, local schools and other interested bodies. A group was formed and thus, on 4 April 1974, the Royal Canal Amenity Group was born.
Getting to work
Volunteer work-parties started clearing sections of the Canal and towpaths in Castleknock and Blanchardstown in County Dublin. By cannibalising the middle gate of the 12th lock, they made good the top gate, restoring the 7.5-mile Blanchardstown-Leixlip stretch to full depth.
News of RCAG's formation spread westward. Abbeyshrule Development Association (Co Longford) sought information about canal restoration, then joined forces with Ballinacargy to become the first RCAG group outside Dublin. Then Kilcock branch (1982) started to restore the Harbour and approaches. Being near the N4 Dublin to Galway road, this section showed what could be achieved.
Branches were formed in Enfield, Maynooth, Thomastown/Killucan, Longwood and Leixlip, and work parties were the order of the day. Meanwhile, in Lucan Vocational School, RCAG and Dublin Branch IWAI began making breast-gates for the 13th lock at Leixlip, with timber supplied free by Mallinsons of Swords.
From east to west
In 1980 RCAG leased premises from Guinness Ireland in Watling St, Dublin. AnCO supplied the workforce; Eddie Slane headed the fund-raising campaign. This lock-gate factory made 30 sets of gates for the Royal Canal and 6 for the Naas Branch of the Grand Canal.
1986 saw the transfer of the Canal from CIE to OPW. RCAG and OPW worked closely together and restoration work gathered momentum. Many stretches were dredged, lock-gate installations increased substantially and by 1990 the Blanchardstown/Mullingar sections were completed. To celebrate, RCAG organised a week-long rally from Blanchardstown to Mullingar.
Attention now turned to the western section, Mullingar to Clondra and Longford: OPW began dredging; a lock-gate factory was established at Killucan; new branches of RCAG came on stream in Ballymahon, Keenagh/Forgha, Longford, Mullingar, Killashea and Richmond Harbour.
Work on replacing the culverted Moran's Bridge in Mullingar began in 1997 and should be completed by December 1998, opening the canal to Abbeyshrule. But culverted crossings at Abbeyshrule, Ballymahon, Pake Bridge, Island Bridge Keenagh, Ballinamore and Begnagh block progress westward. A similar situation applies to Spencer Dock, Dublin. RCAG calls on Government to provide the necessary funding to complete this worthwhile project.
1999 is the RCAG Silver Jubilee. It can be justly proud of its achievements over that 25-year period and can rejoice in the knowledge that, without it, this prestige waterway would have been lost forever. RCAG acknowledges the vision and dedication of our founder Dr Ian Bath, our chairman Eddie Slane, the numerous committee memebrs and workers within our 15 affiliated groups, our colleagues in IWAI and our many, many supporters. We also pay tribute to our deceased colleagues who did not survive to savour their great efforts.