Athlone

Another hop across to Ireland shows us the River Shannon just below the bridge in Athlone. Out of shot to the left is a wide sweeping weir and Athlone Lock. A couple of miles north of Athlone is the southern end of the 15 mile long Lough Ree, through which the Shannon flows.

See Google Aerial View of this location. The image is only fuzzy and shows no close detail. However, the old lock cut that once bypassed Athlone can be clearly seen.

Dublin

Portabello Lock, the highest of seven locks on the "Circular Line" connecting the River Liffey with the main line of the Grand Canal, in Dublin, Ireland.

The crowds which gather to watch are not just because an English narrowboat is an unusual sight in Ireland, but also because any boat passing through these well cared-for locks is an unusual sight, as few boats venture down into Dublin.

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Belmont Double Lock

Belmont Double Lock on the Grand Canal in Ireland. The lock keeper awaits the approaching boat. Notice the practice often found in Ireland of entering the bottom chamber of a staircase with both chambers empty and the middle gates open.

The Grand Canal runs 82 miles from Dublin to the River Shannon with the Barrow Line linking it to the River Barrow. Five of the 43 locks on the Grand Canal are Double locks (two-rise staircase locks), along with two of the nine locks on the Barrow Line.