Grand canal ( Ireland ) - wikipedia Grand canal ( Ireland ) Grand Canal An Chanáil Mhór The Grand Canal in Dublin Specifications Length 82 miles ( 132 km ) Locks 43 Status Open Navigation authority Waterways Ireland History Construction began 1756 Date completed 1804 Geography Start point Shannon Harbour End point Grand Canal Dock Connects to River Shannon The Grand Canal ( Irish : An Chanáil Mhór ) is the southernmost of a pair of canals that connect Dublin, in the east of Ireland, with the River Shannon in the west, via Tullamore and a number of other villages and towns, the two canals nearly encircling Dublin 's inner city. Its sister canal on the Northside of Dublin is the Royal Canal. The last working cargo barge passed through the Grand Canal in 1960. Contents 1 Branches 2 History 3 Route 4 Disasters 5 Ownership 6 Grand Canal Way 7 See also 8 Notes 9 External links Branches View from the green line Luas bridge Main line to Grand Canal Harbour near St. James 's Gate Most of the route is now used by the Luas. While this section was in use, the canal from Crumlin to the Liffey in Ringsend, which forms part of the current main line, was considered to be a branch. Naas / Corbally Navigable to Naas, but a low bridge prevents access to Corbally Barrow, joining the River Barrow at Athy Milltown feeder The Mountmellick Line, which left the Barrow Line at Monasterevin and passed through Portarlington ( abandoned ) Blackwood feeder ( abandoned ) Lough Boora feeder ( abandoned ) Edenderry Kilbeggan ( abandoned ) Ballinasloe ( starting on the far side of the River Shannon from Shannon Harbour ; abandoned and now used by Bord na Móna industrial railway ) History The idea of connecting Dublin to the Shannon was proposed as early as 1715, and in 1757 the Irish Parliament granted Thomas Omer £ 20,000 to start construction of a canal. By 1759 he reported that 3 km ( 1.9 mi ) in the Bog of Allen and 13 km ( 8.1 mi ) of canal from the River Liffey near Sallins towards Dublin were complete. By 1763 he had completed 3 locks and 6 bridges towards Dublin and was concentrating on establishing a water supply from the Morell River near Sallins. At this point the Corporation of Dublin realised that the canal could be used to improve the water supply to the city, and put up the money to complete the canal into the city. But when the canal was filled, the banks gave way and the city did n't obtain its water. By 1768, £ 77,000 had been spent on the project and little more was forthcoming. The waterfall of the Grand Canal In 1772 the Grand Canal Company was established by a group of noblemen and merchants, including public subscription, to ensure the future of the canal and to tackle the biggest barrier to the canal, the Bog of Allen. This was a new venture for canals. The company invited John Smeaton and his assistant William Jessop to Ireland for two weeks to advise them. Smeaton made a recommendation to skirt round the bog but to build the canal at the full height, in contrast to Omer 's efforts which attempted to drain parts of the bog and build at a lower level. This was to prove an expensive mistake, although he also advised reducing the generous locks that Omer had built ( 42m by 6 m / 137 ft by 20 ft ) to 18m by 4m ( 60 ft by 14 ft ), which would bring about considerable savings in the total cost of the canal. Leinster Aqueduct over the Liffey The canal from Sallins was finally opened to traffic in 1779 and a twice - weekly passenger service from Sallins to Dublin started in 1780. The canal was extended to Robertstown in 1784, including the Leinster Aqueduct across the Liffey, constructed by Richard Evans, and to a junction with the River Barrow at Athy by 1791. The circular line through Dublin from Portobello to Ringsend, where large docks adjacent to the Liffey were constructed, was started in 1790 and opened in 1796. The company had by then turned its attention to completing the link with the Shannon. Getting across the Bog of Allen took more than five years of struggle under the guidance of Jessop, who attempted to use walls of clay to support the walls of the canal. Though the canal was opened to Daingean ( then Philipstown ) in 1797, serious breaches occurred and Jessop was forced to abandon this method. The continuation to the Shannon then continued under the leadership of John Killaly, who succeeded in crossing another bog by carrying out drainage works for several years before construction. The work was substantially completed in 1803, but because of leakages and a dry summer the official opening had to be delayed until April 1804. The canal had taken 47 years to build, advancing at a rate of 7.7 cm ( 3 inches ) per day. The whole work had cost in the region of £ 877,000 and it was some years before it began to make a profit, although regular dividends had been paid to shareholders. Trade increased from 100,000 tons in 1800 to double that in 1810. Revenues from passenger boats also increased to £ 90,000 by that date. ( The novel The Kellys and the O'Kellys ( 1848 ) by Anthony Trollope includes a description of a tedious journey by passenger flyboat from Portobello to Ballinasloe. ) But the long saga had prompted a rival venture, the Royal Canal, which started construction in 1790 and was finally opened in 1817 after the government had stepped in to resolve disputes between the two compa Route The Grand Canal in Dublin, near Charlemont The Grand Canal begins in Grand Canal Dock at the River Liffey, and continues through to the River Shannon. It passes through Ringsend and traverses the southside, delineating the northern extremities of Ballsbridge, Ranelagh, Rathmines, Harolds Cross and Crumlin. This section, known as the Circular Line, has seven locks. The path of the original main line, which serviced the Grand Canal Harbour, the City Basin ( reservoir ) and Guinness brewery, can be seen at Inchicore. Most of the route of this line now runs alongside the Red Luas Line. From Suir Road Bridge, the lock numbering starts again at 1 as the canal heads west through the suburbs of Dublin West and into Kildare. At Sallins the Naas / Corbally branch diverts southwards, while the Grand Canal continues west passing Caragh, Prosperous and Robertstown, its highest point. Just outside Sallins, the canal passes over the River Liffey at the Leinster Aqueduct. Just east of Robertstown is the location where the Blackwood Feeder used to join the canal, whilst just to the west can be found the busiest junction on the canal where the Old Barrow Line, Milltown Feeder and the entrances to the Athy & Barrow Navigation meet. Further west, the canal passes Edenderry, Tullamore and Rahan before it reaches the Shannon at Shannon Harbour in County Offaly. In total the main line of the canal is 131 kilometres ( 81 mi ) with 43 locks, five of which are double locks. Disasters In December 1792, there was a major accident on the Grand Canal. A passage boat left Dublin bound for Athy. It seems that one hundred and fifty people, many of them drunk, forced their way onto a barge, in spite of the captain warning them that the boat would capsize if they did not leave. Near the eighth lock, five men, four women and two children drowned when the boat capsized. The rest of the passengers escaped. On the evening of Saturday, 6 April 1861 in Portobello Harbour, a horse - drawn bus, driven by Patrick Hardy, had just dropped a passenger on the canal when one of the horses started to rear. The horses backed the bus through the wooden rails of the bridge. The bus, horses and six passengers inside the bus, plunged into the cold waters and were drowned. The conductor was able to jump clear and the driver was pulled from the water by a passing policeman. Ownership Until 1950 the Grand Canal Company had ownership of the canal, when the Transport Act, 1950 transferred the canal to Córas Iompair Éireann. This situation continued until the Canals Act, 1986 gave it to the Office of Public Works. Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, a new all - Ireland body called Waterways Ireland was established in 1999 and assumed responsibility for most inland navigable waterways including the Grand Canal. Grand canal Way The Grand Canal Way ( Irish : Bealach na Canálach Móire ) is a 117 - kilometre ( 73 mi ) long - distance trail that follows the towpath of the canal from Lucan Bridge, near Adamstown, to Shannon Harbour. It is typically completed in five days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Waterways Ireland. At Robertstown, the Grand Canal Way intersects with the Barrow Way, which follows the Barrow Line extension to the canal to Athy for part of its route. There is also an 8.5 - kilometre ( 5.3 mi ) long greenway between the 3rd Lock at Inchicore and the 12th Lock at Lucan, which opened in June 2010. Gallery The Grand Canal, Dublin Ross & Walpole Ltd. Engineers, The Grand Canal, Dublin A barge in the Grand Canal, Dublin A lock on the Grand Canal in Dublin See also List of bridges over the Grand Canal in Greater Dublin Canals of Ireland Rivers of Ireland Transport in Ireland Grand Canal Dock Notes Jump up ^ A History of the Grand Canal Jump up ^ Ruth Delaney ( 2004 ). Ireland 's Inland Waterways. Appletree Press. Jump up ^ Guide to the Grand Canal ( 5th ed. ). Waterways Service. 1995. Jump up ^ Delany op cit. p88 Jump up ^ `` Grand Canal Way ''. Placenames Database of Ireland. Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs. Retrieved 8 August 2011. ^ Jump up to : `` Grand Canal Way ''. IrishTrails. Irish Sports Council. Retrieved 8 August 2011. Jump up ^ `` Barrow Way Overview Map '' ( pdf ). IrishTrails. Irish Sports Council. Retrieved 8 August 2011. Jump up ^ `` Opening of the Grand Canal Way Green Route 3rd Lock to 12th Lock -- 18th June 2010 ''. South Dublin County Council. Retrieved 8 August 2011. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grand Canal ( Ireland ). Information and maps of the Grand Canal ( from Inland Waterways Association of Ireland ) The Grand Canal : A History Waterways Ireland Kilbeggan Branch Photographs History of the Blackwood Feeder The abandoned main line of the Grand Canal Hiking Along Ireland 's Scenic Grand Canal Transport in Dublin Air International airport Dublin Airport ( DAA ) Rail Light rail Luas : Green Line Red Line ( Transdev ) Rapid transit DART ( Iarnród Éireann ) Tram * Dublin tramways ( DUTC & GNR ( I ) ) : Clontarf and Hill of Howth Tramroad Blessington and Poulaphouca Steam Tramway Dublin and Blessington Steam Tramway Hill of Howth Tramway ( GNR ( I ) ) Dublin and Lucan Steam Tramway Lucan and Leixlip Steam Tramway Heavy rail InterCity ( Iarnród Éireann ) Commuter ( Iarnród Éireann ) Road Bus Aircoach Bus Éireann Dublin Bus Go - Ahead Dublin Bus corridors Quality Bus Corridor Motorways M1 M2 M3 M4 M11 M50 National primary roads N1 N2 N3 N4 N7 N11 N31 N32 National secondary roads N81 N82 Regional roads R101 R102 R103 R104 R105 R106 R107 R108 R109 R110 R111 R112 R113 R114 R115 R116 R117 R118 R119 R120 R121 R122 R123 R124 R125 R126 R127 R128 R129 R130 R131 R132 R133 R134 R135 R136 R148 R156 R403 R445 R761 R810 R817 R821 R822 R824 R825 R826 European routes E01 E20 Other Bridges and tunnels Dublinbikes Dublin Port Tunnel Local roads Streets and squares ( list ) Water Canals Royal Canal ( Waterways Ireland ) Grand Canal ( Waterways Ireland ) Ports Dublin Port Dún Laoghaire Harbour Agencies National Roads Authority National Transport Authority Public transport operators in Dublin Railway Procurement Agency Transport Infrastructure Ireland * = Tram systems no longer run. Information in parentheses shows the operator ( s ) Long - distance trails in the Republic of Ireland National Waymarked Trails Ballyhoura Way Barrow Way Bealach na Gaeltachta, Dún na nGall Beara Way Blackwater Way Bluestack Way Burren Way Cavan Way Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Dingle Way Dublin Mountains Way East Clare Way East Munster Way Grand Canal Way Hymany Way Kerry Way Lough Derg Way Mid Clare Way Miners Way and Historical Trail Monaghan Way Multeen Way Nore Valley Way North Kerry Way Offaly Way Royal Canal Way Sheep 's Head Way Slieve Bloom Way Slieve Felim Way Sligo Way South Leinster Way Suck Valley Way Táin Way Tipperary Heritage Way Western Way Westmeath Way Wicklow Way Pilgrim Paths Cosán na Naomh Lough Derg Saint Kevin 's Way Greenways Boyne Greenway Dublin - Galway Greenway Great Southern Trail Great Western Greenway Waterford Greenway Other Bangor Trail Malin to Mizen Places in County Kildare County town : Naas Towns Athy Celbridge Clane Kilcock Kildare Leixlip Maynooth Naas Newbridge Sallins Villages and Townlands Allen Allenwood Ardclogh Ballitore Ballymore Eustace Calverstown Caragh Carbury Castledermot Coill Dubh Derrinturn Eadestown Hawkfield Johnstown Kilberry Kilcullen Kildangan Kill Kilmead Kilmeage Kilteel Lullymore Milltown Monasterevin Moone Narraghmore Nurney Prosperous Rathangan Robertstown Sallins Straffan Staplestown Suncroft Timolin Landforms Bog of Allen Cupidstown Hill Curragh Grand Canal Hill of Allen River Barrow River Blackwater River Boyne Figile River River Greese River Liffey Lyreen River Morell River River Rye Royal Canal Topics Geography of County Kildare List of National Monuments in County Kildare List of townlands of County Kildare Mountains and hills of County Kildare Rivers of County Kildare River Shannon, Ireland ( Basin ) Counties Cavan Leitrim Roscommon Longford Westmeath Offaly Galway Tipperary Clare Limerick Settlements Dowra Ballinaglera Drumshanbo Carrick - on - Shannon Jamestown Drumsna Roosky Athlone Shannonbridge Banagher Killaloe Limerick City Major tributaries Abbey Boyle Brosna Deel Inny Maigue Mulkear Nenagh Suck Flows into Shannon Estuary Atlantic Ocean Linked canals Shannon -- Erne Waterway Jamestown Canal River Suck canal Boyle canal Lecarrow Canal Royal Canal Grand Canal Headrace canal ( Ardnacrusha ) Major crossings Dowra Bridge Carrick Bridge Jamestown Bridge Drumsna Bridge Roosky Bridge Termonbarry Bridge N6 Athlone bypass Shannonbridge Banagher bridge Portumna bridge Killaloe Bridge The Living Bridge University Bridge O'Briensbridge Shannon Bridge Limerick Tunnel Shannon Ferry All crossings of the River Shannon Coordinates : 53 ° 19 ′ N 8 ° 12 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 53.317 ° N 8.200 ° W ﻿ / 53.317 ; - 8.200 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grand_Canal_(Ireland)&oldid=812692430 '' Categories : Transport in County Dublin Transport in County Kildare Transport in County Offaly Transport in County Westmeath Tourist attractions in South Dublin ( county ) Canals in Ireland Tourist attractions in Dublin ( city ) Long - distance trails in the Republic of Ireland Canals opened in 1779 Canals opened in 1804 Hidden categories : EngvarB from October 2013 Use dmy dates from October 2013 Articles containing Irish - language text Coordinates on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Cebuano Deutsch Español Français Gaeilge Lietuvių Norsk Polski Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 29 November 2017, at 09 : 00. 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Question: where does the grand canal start and finish
Answer: Dublin, in the east