The Royal Canal
Built to compete with the Grand Canal which connected the
south side of Dublin to the West, the Royal canal was conceived
by a disgruntled member of the Grand Canal board. With the
financial assistance and political support of the Duke of
Leinster, construction began in 1790 with a grant by the Commissioners
of Inland Navigations to the Royal Canal Company. The stillwater
canal was to be 146 kilometres in length, stretching from
Spencer's Dock on the north side of the Liffey to its terminus
at Richmond Harbour, Clondara, Co. Longford, on the Upper
Shannon River.
The site at Leixlip was one of the most expensive civil engineering
tasks ever undertaken in Ireland because the canal had to
cross the Rye Water Valley, 80 feet below the level of the
canal, hence it is of immense importance in terms of engineering
and industrial archaeology.
The Royal Canal never reached the potential of its competitor,
achieving only a third of its traffic and in 1813 the company
was dissolved with ownership reverting to the inland navigation
directors before being purchased by the Midland and Great
Western Railway Company in 1845. A rail track was laid from
Dublin to Mullingar. The canal carried passengers until 1847
and cargo until 1951. In 1960 the canal was closed to transport.
The restoration of the Royal Canal commenced in earnest in
1974, when the Royal Canal Amenity Group was established to
promote the amenity potential of the canal. Their work included
reconstruction of the lock gates and restoring breeches in
the canal. Restoration work was fragmented until the canal
was acquired by the Office of Public Works in 1986 and in
1995 commissioned the Cairns report .
Future prospects for the canal in the Leixlip area include
development of increased tourist usage for both anglers and
cruising with lay-bys recommended at Leixlip and Carton House,
educational facilities for nature and history studies, and
the improvement of walkways for visitors and residents alike.
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