TWO of Ireland's most popular canals in Dublin—the Grand Canal and Royal Canal have been closed indefinitely.
Many of the boaters in the United Kingdom take to the Irish canals by hiring boats, but the attraction of cruising through Dublin is no longer possible, with Waterways Ireland closing them down to boats, Alan Tilbury tells us.
€50 millions spent
Even though €50 millions have been spent in improving the two waterways in the city, they have been shut down owing to numerous attacks on boats and boaters.
This antisocial behaviour is affecting its staff as well as boaters, with 28 incidents in four years including assault, intimidation, theft, vandalism and arson.
Staff threatened
The eventual shut-down was brought in after a gang of youths pelted a couple on a boat with rocks as they were being guided through Inchicore Lock, stopping the boat from going through and staff had been threatened.