Historian Turtle Bunbury explores the rich history of Ireland’s waterways from the formation of our rivers and the end of the last Ice Age, to the canals and bl... More
Historian Turtle Bunbury explores the rich history of Ireland’s waterways from the formation of our rivers and the end of the last Ice Age, to the canals and bl... More
Available Episodes
5 of 8
8: The Grand Canal Interview
A potted history of the Grand Canal and the Barrow Navigation, as told by Alan Lindley, whose family have been on the locks at Rahan, County Offaly, since the canal was constructed in the 1790s.
6/2/2022
18:29
7: The Shannon Interview
One of Ireland’s three lady lockkeepers discusses her unusual experiences on the Shannon, where she looks after the Albert Lock in County Roscommon, with some background on the area that she patrols and manages.
6/2/2022
13:45
6: The Barrow Interview
The life of a lockkeeper on the Barrow Navigation as told by John O’Neill of Slyguff, County Carlow, who recalls the life of his late aunt Maggie Gorman, and how his father used to row across the river to work.
6/2/2022
21:15
5: Spiritual Waters pt 2
Homing in on some of the 51 island monasteries on Ireland’s inland waterways, such as Lough Erne, Lough Key and Lough Ree, and telling the story of the hermits and anchorites who lived in such places.
6/2/2022
21:43
4: Spiritual Waters pt 1
Tracking the early Christian settlement along the River Barrow, and the birth of the famous monastic schools along the Shannon and the Boyne at Clonmacnois, Clonfert and Clonard, as well as others on Lough Ree and Lough Derg.
Historian Turtle Bunbury explores the rich history of Ireland’s waterways from the formation of our rivers and the end of the last Ice Age, to the canals and blue ways of 2022. With an eye for quirky details, he considers the ancient legends that underlie each river’s name, the people who lived in the crannogs and island monasteries, the creation of the canal network, and multiple other aspects of this glorious water world. This series also features interviews with contemporary men and women who have spent their working lives on the waterways as patrol officers and lock keepers.
