Old canal barge to be restored by young offenders

Part of our buried national heritage fleet of canal boats has been dug up and transported from its watery grave in Offaly to Limerick, where it may be used as a floating river restaurant.

The 32E was built by Ross & Walpole in 1926, for the Grand Canal Company, as a motorised general cargo boat capable of taking up to 50 tons. After been used to transport Guinness and maize along the country’s canal thoroughfares, it ended up as a dredging vessel before it was retired in the 1980s.

The old barge has now been salvaged from the Waterways Ireland depot in Tullamore, where it was under water for the past 14 years.

It is to be brought back to its past glory by groups of young offenders as part of the Voice of the River project.

The initiative is the brainchild of Limerick City Build, set up by Limerick man Ray O’Halloran to teach practical trade skills and encourage employment in disadvantaged communities.

Mr O’Halloran also sits on the board of the Probation and Linkage in Limerick Scheme (Palls), which helps young offenders map a route for themselves away from a life of crime.

The University of Limerick has also got on board, with some of its students planning on constructing a solar power engine for the barge — a far cry from the 15hp diesel engine which used to power it along in a bygone era of Irish transport.

Project spokesman and volunteer Kieran Ryan said the initiative was all about restoring the boat while also giving people the opportunity for a second chance in their life.

“We get guys from Palls, young offenders who want to go on the straight and narrow,” said Mr Ryan. “There are loads of ideas as to what the barge could be used for when it is restored. One idea is a floating cafe or floating restaurant. There are other options like a tourist boat, or a river bus to transport students to and from the University of Limerick.

“I think it should be used for something to do with tourism — an attraction for the city. Nothing is cast in stone yet. The first port of call is to restore it, and it will take a lot of work. It’s a beast of a yoke.”

After discovering 32E beneath the surface, a team of volunteers had to pump out the waterlogged barge and refloat it before eventually transporting it back along the canal to Limerick — a route the barge had used in its working merchant vessel days almost 90 years previously.

“It was in an awful state. It was sunken for the past 14 years,” said Mr Ryan. “It had to be pumped out and refloated. A ship right will have to come and log its condition officially and put together a plan of works. It’s a heritage boat so [like a listed building] it will have to be restored to exactly what it was like when it was first made.”