Popular blueway's links to river-trading, the GAA, and an 'American invasion'

From towpaths and barges to tourists and fun, the Tipperary Blueway has a colourful history writes John G O'Dwyer

Mon, 23 Sep, 2024 - 06:05

John G O’Dwyer

Water transport was by far the most efficient way to move bulky goods before the coming of railways. Navigable rivers were hugely important for commercial success, and so most of our cities are at the mouth of a major waterway. Waterford, located on the estuary of the Barrow, the Suir and the Nore, is one such city.

Excellent for exporting agricultural produce from the rich heartlands of Tipperary, Kilkenny and Carlow, the goods could be floated downriver to Waterford Port on barges moving with the current.

But what of sending goods in the opposite direction?

In the case of the Suir, the river is tidal up to Carrick-on-Suir and so travelling upstream with a rising tide could help barges reach this town. Continuing to the much larger Clonmel, located about 20km upstream along a much narrower and shallower waterway, was, however, an entirely different matter.

Tipperary Blueway — part of the 53-kilometre Blueway linking Cahir with Carrick-on-Suir, the trail has proven an immense hit with visitors and locals alike

Even here, water transport was the best way to get bulky goods upstream, but this involved teams of men physically hauling the barges upstream and sometimes entering the water to achieve this.

There had to be a better way, and eventually the idea was conceived of canalising the River Suir. A towpath was constructed in the latter part of the 18th century, along which horses were used to tow barges upstream.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the gradual easing of penal laws against Catholics meant that many began establishing businesses. One such was the prosperous Davin Family who farmed at Deerpark, Carrick on Suir. They set up a successful river trading business and this allowed Maurice Davin (born 1842) the security and comfort to participate in a wide variety of sports. Along with his brothers Tom and Pat, he was a wonderfully talented sportman and achieved international fame in the 1870s by breaking several world records in athletics. In 1884, when Clare man Michael Cusack published a letter calling for an organisation to foster Irish sports and pastimes, Davin, a moderate nationalist, responded with strong support.

Read about enjoying Blueways and Greenways here

No doubt seeing the value of having Ireland’s foremost athlete associated with the new organisation, Cusack then issued invitations to an inaugural meeting of the new association in Thurles, signed by both Davin and himself. As the highest profile person present at this meeting, it was almost inevitable that Davin would become president of the new organisation, which initially carried the rather clunky title, the Gaelic Athletic Association for the Preservation and Cultivation of National Pastimes.

His term of office was, however, short-lived. A man of moderation, he believed in sport without boundaries and was consequently opposed to banning GAA members from playing foreign games. Such views were out of step with some of the organisation's activists, who were supporters of the radical Irish Republican Brotherhood. In February 1887, when the GAA banned members of the overwhelmingly Irish, Royal Irish Constabulary from GAA membership, Davin resigned the presidency.

Soon afterward, factional dissension within the GAA threatened to sunder the organisation. Davin was recalled to steady the ship and under his influence a split was averted. The newly re-elected president then supported an ambitious plan to raise funds by sending a team of Irish athletes to compete in the USA. In September, Davin led 50 sportsmen, including his brother Pat, to the USA on what became known as the 'American Invasion'. The venture turned out a public relations success but a financial disaster. Davin was inevitably, if unfairly, blamed for the losses and this time his parting with the GAA at a national level was permanent.

Despite the rancour surrounding this second resignation, it is a mark of Davin’s strength of character that he returned without recrimination to a life of farming with river trading and continued to promote Gaelic Games at a local level. Seeing the need for a sports field in Carick-on-Suir, he developed an enclosed GAA pitch on the family farm, where the 1904 All Ireland Hurling Final was played.

Tipperary Blueway has 53km of paddling trails and a 21km cycle route

The winds of change were, however, moving against the river trading business. The coming of railways, which had been crucial to the establishment and expansion of the GAA, now called time on the Suir navigation. Davin passed away in 1927 at a time when the river trade was in terminal decline. Soon after, the towpath fell into disuse and became the almost exclusive domain of local fishermen.

Then, in a farsighted move about 15 years ago, a decision was made to reopen the former towpath as a recreational amenity. After seven years of planning and investment, a new 21-kilometre waterside walking and cycling trail was officially opened in 2019 by Olympic silver medallist John Treacy. Part of the 53-kilometre Blueway linking Cahir with Carrick-on-Suir, the trail has proven an immense hit with visitors and locals alike.