Collections

You can now search over 7,000 records in the online catalogue.  At the core of the collection are the engineering drawings created by the early canal and navigation companies and include surveys, sketches and blueprints. Other collections include the Ian Bath  and the Delany Photographic Collections as well as the Hayden Collection, all providing a rich legacy of inland waterways history and heritage. 

Also included in the Collections is 'Waterways Through Time' an award winning podcast series by Irish Historian, Author and Podcaster Turtle Bunbury exploring the histories, myths and legends of the Irish waterways. Available here or on all podcast platforms.

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Engineering Collection

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Engineering Collection
At the heart of the archive are the original drawings tracing the development of the waterways from their conception in the eighteenth century through to their construction and their ongoing maintenance during the nineteenth and early twentieth century.
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4077
Scanned

Ian Bath Collection

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Ian Bath Collection
The story of the Royal Canal from its conception to its reopening in 2010 was documented by Dr. Ian Bath in this collection of images, originally captured on transparencies.
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1449
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The Hayden Collection

Video
The Hayden Collection
In the 1980s, Charlie Hayden of the Royal Canal Amenity Group, shot a series of films. Rallies and events were beautifully captured on film. Shot on smaller reels, they were played on bigger reels for screenings at the end of each year.
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7
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