Water sports protected in Mullingar Harbour as club force byelaw revision

The future of water sports in Mullingar Harbour is now secure after a local club successfully campaigned against a change of byelaws on the Royal Canal that would have put an end to their activities.

Mullingar Canoe Polo Club’s future was put at risk in October of last year when Waterways Ireland proposed the removal of the five-day mooring limit at the harbour.

They were concerned that this would turn it into a storage facility for boats that don’t move and leave no room for their sport.

Around 120 members of the club made a submission to Waterways Ireland, during the initial public consultation phase of the byelaw change, urging them not to remove the mooring limit.

At an information evening at Mullingar Park Hotel last Wednesday (February 7), Waterways Ireland Operations Controller Eanna Rowe said their concerns have been taken on board in the latest revision.

“In the case of Mullingar, we have amended proposals as to how the harbour would be managed,” he said.

“We have a five-day rule now which will ensure the submissions we received in relation to other activities can also be accommodated – like water sports, canoe polo, kayaking and all of those activities.

“We want the best for the waterways and we want the best for our towns and villages that they pass through and the best for the communities who live across those waterways.”

Mr Rowe said there is huge untapped potential in Ireland’s inland water bodies.

“We think that they are untapped by way of potential for recreational activity, visitors and tourism,” he said.

“We work closely with our colleagues in Fáilte Ireland and we also work hand in glove with Westmeath County Council to ensure that we can develop these assets.

“As we see it, Mullingar is a key hub on the Royal Canal, there is a beautiful cut-stone harbour here and it’s a fundamental part of the town.

“We want to develop Mullingar as a hub and as a destination, both from a navigation perspective and a greenway perspective.”

Mullingar Canoe Polo Club was founded just under five years ago and now has more than 100 members, some of whom have represented the Ireland.

Its founder Ivan McDonald said he was concerned for the club’s future after the initial byelaw proposals were released.

“We need space for pitches and the removal of that mooring limit would have closed us down,” he said.

“We have put a lot of time and money into this harbour and host national events here too, so we didn’t want to lose it.

“Thankfully, this was a proper consultation process and Waterways Ireland listened to us.

“It’s complex to balance everyone’s needs on the Royal Canal – they have to deal with recreational crafts, water sports, houseboats and barges.”

Mr McDonald said the updated proposals protect the future of water sports in Mullingar Harbour.

“Water sports harbours are marked out now and boats can still come and visit the town,” he said.

“They are designated as five-day harbours; we didn’t want to keep boats out of the harbour because it would be bad for tourism and bad for the town.

“We want boats with people on them who bring something to the town.”

Cllr Aoife Davitt, who was also involved in the campaign to keep the mooring limit, said there is huge potential for activities on the Royal Canal.

“This is great news but I think we should have even more spots along the canal for boats to moor to give more space in the harbour,” she said.

“We really want people to come to Mullingar, we want to sell our waterways, and we want the water to be a shared space for everyone.

“We want kayakers, anglers, people using the water for leisure, and everyone else, to be able to enjoy the harbour.”

A second consultation phase for the revision to the Royal Canal byelaws is currently open and will close at the end of February.

As things stand, Mullingar Harbour joins harbours in Tullamore, Kilcock, Longwood and Edenderry which have been designated as water sports locations by Waterways Ireland.