Royal Canal of Ireland

The Royal Canal is a canal originally built for freight transportation from the River Liffey at Dublin to the River Shannon in the Republic of Ireland. The canal passes through Mullingar and Maynooth and has a spur to Longford. The canal is notable in that the Dublin - Mullingar railway line was built alongside the canal for much of the distance. The meandering route of the canal ensures a speed limiting curvature for the railway. The canal was bought by the Midland Great Western Railway to provide a route to the West of Ireland – the company at the time owned more canal route miles than railway! Today Waterways Ireland is responsible for the canal.

Related Topics:
River Liffey - Dublin - Republic of Ireland - Mullingar - Maynooth - Longford - Midland Great Western Railway - Waterways Ireland

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The other main canal in Ireland is the Grand Canal from Dublin's southside through the Midlands to the River Shannon.

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