CANAL STORES WINS KEY CONTRACT FOR CLONES MARINA DEVELOPMENT

PETER HUGHES The local Ulster Canal Stores has been selected as the preferred bidder for the delivery of food and refreshment services at the new Marina which is reaching the concluding stages of development in Clones. This was revealed by Waterways Ireland Northern Regional Manager Garret McGrath when he addressed Tuesday’s meeting of Monaghan Co Council on the works to complete phase two of the Ulster Canal regeneration project and the plans that are in train to deliver its third and concluding phase.

Mr McGrath said that a contract had been awarded to the Canal Stores on Friday last after what was a competitive tender process and Waterways Ireland would be engaging with them shortly. His presentation to the meeting was introduced by Cathaoirleach David Maxwell (Fine Gael) with a reflection on the recent visit to the “fantastic new facility” of the Clones Marina which he and other councillors had made in the company of Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys. “Well done to you and your team,” the Cathaoirleach told the Waterways Ireland official in relation to the works that had been carried out there. Thanking the Council for the invitation to give them an update on the Ulster Canal restoration, the Regional Manager explained that Waterways Ireland was the largest of the six north-south implementation bodies.

They were the leading providers of greenways and blueways on the island of Ireland, with headquarters in Enniskillen and 3.2 million users of their waterways annually. They governed €1 billion in assets. There were eight navigations currently in Waterways Ireland’s remit and the Ulster Canal was “the new member of the family”. He described the purpose of his organisation as to be the custodians of their inland navigations – their work was all about generating value for their waterways and the regions in which they were located.

Mr McGrath said the Ulster Canal had been founded in 1842 and went out of service in 1931, when the expansion of the railway network had resulted in a more efficient means of moving goods than canals. Phase one of the restoration development, from Lough Erne…