Corbally Branch - where does it go?

There was a question in the back of my mind for a long number of years - I knew the Grand Canal left Naas harbour in 2 channels, one toward Sallins, and the other was mystically called the Corbally Branch. I ner knew of a place called Corbally, and I never had the idea to Google it (though if I had I'd have found out all about it).



Until one day, I was travelling from Kilcullen to Newbridge along some backroads and I passed what turned out (after I checked some online maps!) to be the ruined harbour at Corbally. Click!


View Larger Map

A number of weeks since, I took an opportunity to take the camera out and make some picturegraphs to share.  It looks like an old harbour, with some buildings next to it. What the buildings were for, I'm not sure, but they're pretty ruined now - maybe stores for a local business?





Of course, it was a beautiful day. I'd intended to walk along the canal, but poorly I chose the eastern bank and soon the way was blocked by gorse and brambles - the western towpath seems a bit easier, but if you're a sheep, leave your dog at home. (really though, there are sheep farmers here, so do leave your dogs at home!)



Further research (see links below!) notes that this is a feeder, much like Pollardstown Fen for the canal. It's about 5 miles out from Naas, so easily walkable with a picnic (though I say stay west, and check on maps first!).

Links:
http://iwai.ie/maps/grand/maps.grand.23.html
http://kildare.iwai.ie/
http://heritageboatassociation.ie/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=352&Itemid=43

Some Monasterevin Photographs

Last weekend (feels like it's a week ago!) I had a bit of time on Sunday afternoon. It was a nice day, so I took some photographs on the (round-about) way to the shops for bread and milk and stuff. These are the results - many were deleted, and this is kinda bridge heavy, but as I've said before, there are photographs everywhere, you just have to get out and about and go to them!

This road leads to Monasterevin - I love these old signs, lots of character and texture still in them. That's a mile there, by the way, not a kilometre....!


My travels took me to the train station. The bridge linking the platforms is (naturally) defended by fencing, so I couldn't take the photo I thought I wanted, so this would have to do...


Off I went to recursive infinity after that...


Then down by the Barrow I got a few photos of the Pass bridge, the viaduct and the aqueduct. In the picture below you'll see the rail viaduct and the aquaduct (Grand canal over the river Barrow). For more pictures, follow the link in the title, and enjoy!


Oh, by the way, does anyone know if blogger is broken on chrome?

Pollardstown Fen, Kildare; Or somewhere I've been meaning to go for aaaaaaaages

This morning, with the weather being so nice and all, I decided to scout out a local conservation area that's been at the back of my mind for some years now (it even came up as a suggestion for a Young Scientists Competition entry, but that's another story that I've forgotten....).



Pollardstown Fen, Co. Kildare, with car parking located just at the M in Morristownbiller in the map below:


View Larger Map

It's a large area, and boggy (Well, I suppose fenny, but it's hard to write that without laughing...) and the National Parks and Wildlife Service have installed a boardwalk about 2km or so in length so that you can easily see what the fen is all about. In brief, it's an area on the outskirts of the Curragh plains, where the limestone brings a lot of underground water to the surface in numerous springs (Father Moore's well, nearby, probably being another one of these). This water in turn creates a fen, or marshland, which is first and foremost an important habitat (you remember those snails that held up the Kildare bypass?) and secondly a source of water for the Grand Canal!



It was quiet today - I was alone (there were flowers to be chosen!) and only as I left did another car or 2 come into the car park. There were also very few birds, though had I spent longer there, or in another part of the year, I may have had more to look at - though I was too slow with my camera when I spotted a kestrel hovering!

It's overwhelmingly reedy, and the area of the fen is substantially larger than covered by the walkway, but I don't know how safe or wise or environmentally friendly it would be to try to explore off the boardwalk.



In other news this weekend there was a familial meeting which went well, and a fine view of the ISS (which seemed to interest all those in the familial meeting!) and the almost-docked Discovery space shuttle. I have my 10x50 Pentax binos to thank for being able to discern the 2 points of light, and although it's "just a moving star" there's added significance when you know what you're looking at. I've added a useful tracker to the right hand side you might have noticed.

Oh, and for further information on the fen, why not have a look at the sites below:
National Parks and Wildlife service factsheet 
Bord na Mona info
Inland Waterways info

Enjoy!