The Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI; ) is a registered charity and a

limited company In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by shares, the lia ...

in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

and also operates in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. It was founded in 1954 to campaign for the conservation and development of the

waterways A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary ...

and their preservation as working

navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...

s. The

association Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

has approximately 4,400 members which are organised in twenty branches. IWAI has strong links with the

Scottish Inland Waterways Association The Scottish Inland Waterways Association (SIWA) was a Charitable organization#Charity registration, registered charity and voluntary association, association of canal societies and individual canal enthusiasts in Scotland. The Association was ...

(SIWA), with an annual exchange. In 2008, SIWA visited Lough Erne, and in 2009, IWAI is due to visit the Crinan Canal.

IWN

The group publishes a quarterly magazine called Inland Waterway News (IWN). It contains news about the Irish waterways along with articles from the various branches/ subgroups that make up the organisation.

Rallies

The group/ its subgroups of the IWAI host rallies over the Summer months annually. Examples of these rallies are: Shannon rally, Lough Derg rally and Lough Erne rally. The Shannon rally would be the biggest of these rallies. It can take part on any part of the Shannon. Rallies such the Lough Derg rally or Lough Erne take place in their respective areas. In the bigger rallies participants pay a fee to take part and can receive commemorative plaque to acknowledge their participation. Participants can take part in competitions held during the rally which could include testing boat operating skill level, rescuing drowning person from the water, table quiz, barbecue, fancy dress competition, music sessions and an award giving ceremony at the end. Some of the smaller branches hold small boat rallies with dingies. These are held more to demonstrate the usage of waterways (where it is being held) which are being actively restored or derelict. Branches that hold these are oyne NavigationIWAI, Newry and Portadown IWAI and Lagan IWAI. This isn't a comprehensive list and others branches may also these rallies. Informal rallies/ groups of boaters can hold their own gatherings throughout the year, referred to as Cruise in Company (CIC).

Branches

* Athlone * Barrow * Belturbet * Boyle River *

Boyne Navigation The Boyne Navigation ( ga, Loingseoireacht na Bóinne) is a series of canals running 31 km (19 mi) roughly parallel to the River Boyne from Oldbridge to Navan in County Meath, in Ireland. The navigation was once used by horse-drawn ...

* Carrick-on-Shannon * Coalisland * Corrib * Cruising Club * Dublin * Lough Derg * Lough Erne * Kildare * Lagan * Newry and Portadown * North Barrow * Offaly * Powerboat Branch * Shannon Harbour * Slaney River Bann and Lough Neagh

References

* *

External links

*
Statuary Inland waterways authority in Ireland
Charities based in the Republic of Ireland Organizations established in 1954 1954 establishments in Ireland All-Ireland organisations Inland waterways under restoration {{water-transport-stub

IWN

Rallies

Branches

See also

References

External links