Successful Launch of Coalisland Canal Book.

Tommy McIlvenna

A large crowd turned up at the Cornmill Coalisland on Tuesday 13^th December for the launch of  “This Wonder Working Canal – A History of the Tyrone Navigation” by Thomas McIlvenna. Welcoming everyone to the launch Jim Canning Chairman of the Coalisland Canal Branch of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland said the book was a very important part of the work to reopen the canal. Tommy had been a supporter of the canal for many years and had given many lectures on its history on behalf of the Branch of which he is a valuable and committed committee member. He thanked him for undertaking the writing of the book and said that in its pages as in his lectures the characters would come to life.

The chairman thanked the Lough Neagh Partnership and DARD for grant aiding the book and making it possible for the Branch to publish it. He also thanked DCAL, The Rivers Agency and Dungannon Borough Council for their help in the improvements to the canal over the last number of years. He paid tribute to the community for their magnificent support to the Branch and asked them to keep it up. 

Local historian Aidan Fee complimented Tommy on the “readable” quality of the book and said it felt good even to hold in the hand. He recalled coming in his fathers car from his home in Aughrimderg to Coalisland as a young child and being fearful of the strange surroundings. He remembered hearing the strange sounds of the factory horns from the town drifting over the miles to his home and older boys talking of seeing things like “The Three Stooges at the pictures in the ‘Island”. As well as being a well-researched history of the canal “The flavour of all that is in the pages of this book” he said.

In introducing Brian Cassells, President of IWAI, Jim Canning said the Coalisland Branch was delighted to have him as a member and he thanked him for his help and support over the years. Brian said he was proud to be at the launch and complimented the author on the quality of the book. He said he already had many orders for copies from branches throughout Ireland as people who knew Tommy through hearing him lecture on Coalisland Canal eagerly awaited it. He praised the enthusiasm of the hard working members of the local branch and said that although they were a relatively new branch they were the most progressive in the country and the envy of others.

Author Tommy McIlvenna outlined his long interest in the canal and the years spent in gathering material from many sources for his lectures. Compiling an article for Stewartstown Historical Society’s annual publication The Bell had finally given him the courage to take on the task of writing the book over the last two years. He thanked the many people who had helped with both photographs and material as well as those who had given him good advise, many of them present at the launch, and the branch members for their practical help. He said he was grateful to Kieran McAlinden of Creative Juices Innovative Media for the design work and to Eugene Murray of printers G.P.S. Colour Graphics Ltd. Belfast for their prompt and excellent work.

Tea and Christmas fare was served while the book went on sale and the author was busy for some time signing the large number of copies purchased. The book is available at newsagents in Coalisland, Dungannon, Cookstown and a number of country shops in the rural areas. It will make an excellent present for anyone with an interest in canals, local history or the industrial and social heritage of the past three centuries. The Boxing Day Walk to Macks Bridge and back leaves the Cornmill at 2pm and everyone is welcome.

Paddy McGahan DARD, Jim Canning Branch Chairman, Tommy McIlvenna Author, Gerry Darby Manager of Lough Neagh Partnership and Roy Wilkins, Coalisland Branch Committee member

AGM 2005 of Coalisland Canal Branch IWAI

The Annual General Meeting of the Coalisland Canal Branch of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland which took place on Thursday 27^th January in the Boardroom of Coalisland and District Development Association was well attended.

This was the first AGM since the Friends of Coalisland Canal became a branch of IWAI in May 2003.

The secretary Johnny Cavanagh had much to report on a very busy and fruitful fifteen months work by the members with fifteen committee meetings. During that time there were three walks each attended by hundreds of people and a very successful Small Boats Rally which attracted massive media attention and brought the campaign to restore Coalisland Canal to a wide audience throughout Ireland and further a field.

To date Rivers Agency with funding from DCAL has carried out extensive dredging and towpath improvements and Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council are supplying seats and signage and access gates. In just a few years the place has been transformed and is being well used by the public.

The Coalisland Branch have also been successful in securing from Lough Neagh Partnership over one hundred and fifty five thousand pounds for work at The Point and are presently working with the Borough Council who are match funding with DCAL and will also carry out the work. 

Treasurer Jack Corr gave a healthy financial report and thanked the many local firms who had generously supported the Small Boats Rally. There are presently over fifty paid up members with some subscriptions still to be renewed.

The chairman Jim Canning reported forty five daytime meetings, apart from the usual committee meetings, with people who could help further the plan to fully restore the Canal.

He said that there was a lot of support from many quarters and visitors were always impressed by the enthusiasm of Branch Members and by the massive support of the local community.

Members present expressed their gratitude to the community for the ever-increasing support which they gave to the efforts of the Branch and which was a major factor in saving the Basin from adverse development. Strong community support also ensures that funding bodies look more favorably on applications from the Branch and this has been the case for Coalisland.

Brian Cassells, Vice Chairman of IWAI attended and conducted the election of officers and committee for the incoming year which resulted in all being returned. He praised  the work done by the Branch in such a short time and said he looked forward to telling the next meeting of the IWAI Executive in Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath that the Coalisland Branch had held fifteen committee meetings, forty five daytime meetings , had extensive work done on the Canal, held three walks and a boat rally and on top of all that have the offer of really big funding from Lough Neagh Partnership.

Brian is a member of Coalisland Branch since it was formed and members congratulated him on his becoming the new President of the Inland Waterways Association in March.

A lively discussion took place with many new ideas put forward for future work and the committee were made aware that another busy year lay ahead.

Brian Cassells said that Coalisland was possibly the most active and successful branch in Ireland. Why not join a winning team and be part of the action?

At a well attended meeting in the Coalisland Enterprise Centre presided over by Brian Cassells Vice President of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland a branch of IWAI was formed. Branch officers were elected and it was decided that the new branch would be known as The Coalisland Canal Branch.

Jim Canning was elected Branch Chairman, James Walshe Vice Chairman, Jack Corr Branch Treasurer and Johnny Cavanagh elected Branch Secretary with Tommy O'Neill elected Assistant Secretary.

Brian Cassells welcomed the new branch and its members to the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland and Victor Hamill chairman of the River Bann and Lough Neagh Association presented Jim Canning with an IWAI burgee on behalf of the RBLNA.

Members of Coalisland Canal Branch IWAI