North Atlantic Skyline - - Photographs from the west of Ireland (Galway, Mayo, Clare, Limerick, Roscommon and even Leitrim)

Sludge City

The City Fathers in Galway have decided to clean up the canal that runs parallel to the river Corrib from just below the Salmon Weir bridge down to Jury’s Inn at the Claddagh. The plan is to clean out the accumulated silt (as well as a few thousand beer cans) – according to the Tribune, the mud build-up has accelerated since the construction of Jury’s.

Walking along the canal bank, you’d never think that it was once the source of drinking water for the city (the old pumping station used to be there until the start of the Nineties). There’s a meaty pong coming from the muddy puddles on the canal floor, which can’t be too much fun for the residents of all the formerly waterfront properties.

Despite all the muck, there’s still plenty of life in the canal. Walking along the canal on Saturday morning, I watched a gull lift a fat, foot-long eel from a puddle to leisurely munch on it on the bank. On closer inspection, I could see more eels in the remaining pools.

The sad thing is that , despite the great amenity of the waterways around the city, most people use them as a convenient place to dump stuff. There aren’t as many trolleys or traffic bollards as you’d expect, but there are enough beer cans to keep a recycling centre busy for a few weeks.

Posted by Monasette at April 5, 2005 09:54 AM