11/08/2026
If you weren't there you missed a great weekend on the Royal! I know it's Tuesday but the two days cruising on the Royal was followed by another two days leisurely cruising back, a four day weekend then if you don't mind.
Weather was perfect, a little rain on Sunday just to remind us we were in Ireland and not the south of France!
We four boats set off on Saturday, two boats had to drop out of the original six due to breakdown and health reasons.
We stopped for a break at Longford Junction on our way to the Saturday night stopover at Mosstown Harbour, Kenagh. Longford Junction, just above Killashee, is a lovely spot for a location on the Royal. The amazing Magans Pub is open on Saturdays in Killashee, while Longford Town is a short cycle away.
Arriving in Mosstown and after resting in the sun we headed to Mack's Shack restaurant just up the road in Kenagh. Back at the harbour later we were joined by a couple of our group who could only reach us by car after the boat broke down. In the early evening the Barbie was warmed up and served us all well.
Early starts are difficult after a great night but at 9am Sunday we set off for lock 40 where Waterways Ireland lockkeepers were waiting to flush us through, thanks to all of those guys who helped us over the weekend. Onward we cruised till our midmorning break at Ballybrannigan Harbour in Ballymahon. This was an important prearranged stop where we had been invited by Luis Gomezcala to view the wonderful progress he had made in the restoration of the old Royal Canal Stores building in the harbour.
Like so many of these buildings teetering on the brink of dereliction, decay and possible demolition, this building has been saved by someone with vision. We look forward to seeing it's completion later this year and watching it become an asset to the local community. The 200+ year history of the Stores will have interesting tales to tell and will become an integral part of any visit there.
We left Ballybrannigan and continued our journey to the picturesque village of Abbeyshrule. It's a magical place with enormous pride in it's appearance. Flowers errupt from pots and baskets everywhere, seating and benches throughout the village allows you to sit and enjoy any location in the sun. Bounded by the gorgeous Royal Canal, on one side, and the picturesque Inny River on the other, means that Abbeyshrule is virtually an island in the midlands. It's well worth staying a couple of days here and exploring the village and it's history.
Monday morning brought the inevitable and we set off early again on our return journey to travel back towards Clondra. One of our party decided to stay put and explore further, wise decision! The remaining three boats reluctantly left. With no arranged events on this journey, we had time to linger in the sun and pick saucepans of those gorgeous blackberries which Greenway travellers can only dream about... (note to yourselves, get a boat!) After a lazy night at Longford Junction we moved onward on Tuesday morning, again stopping for fruit picking. This time however it was for basins full of wild hazelnuts. As the divil Kinnahan remarked, "the Hazelnutters are picking hazelnuts!" (our boat is called Hazelnut)
Always eager to drag out and extend a good experience, we nipped into the Richmond Inn for lunch on our arrival back to Clondra. A satisfying end to a glorious few days on the Royal.
I must add of course, levels were mostly very good and had seen the passage of a w**d cutter in the recent past. We'll be back next year... or sooner!
