Grand Canal Boating Information

Navigational rules

Navigational rules, known as bye-laws, outline the proper usage of waterways. Waterways Ireland, through its Inspectorate, has responsibility for enforcing those navigational bye-laws. The Grand Canal adheres to specific bye-laws, including:

• Act No. 3/1986 – Canals Act, 1986
• S.I. No. 247 of 1988 – Canals Act, 1986 (BYE-LAWS), 1988
• No. 11/2005 – Maritime Safety Act

Mooring regulations

On the Grand Canal, mooring is subject to regulations:

• The Combined Mooring and Passage (CMP) permit allows mooring for up to five days per calendar month.
• The Non-Residential Extended Mooring Permit (NR-EMP) allows mooring in a designated spot for up to one year. NR-EMP is for non-residential purposes only and cannot serve as a primary residence. Overnight stays are limited to 90 days annually.

Services

Toilets, showers and laundry facilities are available in the Service Block at Shannon Harbour. There are also toilet and shower facilities at Lowtown.

The speed limit on the Grand Canal is 3.2 knots. This limit is in place to ensure the safety of all users and the preservation of the natural environment. 

Speed limits may also be in place on other sections of the waterway and are monitored by the Inspectorate. 

Speed must be lowered within 200m of a bridge or jetty, 100m of a lock, in a canal or harbour and when passing within 100m of a moored vessel. 

You are asked to consider the wash of your boat and its effect on others. All engine-powered boats create a wave of water, known as a wash, which flows outwards from the boat as it moves forward. Look behind you frequently to check the effect that your wash is having on other users. 

You are advised to reduce your speed in narrow channels to prevent bank erosion, damage to reed beds and destruction of birds' nests among reed and bank habitats. Slow down where boats are moored, when approaching quays, jetties or locks or where water activities are taking place.

Length and no. of locks 

• Main Line - 131 km from Dublin to the Shannon with 43 locks
• Barrow Line - 45 km from Lowtown to Athy with nine locks
• Naas Branch - 4 km from Main Line to Naas with five locks

Opening hours of locks 

Daylight Hours

Navigation dimensions 

• Length of locks - 18.5
• Beam of locks - 3.9m
• Draft - 1.2m (1m in Dublin)
• Air draft - 2.7m (2.45m Ringsend Railway Bridge)

Draft dimensions are given as a guide only and cannot be guaranteed.

Lock assistance

For assistance with locks, contact the Waterway Patrollers on the numbers below:

• Ringsend Basin Dock Superintendent +353 (0)87 258 4713
• Circular Line: Locks C1 - C7 and Main Line Locks: 1 - 2 +353 (0)86 380 5657
• Main Line: Locks 3 - 12 +353 (0)87 268 3723
• Main Line Locks: 13 - 18 and Naas Branch: Locks N1 - N5 +353 (0)87 289 5611
• Main Line: Locks 19 - 20 +353 (0)87 245 6531
• Main Line: Locks 21 - 25 +353 (0)87 245 6525
• Main Line: Locks 26 - 28 +353 (0)87 245 6541
• Main Line: Locks 29 - 31 +353 (0)87 245 6482
• Main Line: Locks 32 - 34 +353 (0)87 245 6609
• Main Line: Locks 35 - 36 +353 (0)87 245 6587
• Barrow Line: Locks 19 - 23 +353 (0)86 380 7534
• Barrow Line: Locks 24 - 26 +353 (0)87 247 3093
• Barrow Line: Locks 26 - 28 +353 (0)87 951 0777

Boats travelling through Locks 1-12 If intending to travel through Main Line Locks 1 – 12, a minimum of two days prior notice must be given to the Eastern Regional Office, who will arrange passage and lock assistance at a suitable time.

All the locks on the Royal Canal, Grand Canal & Barrow Navigation are operated manually. Please ensure that you have a lock key to operate the lock, adequate crew to manage your boat, and good stop ropes and mooring ropes. Lock keys at a cost of €25 can be purchased from the Eastern Regional Office, Floor 2 Block C, Ashtowngate, Navan Road, Dublin 15, Tel no +353 (0)1 868 0148

The lowest bridge on the Grand Canal is the Ringsend Railway Bridge. 

• Air draft - 2.45m

Slipways are available at the following locations to facilitate access to the Grand Canal:

• Grand Canal Dock/Ringsend 
• Clondalkin
• Robertstown
• George’s Bridge, Edenderry
• Waterways Ireland Depot, Tullamore
• Rathangan
• Monasterevin

Access to Grand Canal Dock/Ringsend and Clondalkin is managed by the Dock Superintendent or the Waterway Patroller.

For large boats needing access at Georges’s Bridge, Edenderry, you should get in touch with the Waterways Ireland Office in Tullamore. Access at the Waterways Ireland Depot in Tullamore is only available during office hours.

Entrance to the Grand Canal from the Irish Sea is via the River Liffey and the Sea Lock at Ringsend. To reserve a passage through the Sea Lock and for further information contact the Dock Superintendent +353 (0)87 258 4713.

For further information and guidance, please contact Dublin Port Company:

+353 (0)1 887 6000

info@dublinport.ie 

www.dublinport.ie