Ireland has more than 1,000km of waterways to explore, so you'll never be short of things to do on a cruise, writes Róisín Ingle

Kerry Sloane of Athlone Cruisers takes his time as he assesses the attractions of a holiday cruising the waterways of Ireland, his words flowing as gently as a meandering canal. "The main attraction is that when you get out on a boat it's a completely different world," he says. "Time doesn't count for a whole lot. In fact time doesn't count for anything when you are out on the water."

He says this is the main reason why tens of thousands of us take to the more than 1,000 kilometres of waterways stretching across this island for our holidays, navigating cruise boats and canal barges along the Shannon, the Erne, the Barrow and the Grand Canal.

Families experiment with a waterways holiday one year and for the most part keep coming back. Just like one of Sloane's customers who 20 years ago named his daughter Caitríona because she was conceived in a boat of the same name. "And he comes back every year to hire the same boat," he says.

In common with most of the Irish tourism industry, those in the business report a slight decline in custom this summer, but the waterways are still buzzing. Holidaymakers spent at least 40,000 nights afloat on Irish waterways last year, according to the Irish Boat Rental Association. About 550 cruisers operate on the Shannon, which is the most popular route. While still busy, the Erne waterway has suffered in the past from the poor sterling exchange rate.

Angus Levie, managing director of Shannon Castle Line, says 30 to 40 per cent of his cruise business is from Irish customers. Germans also make up a significant proportion, often booking their week on the water several months in advance. Irish people tend to book later, sometimes finding that continental Europeans have beaten them to it. "It's a well-known fact that the first language of the river is German," he jokes.

Levie says parents who worry that their children will be bored on holiday often choose this kind of break. "One father told me that he was amazed when his nine-year-old said the trip was better than Disneyland. It is constantly changing; you stop wherever you fancy and keep moving all the time."

Karen Scott, a Dubliner, has been taking cruising holidays for almost 20 years, since her eldest child was a baby. At one point she owned a 37-foot cruiser, La Mirage, and considered it her second home. She sold the boat but returns on hire holidays every year.

"My kids were pretty much raised on the Shannon, and they still come back now," she says. Her mother and father suggested they rent a boat together this summer. "My dad missed the Shannon; they always used to take holidays there," she says. So she spent two weeks with the family, a sister, a niece and a nephew in July, hopping on and off the boats of her river friends, staying up some nights until 5 a.m.

"It's supposed to be relaxing. It hasn't turned out that way, but I'm not complaining. The plan is that there is no plan," she says. "We aim to end up in Mountshannon, but we will moor in a different place every night. We went up to Banard, off Lough Derg, to Banagher and travelled around all the little harbours. At home the kids would be stuck to their computers, but here they are out fishing or collecting stones or finding something fun to do."

She says that even though they may travel the same routes year after year, nothing stays the same. "We came up from Killaloe one day and the lake was like glass; the sun was glinting off it. The next time we came up the route there were waves crashing over the side." Boating novices shouldn't worry, as potential skippers are trained on everything from negotiating locks to river etiquette.

According to Alan Thomas of Celtic Canal Cruisers in Tullamore, Co Offaly, this holiday appeals to all ages. "Middle-aged couples like the slow pace and the fact that they can plot their own route. Children see it as an adventure where they can wake up somewhere different every morning," he says.

One thing that everyone points to is the solitude. On this kind of Irish holiday there are times when birdsong and the gentle lapping of water are the only distractions and little else interferes with your thoughts. "You can be within a mile or two of one of the busiest roads or towns, and yet on the water it all seems like a million miles away," he says.

And Karen Scott has a message for those who have never navigated a boat through a 200-year-old lock or watched a kingfisher swoop and emerge from a flurry of water with a tiny speckled trout in its beak. "They are missing out in a big way," she says. "These waterways are one of Ireland's best-kept secrets."

On Tuesday: activity holidays

You'll enjoy it if . . . . . . you like messing about on the river

Where should you go? Ireland has more than 1,000 kilometres of waterways. From the Shannon and Lough Erne to the Grand Canal, the water's your oyster.

The good news? It's a great way to bond with family and friends.

The bad news? Two words. Cabin Fever.

Who will you meet? Adventurous types with binoculars and combat shorts. And lots of Germans.

What should you pack? Suntan lotion - don't laugh, you burn more easily on the water - and a stout pair of wellies.

What's the damage? Cruising is expensive. Expect to pay from €1,500 for a family of four in a six-berth

cruiser for a week, with two showers and two toilets. Alternatively, smaller cruisers can be had for just €35 a person a day.