The newly constructed Boyle canal will be open to boats for the first time this morning. Its opening will allow cruisers on the Shannon to dock within a quarter of a mile of the town, and it is hoped it will bring a lot more tourists to Boyle this summer.
The new harbour will have room for 25 boats, a taxi service and a landscaped and lit walkway into the town. There could be spin-offs for Boyle as the number of boats on the Shannon waterways system has increased dramatically over recent years.
Mr Ray Dunne of Waterways Ireland, which manages inland waterways, said the increased wealth in the economy was evident. In the past two years there have been 800 new registrations.
The total number of vessels on the Shannon has now reached 4,000, and of these 600 are hire boats. There was a total of 8,000 passages recorded at Knockvicar last year.
Mr Dunne said there had been a lot of interest in the Boyle canal as a new destination on the Shannon system. The canal runs along an old drain, linking into the Boyle river which runs into Lough Key.
With the construction of the Curlews bypass road, a new bridge cuts off moorings on the Boyle river and the canal was agreed as part of the road project.
The incoming president of Boyle Chamber of Commerce, Mr Brian Nerney, said he was confident the canal would bring more visitors to the town. It is now included on all maps available to cruiser traffic on the Shannon and the amenities available in the town would be advertised at the harbour.