Laois features in new book on the great Grand Canal

A new book charts the history of the Grand Canal as it weaves its way through Kildare, Laois and the Midlands on the way to the River Shannon.

All The Way By The Grand Canal, by Joe Kerrigan and Richard Mills, describes the waterway as a stunning feat of engineering in the eighteenth century and vital for Ireland’s trade and industry.

Over two centuries later, the Canal has a new life as a walking and cycling trail. Visitors can step back in time, enjoying the peace and quiet of yesteryear while discovering quirky humpbacked bridges and ivy-covered warehouses, in a landscape far removed from modern pressures.

The main line of the Grand Canal is 131 kilometres long with 43 locks.

Laois features in the book in the shape of the Barrow Line and the now-disused Mountmellick Line which also served Portarlington.

Pictured: Camac aqueduct allows the Barrow line flow over the Stradbally River.

In the book, Jo Kerrigan examines the history, life and lore of the waterway over the centuries, while photographer Richard Mills offers gorgeous images of its elegant locks and bridges, and the wildflowers, animals and birds found along its leafy banks.

Jo Kerrigan grew up in West Cork; after working in the UK as writer, academic and journalist, she returned home to the place she loved best. She now writes regularly for a range of publications, including The Irish Examiner and the Evening Echo as well as international magazines, and operates a very popular online weblog.

Richard Mills has combined the career of press photographer with The Irish Examiner and Evening Echo in Cork.