tarboat's photos with the keyword: lough derg

Boathouse at Williamstown Harbour on the western shore of Lough Derg, County Clare. SCL stands for Shannon Castle Line, the hireboat fleet seen behind in winter storage mode.

Corrugated iron boathouse at Williamstown Harbour on the western shore of Lough Derg, County Clare.

Sunset at Rossmore Quay on the Galway shore of Lough Derg. Jefferson surveys the barge that had brought us to this quiet place for the night.

I have always loved to see historic boats in use on the waterways. This is the Phoenix which was built in 1872 to the design of Andrew Horn at the Neptune Iron Works, Waterford (Malcolmson Bros.) The boat was built for Francis Spaight of Derry Castle on Lough Derg, possibly as a wedding present for his son, William. For most of its life the boat has been based on the Shannon and around Killaloe in particular. The steam engine was replaced by a two-cylinder, two-stroke diesel engine, made by Ellwe of Sweden. It had a compressed-air start mechanism and developed 36ihp at 475rpm. In 1966 the Ellwe engine was replaced with a Perkins S6. Still based at Killaloe the Phoenix is seen here leaving Dromineer on Lough Derg after a regatta. More history of this vessel can be found at iwn.iwai.ie/v26i2/phoenix.html .

It was a rough and squally day for a trip on Lough Derg on a barge, but the changeable weather made for some fine atmospheric scenes as we headed home in the late afternoon. This view was taken looking south-west whilst heading between Williamstown Harbour and Dromineer.

I do love the Irish loughs, particularly on days when the clouds scud across the sky and the sun makes sudden and fleeting appearances. The light changes so quickly and there are so many different moods to the water and sky. Rainbows are a regular feature and the wide-open spaces across the water makes it possible to see the whole arc, as in this example, snatched on a wild October day on Lough Derg, looking north-east from Williamstown Harbour.