Summary: Canals
Key dates:
Waterways were much better than the rather poor roads for transporting heavy goods. Rivers and canals were used. Trade from Leinster and Munster was usually via Dublin, Cork, limerick and Waterford. Waterfor's proximity to Bristol made ita an obvious trading partner for it and it also help to make Waterford very English in character. The most important canals were the Royal and the Grand, both of which radiated from Dublin. A Board of Inland Navigation was set up in 1751 to join Dublin with the Shannon and Barrow. The Grand canal was not finished until the end of the century. Passenger services on the canals were good; although fares were high, the journey was smooth.
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