As
far -back as 1637, it was suggested that a canal should be cut from
Moira to Lough Neagh but like many a good idea it was shelved for
many years.
Well,
over a century - later, in 1763 , the Lagan Canal was officially
-opened when the horse drawn barge, Lord Hertford, made the trip
from Belfast to Lisburn. By
1794, when more money had been acquired, the work was completed
on out to Lough Neagh. However,
navigation was poor and it was once said that a ship could get from
Belfast to the West Indies and back in faster time than it took
for the canal lighter to do the round trip to Lough Neagh.
By
1850, the time had been improved to less than a week. Barges carried
coal and other non-perishable goods inland, often returning with
a cargo of Lough Neagh sand. At its peak, over 100,000 tons of freight
was carried annually, but already the rival railway tracks were
forking out across the countryside.
Until
the motor boat engine arrived, the canal boats were horse-drawn
and occasionally "poled" when empty. There was a towpath
all the twenty-five miles from Belfast to Lough Neagh. The barges
were wooden, except when, in 1880, William Barbour and Son of Hilden
brought in steel boats on the canal.
For
several years, the canal paid its way as a commercial enterprise
but the fact remains that it arrived rather late on the transport
scene to enjoy its full contribution. Hard on the heels of the railway
came the motor-lorry with its fast door to door service, and the
deep waters ran still.
The
section from Lough Neagh to Lisburn was abandoned on April 1, 1954,
and the stretch to Belfast in July, 1958.
