Canal Fencing, Tent Removal, And Patrols Have Cost The Irish Tax Payer €790,769
Image: Emmet Malone
Canal Fencing, Tent Removal, And Patrols Have Cost The Irish Tax Payer €790,769
Text: Izzy Copestake
Waterways Ireland ran up a heavy bill in 2024.
Waterways Ireland have confirmed how much fencing, clean-up and patrols for removing and preventing with asylum seeker encampments along the Grand Canal cost them in 2024, and it wasn’t cheap. The total bill came to €790,769 in 2024, which included €566,718 in fencing costs, €95,170 on tent removal operations, and €128,881 for patrols of the area.
The canal fencing was a source of controversy last year as it blocked access to the canal from Mount Street to Harolds Cross, and was viewed by protest groups as anti-homelessness architecture. In July last year, Rank & File Collective organised an exhibition titled “Fences are for Horses, not People,” where community members and artists displayed art on the fences, rejecting them as symbols of exclusion and calling for solidarity and compassion in public spaces.
In a statement, a spokesperson from Waterways Ireland has said: “The canal is a wonderful amenity for responsible recreational use – it is not a safe place to sleep.” They have also highlighted the dangers of people falling into the water, “[the canal] can be deceptively dangerous, with deep water in places [and] up to 800mm of sediment on the bottom of the canal, and steep slopes.” The spokesperson reiterated that their responsibility was to ensure that the canal did not fall into “misuse, disrepair, or [disuse]”, adding: “In fulfilling these duties Waterways Ireland are obligated to uphold the highest standards of public health and safety.”
In June 2024, Waterways Ireland announced plans to use “architectural redesign” and “landscaping” to prevent tents from being pitched along the Grand Canal and “improve amenities along the canal bank” , which has now commenced.
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