The work is the next stage in an ambitious project to repair and refurbish the entire canal, which would allow boats to travel through Northern Ireland
The Newry & Portadown branch of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI) has begun to restore Moneypenny’s Lock on the Newry Canal.
The first canal built at the start of the golden era of canal building in Ireland and Britain, the waterway was opened in 1742 but has long been left to fall into ruin.
It is hoped Newry Canal, which originally ran from the Newry River near Ireland’s east coast to Lough Neagh, can be reopened so boats can travel around 100 miles between Coleraine and Carlingford Lough.
The IWAI posted an update of the restoration work on their Facebook page: “Two hundreds years’ worth of debris has been scooped out of Moneypenny’s Lock in the past couple of days revealing beautiful brickwork, stone facing and a stone floor.”
