IWAI Kildare

From a tourism perspective, Kildare Canals are part of Fáilte Ireland’s ‘Ancient East‘ brand.  

Fáilte Ireland Map – Feb 2022

The Green & Silver route – a circular voyage on the Eastern Waterways

The Green and Silver route takes you on a canal and river voyage from the Liffey in the centre of Dublin to the Shannon via the Grand and Royal Canals, a triangular route that encompasses towns and villages, natural and industrial heritage attractions, and quiet stretches of countryside and passes through Dublin, Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands and Ireland’s Ancient East.  Many people time their journey to coincide with local events taking place in communities near the waterway. 

With a total length of over 350 km and 93 Locks, the trip can actually be accomplished in under 10 days.  However, the ambience of these waterways encourage slow tourism, relaxing and staying a while in places.  The journey can be spread across weeks, months or seasons, travelling for a week or weekend at a time, then returning later to accomplish the next leg.  Some who have detoured off the route and journeyed mainly at weekends, have taken a year or more to complete the journey. 

The route is relatively new, as it was not until 2010 when the regeneration of the Royal was complete, that the round trip was once again possible.  The route has been aptly named by IWAI Dublin in acknowledgement of the book Green and Silver which describes the pioneering journey made by Tom and Sylvia Rolt in 1946.   

There are some great detours, among them are Inistioge, New Ross and Waterford on the Goodly Barrow Navigation, Naas Harbour and the navigable part of the Corbally Canal, Pollardstown Fen via the Milltown Feeder, Islandbridge (between tides) on the Liffey, the Lakes north and south on the Shannon, and the Ernes. 

Trips on boats and barges are available for an afternoon, a week or longer on the Barrow, Grand and Royal.  

Green & Silver route by tudco