Dublin - Grand Canal

Must-see attractions nearby: Trinity College Four Courts Bank of Ireland Phoenix Park King's Inns St Patrick's Cathedral National Musuem of Ireland

Two years later the completed section of the canal was opened to navigation. In 1785 the Barrow Line, a branch canal from Robertstown to Athy, was brought into use. In 1804 the whole canal was completed and the first boats began to ply between Dublin and Shannon Harbor. Thereafter, until the middle of the 19th C., various other branch canals to towns lying near the main canal were constructed. With the development of the railroad system the economic importance of the canal declined, and this decline continued in the 20th C., until in about 1960 commercial traffic on the branch canals came to an end.