The importance of the sea & waterways to Clare history

[Paddy Casey]

Michael's posting on boats and water in the thread "Irish and Clare history book recommendations" in this forum brings to mind the importance of the sea and waterways to the history of Clare. Nowadays the trip from e.g. Ennis to Dublin by car takes only three hours, but only five centuries ago an overland trip from one side of Ireland to the other was a serious venture only undertaken by people with intimate local knowledge of the tracks and causeways. The centre of the country consisted of thick forest, and large tracts of bog intersected by rivers and streams so large-scale movement of goods across the island was not good business practice.

There were numerous waterways in the 16th century which could be used for internal travel but progress could be hazardous where galleried forests overhung steep valleys. In addition, the 16th century rivers were rarely banked with man-made wharves and the danger of flooding made them unsuitable for travel in very wet seasons.

In the book "16th Century Ireland" by Colm Lennon we read that "There were no accurate or detailed maps of the island's interior to guide travellers in the early 16th century" and "....only the highly motivated outsider ventured from the coastline to the interior in the Middle Ages..". Lennon continues "However, there were many coastal maps of the country, known as portolan charts, then in circulation. These provided details of the shoreline to guide mariners and traders in their navigation. Mostly of Italian origin, the portolans bear testimony to the vitality of trade between the Mediterranean and......Ireland and especially its western and southern ports".

So, although it may seem odd to us nowadays, Genoa and Lisbon and Le Havre and Utrecht were "nearer" to Clare than Dublin, a fact which was of considerable significance in the history of the county.

Paddy