From our spot above Lock 21, it was a short distance to the town of Tullamore, but it involved six locks in all. Having had lots of issues with locks early on, we had looked at breaking the trip in half and staying another night in the countryside.
Just as we were getting things ready to go on the boat, I spotted Jimmy out at the lock, getting it ready. What I didn't know, was that he had already driven down and prepared the next five locks. I pulled the boat into the first lock, and away we went.
Jimmy told us about his annual trips to Alaska, where his son lives. He had an Alaska belt on. At one point, I ran down and grabbed the Alaska cap that our friends Geoff & Harriet had given us. Jimmy laughed when he saw it.
Jimmy would drive ahead to each lock and open it for us. On a couple locks, other locals would stop and help him with the gates. We were through the first three in half an hour. After only about an hour and a half, we left the last of Jimmy's locks. He wished us well, and said that Leo would meet us at the final lock.
The lock keeper's house at Lock 26. According to Leo, the person who built it was fired for going so far over budget.
The shell of an old canal barge at Lock 26
Nobody was there when we arrived, and we thought about having a cup of tea before going through. While Sarah was below deck, Leo arrived. I told him I was disappointed, as I was expecting the Tánaiste (the Deputy Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar). Again I pulled the boat into the lock, and then to the jetty down below. Since I hadn't started the engine, Sarah was surprised that we were already through the lock. Now we stopped for tea.
We motored the rest of the way into town, past a tall row of trees. The paths on either side of the canal were busy with people out enjoying the weather. We turned under the bridge and into the small harbour.
The trees lining the canal leading into Tullamore are magnificent!
A viking dog arrives in Tullamore
We were surprised by the amount of weeds and lack of infrastructure here. This is the headquarters for Waterways Ireland. The pumpout was broken, there was no shore power an there wasn't even a place to dispose of your rubbish properly.
On the bright side, there was a knock on the boat a few minutes after we arrived. Rachel from WI had come out to drop off the extension to our permit. She was amazingly friendly, helpful and informative. Thanks Rachel!
Lockdown
So, it appears that Covid-19 is chasing us across Ireland. We were really excited to be out of Dublin, where the majority of cases have been. With the population density there, it is bound to spread faster.
Then, just after we were leaving Sallins in Co. Kildare, we discovered that there had been an outbreak in the area. Specifically, it was at a pet food factory in neighboring Naas, where Johnny and Anne live. Scary.
Now, we just arrived in Tullamore, in Co Offaly. We were looking forward to going out, and I had booked a whiskey tour at the Tullamore Dew distillery. Well, this evening the government announced a new lockdown for three counties, including Offaly. That's right, there is another outbreak here. All pubs, restaurants, etc. are closed. No whiskey for me.
Not only that, we are not allowed to leave the county for 2 weeks! Luckily, the canal is in Offaly all the way to the Shannon. Our first destination, Banagher is also in the county. So, we should be able to go that far without breaking quarantine.
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