Inland Waterways Association Belturbet Branch
Erne Waterways
The Inland Waterways Association of Ireland is a voluntary body of Inland Waterways enthusiasts. We advocate the use, maintenance, protection, restoration and improvement of the inland waterways of Ireland. The association was founded in 1954 to campaign for the conservation and development of the waterways and in particular their preservation as working navigations. IWAI has approximately 3,500 members, mainly organised in branches associated with the major navigations across the island. Our membership is drawn from all walks of life, from people with a wide range of interests in boating, angling, walking, heritage and the environment.
The Belturbet Branch of the IWAI was formed in 1966 and is a contributory of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland. We have approximately 150 members from all over the country, boating enthusiasts, canoeists and people who are interested in our beautiful waterway. This opens up a wonderful world of exploring our fantastic facilities. You can depart Belturbet and travel at leisure through the systems to reach many destinations such as the Dublin Basin, Limerick, Belleek and much, much more. The current chairperson of the Belturbet branch is Cathal Kinney.
Please visit http://belturbet.iwai.ie/ for more information on our Belturbet branch and to keep up to date with events in the area. Or contact us on any of the numbers below.
IWAI Belturbet Contacts
| Chairperson | Cathel Kinney | 0044 (0) 7904951476 | ckinney@nibts.n-i.nhs.uk |
| Vice Chairperson | Charlie McGettigan | 00353 (0)499522314 | charlie@erneschoolofmotoring.com |
| Secretary | Brenda Devine | 0044 (0) 7810831111 | brenda_devine@btinternet.com |
| Public Relations | Sinead Bekker | 00353 (0) 876104516 | sineadbekker@hotmail.com |
River Erne Boat Rally
Then main event in the calendar of activities is the River Erne Boat Rally, organised in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Branch. This takes place around the last week of May or the beginning of June. The route taken is from Belturbet, through Enniskillen and on to Belleck, but can vary depending on the route the Commodore wises to take. The Erne Boat Rally is about people and entertainment, and above all, fellowship in its widest sense, enjoying this natural beautiful resource we have at our disposal.
The “Rally” as it is now affectionately known has grown into one of the biggest boating fixtures in Ireland, with anything from sixty to eighty boats or more taking part every year, with happy crews always enjoying themselves and making their own entertainment in the various stops designated by the commodore along its route.
see more information on the Lough Erne Boat Rally, please visit us at http://www.theerneboatrally.com/index.html.
Open Boat Outings
The branch organises a number of small open boat outings, mainly to highlight the lesser known rivers. These are as follows:
April
Easter Rally
May
Lough Erne Boat Rally
June
Branch Trip (destination changes each year)
Summer Solstice
July
Cruise and BBQ (destination changes each year)
Sept
Lough Erne Mini Boat Rally
Oct
Late season Rally (destination changes each year)
Dec
Christmas Cruise (Lough Erne)
Join Inland Waterways
If you would like to join the Inland Waterways, read more on what we offer or take part in any of the events held around Ireland, please contact us at:
Rep of Ireland – 1890 924991
Northern Ireland – 0044 (0)2838 325329
Web-site – www.iwai.ie/
To view water maps around the Erne, please visit us at www.iwai.ie/maps/shannon-erne/index.html.
We are looking forward to hearing from you