City Basin the old reservoir for the north side of Dublin is to become a location for fishing.
Anglers living in Dublin may soon enjoy their sport close to the heart of the city. Dublin Corporation's Canals Committee plans to transform the the Blessington Street Basin in Phibsborough into a fishing amenity, by stocking it with trout.
The City Basin once served as the reservoir supplying water for Dublin’s north city. Author of the plan is Jim O’Brien, an inspector with the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board. He explains to reporter Cathal Mac Coille exactly where the Basin is,
We’re 10 minutes from the GPO...we’re at City Basin, which was the old reservoir for the north side of Dublin city. It’s somewhere between the Black Church above Parnell Square, and the Mater Hospital.
Now in a state of poor repair, the plans include improving the walkways around the Basin and its perimeter wire fence. Any doubts surrounding the water quality are dispelled, as recent tests have found it to be quite pure. Water from the Basin was used by the Jameson Distillery in neighbouring Smithfield up to until relatively recently.
The intake point for the City Basin is on the Royal Canal above the 8th lock, and the feeder channel runs underground for about two miles into the Basin at Phibsborough.
It’s a place where parents could bring their children for trout fishing, and I think it’s a potential tourist attraction here as well.
This report for ‘Morning Ireland’ was first broadcast on 20 May 1987. The reporter is Cathal Mac Coille.
'Morning Ireland' is RTÉ's breakfast news programme broadcast each weekday morning between 7am and 9am on RTÉ Radio 1. The programme was first broadcast in 1984. The programme is co-presented and over the years presenters have included David Hanly, Joe Little, Áine Lawlor, Cathal Mac Coille, Rachael English and Gavin Jennings.
