Canal in Ballygalda OR Trust

Turlough O'Conor moved a fleet from the River Suck to Lough Ree in 1139 by digging a canal, enabling him to surprise his Viking enemies by attacking from an unexpected direction. This could only be done by connecting the River Suck with the headwaters of the Hind River through turloughs at Ballinturly and Correal. A section is thought locally to have existed between Correal turlough (dims c. 600m NE-SW; c. 300m NW-SE) and the headwaters of the SW-NE river Hind which are c. 1km apart and running between low hills to the N and S. It is not visible at ground level and much of its course at the E end is occupied by an old lane. A further section (RO041-132----) is c. 800m to the SW. (Moran 1993, 10-11) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 24 August 2010