The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: October twenty-seventh, barging on Ireland's canals.

The Shannon Erne Waterway is a 200-mile artery across the Emerald Isle. From the city of Limerick in the south, it follows the Shannon River north through a series of interconnected lakes and canals to long Lough Erne in Northern Ireland. Dug in the early 19th-century, the canal portions of the waterway were a commercial disaster quickly overrun by the railroad. Disused for decades, their locks and bridges fell into ill repair, but a massive reconstruction project begun in 1990 has rehabilitated the entire waterway.

In just five years, it has become a popular vacation option for families from Ireland, Britain and the continent. A dozen companies now rent cabin cruisers and motor barges that let even amateurs steer placid paths through ten counties in Ireland's green heart, for a day, a week or even longer. Cruising the canal can be habit forming.

Gliding unhurried over shimmering lakes and smooth canal waters can be very calming. Passing though quiet villages and medieval ruins offers intimate glimpses of an Ireland tourists seldom see. There's the eerie ruins of Clonmacnoise abbey, which dates to the 6th-century. Athlone Castle was built by King John in 1210. Palladian Castle Coole in Enniskillen is one of Northern Ireland's greatest houses.

But more than buildings, the canals are people-friendly, with an easy RV kind of camaraderie among boaters. Waiting to pass through locks, adults chat while kids kick balls. At tiny marinas, where boat tie up each evening, in village squares and tiny canal side pubs old Ireland's lilting charms still fill the air.

There's a taste of an Ireland river cruise in this issue of National Geographic Traveler, a supporter of our program. You can register for a free sample copy on our homepage.

FMI For more information on the Shannon Erne Waterway, contact the Irish Tourist Board at 800-223-6470 or www.ireland.travel.ie or the Norther Ireland Toursit Board at 800-326-0036 or www.ni-tourism.com

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