A Grand Experience for Whitegate boater

NEXT Tuesday evening at 10.15pm, Whitegate man Gerry Burke will feature on an RTÉ1 television documentary, which charts the journey of three artists, a writer, a photographer and a musician – along the Grand Canal on board the historic 68m Canal Boat. Built in 1936, Gerry bought the vessel in 1995.
“As they travel through Ireland’s midlands, they rediscover a lost Ireland, a deep sense of history and heritage and a community that, in spite of the worst ravages of the recession, is thriving and embracing its own uniqueness and talent,” A Grand Experience, producer Martina McGlynn explained.
Aside from skippering his boat, which sleeps 11 people, Gerry lives in Ennis and works in the aviation industry for Shannon-based Magellan Aviation Services.
Yet, while he makes his living in the airline industry, his passion for Ireland’s waterways is unwavering.
“The family has been involved in boating for generations. We’re from beside Lough Derg. We bought a traditional barge back in 1995. We did it up and converted it into effectively a house boat,” he explained.
Martina hit upon the idea for the documentary while on a trip in Gerry’s boat on the waterways in Offaly.
“I had been bringing some artists on the canal with Offaly County Council. Myself and Martina discussed the possibility of doing this and I said I was on for it. While the programme is about the three artists and their journey through Offaly, for me, it was an opporunity to promote the waterways in a very good light. To me, it’s about our untapped resources. We have so much scenery that even local people don’t recognise,” Gerry feels.
The boat is currently berthed in Leitrim but will return to Whitegate for the winter.
“Generally, our season is from St Patrick’s weekend to the October Bank Holiday weekend. We spend practically every weekend on the boat all over the waterways. Last year, we spent all of the summer down in the south-east. We went to Waterford for the Tall Ships. We spent the full season down in Kilkenny, Waterford and South Tipp,” he said.
“I’ve had the boat down as far as Scattery Island in Kilrush. From Kilrush, I’ve been up the Shannon the whole way to Beleek [Fermanagh]. You’ve two ways of going to Dublin. You can go up the Grand Canal, which this programme is about, up through Offaly and Kildare. Or you can go up through the Royal Canal, which is through Meath. Then from the Grand Canal you can go on to the Barrow system, which brings you right down to Waterford,” he outlined.
Gerry insists that maintaining the boat isn’t expensive, particularly as he does most of the maintenance himself.
“It’s no more expensive than having a holiday home. If you can do the work yourself, it doesn’t cost you anything. It’s a holiday home that’s on the move. The waterways are a fantastic amenity on our doorstep. Effectively, you can bring your boat anywhere. Last year, we brought it to the Ploughing Championships in Athy. We were at the fleadh in Tullamore as well. Earlier on this year, we were out on Dublin Bay. The waterways are all connected. The one thing about the canal barge, which carried Guinness, beet and different types of cargo, is that the boats were made to fit the locks. We’re maximum dimensions in every way. It just barely fits through, which  you’ll see on the programme,” Gerry revealed.
He is hopeful his beloved 68m will outlive himself and his wife, Geraldine.
“There’d be one reason why my grandchildren won’t be sitting here talking about the same boat. The boat will pass on and will live much longer than us,” Gerry said.
The artists on the journey include Eugene O’Brien, writer and playwright, best known for the play Eden and the RTÉ series Pure Mule. Wayne Brennan is a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter from Offaly, who has just won the RAAP/RTÉ Breakthrough Bursary for his song Roots in these Lands, which was written for the documentary. Veronica Nicholson is a freelance photographer and visual artist living and working in Offaly. Her work and residencies have led to many successful and acclaimed exhibitions.
Together, they allow the audience to share in their experience and give a glimpse into their creative world as they create an artistic response to the Grand Canal.