Broharris Canal facts for kids

The Broharris Canal is a man-made waterway located in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It was built to help drain land and move goods.

History

The Broharris Canal was built in the 1820s. It was a channel about 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) long. This waterway was dug on the south side of Lough Foyle, close to Ballykelly. It stretched towards the town of Limavady.

The canal had two main purposes. First, it helped to drain water from the land nearby. Second, it was used for boats to travel on. People used it to carry goods that came from the Londonderry port. They also transported things like shellfish and kelp, which were gathered from the sand banks along the shore of the lough.

Later, people living in Limavady wanted the canal to be extended all the way to their town. A person named John Killaly was asked to study the idea. He estimated that building the extension would cost about £12,000. Even though people thought many boats would use the canal, a different idea came up. In the early 1830s, plans for a horse-drawn tramway were suggested instead. Because of this, the idea of extending the canal was eventually given up.