One of the activities which we did with our friends in Largymore was a video phone presentation on the Grand Canal. We had sent a quiz sheet to Largymore by email and after they had listened to us they filled in the sheet and their teacher Mr. McCluskey posted the answer sheets to us. They are really good listeners because they got all the answers  right. Here is a copy of our quiz and their answers.

Canal Quiz 

Section 1

What is a canal ?
Canals are manmade waterways built along a planned route. 

What is the name of the canal near St. Ronan's school ?
The Grand Canal.

When was the canal built ?
It was built in 1779.

Why was the canal built ?
The canal was built to transport goods e.g. Guinness, and to improve travel.

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 Section 2

What is the route of the canal ?
The main line of the canal is from Dublin to the Shannon.

How long is the canal ?
The canal is 82 miles long.

What is the speed limit on the canal ?
The speed limit is 4 m.p.h.

How much is the toll ?
The toll is 50p.

 Section 3

Name two jobs that the lockkeeper has to do.
The lockkeeper opens and closes the lock gates. He also inspects the banks between his lock and the next one.

Where does the lockkeepcr usually live?
The lockkeeper lives in the lockkeeper's house close to the lock.

What is the name of the lockkeeper near St. Ronan's school ?
The lockkeeper at the 9th Lock is called Donal O'Brien.

Give two interesting facts about lockkeepers.
The job of a lockkeeper is passed on from generation to generation in the same family. In the past the lockkeepers got a house with a garden but the wages were small and the hours were long.

Section 4

Who took St. Ronan's on their canal trip ?
Dick Warner and Godfrey Donohue.

Why did they go ?
They went to see the fish in the canal and to learn more about the local canal.

What surprising things did they find ?
They found piles of rubbish around the canal and in the canal.

What could St. Ronan's do to improve the canal ?
They wrote a letter to Waterways Ireland complaining about the bad state of the canal.

Section 5

Write one sentence about each of these workers
I Greaser - The greaser had to grease the engine.

2 Deckhand - He did odd  jobs around the boat. He helped to load and unload cargo.

3 Engineman - He looked after the engine to make sure it was in good working order.

4 Captain/Master/Skipper - The captain had overall responsibility for the boat, the cargo and the crew.

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