IWI is sad to announce the death of Ruth Heard, a member for many years, and former president of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland, on 5 October. Ruth was a well respected waterway historian who wrote extensively about the Irish waterways under the name Ruth Delany. (She kept the name from her first marriage to Vincent Delany, the founder of IWAI.) She contributed the texts for Ireland’s Waterways Map and Directory. She also worked extensively with the Heritage Council, a body which influenced Irish waterways policies for many years. Many members internationally will recall meeting her during the World Canals Conference held in Dublin, Belfast and Lisburn in 2001. Photo from the Ruth Delany archive.