There is a wonderful account on irishwaterwayshistory.com, titled Canal Boat Sketch, which details a journey from Portobello Harbour to Ballinasloe in 1862 on a horse-drawn barge. This was a key mode of transport prior to the introduction of rail, and it tells of turf fires, euthanising chickens for dinner by candlelight, and a caged canary who refuses to quell his song.

A century and a half later the only boats on this stretch of waterway are the pleasure barges which gathered recently for the Portobello Harbour Festival.

Number 10 Portobello Harbour, is a mid-terrace house dating from the late 1800s just a few doors down from the Lower Deck pub, a Dublin institution that has been happily serving up pints since the 1830s.

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It is home to Emmet Doherty, a health and fitness instructor, and his sister Julia, a fashion designer who uses one of the bedrooms at hall level as a studio. The pair have lived here with their family for the past 33 years.

Occupying 156sq m (1,679sq ft) of space, the property currently has four bedrooms; two at hall level and a further two on the upper floor. The principal bedroom is large enough to split in two – should new owners wish to use one of the bedrooms at hall level as a reception room.

At garden level, there is an open-plan living/dining area which in turn leads to the kitchen and out into the rear garden.

While new owners will want to update parts of the house, it retains its period features including the exposed brick wall on the stairwell and ceiling roses, and its southerly aspect allows lots of light into the rooms.

There is strong demand for housing in Portobello, and stock is an ongoing issue. The area is attractive due to its cultural history, leafy canal walks and proximity to the city centre and local eateries.

Bracken Estates is handling the sale of number 10 which has an asking price of €850,000.