People in Co Longford are growing anxious over the rerouting of the Royal Canal.
County councillors want to talk to officials of Duchas because they fear the Office of Public Works may want to abandon the 12-mile stretch of the canal between Ballymahon and Clondra.
They are suspicious that the OPW will opt to dig a two-milelong canal and link the Royal to the Shannon near Ballymahon rather than refurbish the 12-mile stretch north of there to Clondra.
The matter was raised at the most recent meeting of Longford County Council, where Mr James Bannon asked officials if there was a plan to build a new canal directly into Lough Ree.
He explained that the Royal Canal turned sharply north at Ballymahon, less than two miles from the Shannon, because the original builders did not want the canal to enter the Shannon at that point.
They were afraid the open waters of the lake would be too much for the cargo-carrying barges which used the canal at that time.
They rerouted the canal north to Clondra to a place where the barges could enter the Shannon in calm water and navigation would be much easier.
But Mr Bannon said locals feared the OPW might opt for a short cut to the Shannon and would not refurbish the 12-mile stretch which runs through Kenagh, Killashee and Clondra.
He said he could smell "a plan a-cooking", and that such a move would be a cost-saving one for the State but would greatly disadvantage the people north of Ballymahon.
The council decided to invite the engineer in charge of the refurbishment works on the canal to a meeting of the council so they could question him about his intentions.