It was founded in 1954 to campaign for the conservation and development of the inland waterways and their preservation as working navigations.

[1] IWAI also has two Special Interest Groups aiming to make the waterways safer to navigate - "Charts Sig[2]" - and free from obstruction "Nav-Watch" [3] The Association publishes a quarterly magazine called Inland Waterway News (IWN).

[4] It contains news about the Irish waterways along with articles from branches and special interest groups that make up the organisation.

[8] The rallies may include tests of boating skills, rescue exercises, a table quiz, fancy dress competitions, with awards ceremonies at the end.

[citation needed] Some of the smaller branches hold small boat rallies with dingies.