Irish Rivers

The river Blackwater or An Abhainn Mhór, also known as the Munster Blackwater, rises in the uplands between counties Cork and Kerry and flows towards county Waterford, on its way passing through pasture and woodlands.

At Cappoquin, County Waterford, the river turns southwards across the Drum hills and crosses a number of depressions and gorges to join St George's Channel at Youghal, where its estuary is 10 km (6 MI) long. With a length of 168 km (104 MI) the Blackwater is the longest river in Munster. It drains an area of 2,480 sq km (960 sq MI).

There are several rivers in Ireland sharing the name Blackwater.

The river Bann rises in the Spelga valley on the northern slopes of the Mourne Mountains in County Down. The valley had a dam built in the mid 1950's From here it flows roughly north for forty miles past the towns of Hilltown, Katesbridge, Banbridge. The abundant amount of water the river carries at this stage was put to much use in the past by the many mills which grew up along its banks powering various processes of the linen industry .

The largest of these was probably Gilford Mill, from Gilford the river meanders its way towards the industrial town of Portadown where it is joined by the now defunct Newry Canal Continuing on for about another eight kilometers (5 miles) before entering Lough Neagh near Maghery at the aptly named Bannfoot. In the early 1970's there was a hand operated rope ferry crossing the river, this is probably long gone.

The upper Bann leaves Lough Neagh at Toomebridge in Co Antrim, it travels for a few miles before opening into Lough Beg near the village of Belaghy.. From here it continues about 64 km (40 mi) north to the town of Coleraine where it becomes tidal. It forms the boundary between the counties of Antrim to the east and Londonderry to the west.

The river takes its name from Boann Irish water goddess, the river rises in the Bog of Allen, County Kildare, and flowing north east through the fertile Boyne valley, past the towns of Trim, An Uaimh, and Slane in County Meath and Drogheda in County Louth. It also passes close to the prehistoric site of Newgrange in Co Meath, the builders of this impressive structure are said to have used barges to transport some of the building materials along the coast from Clogherhead in Co Louth and up the Boyne to Newgrange.It empties into the Irish Sea near Drogheda.

The river is 113 km (70 mi) long and is navigable by shallow draft vessels only as far as Drogheda. A canal was built between 1759 and 1800 to bypass the Boyne's rapids between Drogheda and Navan, there were a total of 20 locks along its length, it was abandoned in 1923.

River Shannon 386km
River Barrow 192km
River Suir 184km
River Blackwater ( Munster) 168km
River Nore 140km
River Bann 129km
River Liffey 125km
River Slaney 117km
River Boyne 112km
River Lee 90km