River Swilly
The River Swilly is a river in County Donegal, Ireland, which flows in an eastern direction through Letterkenny. Letterkenny, the largest town in County Donegal, is built on the river and became the first crossing point on the river in the 17th century.
Name
The river takes its name Súileach, a multi-eyed man-eating water monster that was reputedly killed by Saint Columba. Letterkenny DJ and producer Diarmuid O'Doherty produced a song, "A Monster in the River Swilly", about this legend.Course
The River Swilly rises near Glendore, a mountain in County Donegal, and flows for around, flowing through Letterkenny, before flowing into the Atlantic Ocean at Lough Swilly. A number of 'burns' flow into the river throughout its course. These include the Forglug Burn, which flows into the river just to the south of Conwal Cemetery, and the Correnagh Burn, which flows under the Derry Road, entering the river at Bonagee on the eastern edge of Letterkenny.Navigation and use
The river is nearly long. A shipping industry once operated on the Swilly in Letterkenny. The river was extremely hard for larger ships to navigate, as it was narrow and has many bends near Letterkenny. The port was closed to commercial shipping in the 1960s and its warehouses were demolished in 2001. The coal yard still remains on the old site opposite the Mount Errigal Hotel. Newmills Corn and Flax Mills is powered by the waters of the river.Fishing
The Swilly traditionally produced approximately 300–400 salmon per year. The heaviest salmon recorded weighed ; a sea trout of was also recorded. The river is considered one of the best fishing rivers in the northwest of Ireland.Crossings
The Swilly is spanned by numerous bridges mostly open to road traffic. In Letterkenny there are four bridges across the river:| Bridge | Image |
| Oldtown Bridge | |
| Port Bridge | |
| Rail Bridge | |
| Devlin Way |