Rivers of Ireland


Shown here are all the major rivers and tributaries of Ireland with their lengths. Starting with the Northern Ireland rivers, and going in a clockwise direction, the rivers are listed in regard to their entry into the different seas: the Irish Sea, the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Also shown are two tables. Table 1 shows the longest rivers in Ireland with their lengths, the counties they flow through, and their catchment areas. Table 2 shows the largest rivers in Ireland in cubic metres per second.
Image:Ireland physical medium.png|frame|right|Some of the larger or better-known rivers of Ireland are shown on this map.
The longest river in Ireland is the River Shannon, at. The river develops into three lakes along its course, Lough Allen, Lough Ree and Lough Derg. Of these, Lough Derg is the largest. The Shannon enters the Atlantic Ocean at the Shannon Estuary. Other major rivers include the River Liffey, River Lee, River Swilly, River Foyle, River Lagan, River Erne, River Blackwater, River Nore, River Suir, River Barrow, River Bann, River Slaney, River Boyne, River Moy and River Corrib.

Longest Irish Rivers (with Basin areas)

Lengths obtained from the Ordnance Survey of Ireland: Rivers and their Catchment Basins 1958, and for the rivers Bann and Erne – Notes on River Basins by Robert A. Williams
RiverCountiesLengthBasin Area
1River Shannon aCavan, Leitrim, Roscommon, Longford, Westmeath, Galway, Offaly,
Tipperary, Clare, Limerick, Kerry		360 km 16,800 km2
2River BarrowbLaois, Kildare, Kilkenny, Carlow,
Wexford, Waterford		192 km 3,067 km2
3River SuirbTipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny, Wexford184 km 3,610 km2
4River Blackwater Kerry, Cork, Waterford168 km 3,324 km2
5River Bann cDown, Armagh, Antrim, Londonderry159 km 5,808 km2
6River NorebTipperary, Laois, Kilkenny140 km 2,530 km2
7River Suck Roscommon, Galway133 km 1,600 km2
8River LiffeyWicklow, Kildare, Dublin132 km 1,256 km2
9River ErneCavan, Fermanagh, Donegal129 km 4,372 km2
10River Foyle Tyrone, Londonderry, Donegal129 km 2,925 km2
11River SlaneyWicklow, Carlow, Wexford117 km 1,762 km2
12River BoyneKildare, Offaly, Meath, Louth113 km 2,695 km2
13River MoySligo, Mayo101 km 2,086 km2
14River Clare dMayo, Roscommon, Galway93 km 1,108 km2
15River Blackwater cTyrone, Monaghan, Armagh92 km 1,507 km2
16tRiver Inny Cavan, Longford, Westmeath89 km 1,254 km2
16tRiver LeeCork89 km 1,253 km2
18River LaganDown, Antrim86 km 565 km2
19River Brosna Westmeath, Offaly79 km 1,248 km2
20River Laune Kerry76 km 829 km2
21River Feale Cork, Limerick, Kerry74 km 1,170 km2
22River BandonCork72 km 608 km2
23River Blackwater Cavan, Meath68 km 733 km2
24River Annalee Monaghan, Cavan66.8 km 522 km2
25River Bride Cork, Waterford64 km 419 km2
26Boyle River Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon64 km 725 km2
27River Deel Cork, Limerick63.2 km 481 km2
28River Robe dMayo62.8 km 320 km2
29River Finn Donegal, Tyrone62.8 km 505 km2
30River Maigue Cork, Limerick62 km 1,000 km2
31Fane RiverMonaghan, Armagh, Louth61.2 km 350 km2
32Ballisodare RiverSligo60.8 km 650 km2
33River Dee Cavan, Meath, Louth60.4 km 392 km2
34River Fergus Clare58.4 km 1,043 km2
35Little Brosna River Offaly, Tipperary57.6 km 662 km2
36Mulkear River Tipperary, Limerick55.9 km 650 km2
37River Glyde Cavan, Meath, Louth55.9 km 348 km2

TABLE 1
a
  • The length of the River Shannon from the Shannon Pot to Limerick City is with a basin area of 11,700 km2.
  • The River Shannon's overall length, using the Owenmore River as source, is, 11 km longer than the Shannon Pot source.
  • The River Shannon's overall length, using the Boyle River's furthest source, is, making the Boyle-Shannon river the longest natural stream flow in Ireland, 31.6 km longer than the Shannon Pot source.
  • The River Shannon is a traditional freshwater river for just about 45% of its total length. Excluding the tidal estuary from its total length of, if one also excludes the lakes from the Shannon's freshwater flow of, the Shannon as a freshwater river is only about long.
b
c
  • The traditional length given for the River Bann is 80 miles which is the combined total length of Upper and Lower Bann rivers and doesn't include Lough Neagh.
  • The total length of the Ulster Blackwater from its source to the sea via L. Neagh and the Lower Bann is 186.3 km, surpassed, in Ireland, only by the Shannon and Barrow rivers. This is the longest stream flow in Ulster.
d
  • The total basin area of the 6 km River Corrib is 3,138 km2
  • The total length of the River Robe's journey from its source near Ballyhaunis to Galway Bay is. This is the longest stream flow within the Corrib Basin.

    Largest Irish Rivers (by flow)

TABLE 2
a The River Shannon's 209 m3/s is to Limerick City. If the discharges from all of the rivers and streams into the Shannon Estuary are added to the discharge at Limerick giving a total catchment of 16,865 km2, the total discharge of the River Shannon at its mouth at Loop Head reaches 300 m3/s
b The River Bann's 92 m3/s is to Movanagher Gauging station. The 102.5 m3/s is based on the total basin area of 5808 km2
c The Three Sisters total flow into Waterford Harbour is 154 m3/s and the combined flow of the Barrow and Nore rivers is 86 m3/s before joining the river Suir near Waterford City.

Rivers in Ulster

With length in miles
  • River Crana
  • River Lennon
  • River Foyle – that portion named "Foyle" forms the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland
  • *Burn Dale – rises in and flows through the east of County Donegal –
  • *River Finn – rises and flows mainly through County Donegal, Republic of Ireland
  • **River Reelan
  • *River Mourne
  • **River Derg
  • **Mournebeg River
  • **Owenkillew River
  • **Glenelly River
  • **Owenreagh River
  • **River Strule
  • ***Camowen River
  • ***Drumragh River
  • **Fairy Water
  • **Drumquin River
  • **Routing Burn
  • **Owenreagh River
  • **Cloghfin River
  • *Glenmornan River
  • River Faughan
  • River Roe
  • River Bann
  • *River Blackwater
  • **River Callan
  • **Oona Water
  • **River Torrent
  • **River Tall
  • **River Blackwater
  • *River Main
  • *Six Mile Water
  • *Ballinderry River
  • *Moyola River
  • *Clady River
  • *Knockoneil River
  • *Grillagh River
  • *Agivey River
  • *Cusher River
  • *Clady River
  • **Altmore River
  • **Cromore Burn
  • **Devlin River
  • ***Cronaniv Burn
  • River Dun
  • River Bush
  • River Erne
  • River Lagan
  • *River Farset
  • *Blackstaff River
  • River Quoile
  • '''Clanrye River'''

    Rivers in the Republic of Ireland, flowing into the Irish Sea

With length in miles
  • Castletown River
  • *Cully Water
  • *Kilcurry River
  • River Fane
  • River Glyde
  • River Dee, County Louth
  • River Boyne
  • *River Owenroe
  • *River Blackwater, Kildare and Meath
  • *River Blackwater, Cavan and Meath
  • *Moynalty River
  • *Athboy River
  • *Stonestown River
  • *Dale River
  • *Kinnegad River
  • *Yellow River
  • River Tolka
  • River Liffey
  • *Kings River
  • *Morell River
  • *River Rye
  • **Lyreen River
  • *River Camac
  • *River Poddle
  • *River Dodder
  • **Owendoher River
  • River Dargle
  • River Vartry
  • River Avoca
  • *River Avonmore
  • *River Avonbeg
  • *Aughrim River
  • River Slaney
  • *Derreen River
  • *River Derry
  • *River Bann