Ballynahinch River facts for kids
The Ballynahinch River is a cool river found in County Down, Northern Ireland. It's one of two streams that come together to form a bigger river called the Annacloy River, which is also known as the Quoile River.
Where Does the Ballynahinch River Flow?
The Ballynahinch River starts its journey and flows towards the east, passing right through the town of Ballynahinch. Another river, called the Carson's Dam River, flows south. These two rivers meet up at a place called Kilmore.
Once they join, they become one stream known as the Annacloy River. Further downstream, this same river changes its name again to the River Quoile. Finally, the River Quoile flows into the southwest part of Strangford Lough, which is a large sea inlet near Downpatrick.
A Look Back at the River's Past
Long ago, in the 1700s, the banks of the Ballynahinch River were busy places. They had many small "bleach greens." These were areas where linen cloth was spread out to be bleached white using sunlight and water.
However, as time went on, the process of bleaching became more modern and moved to bigger factories in other regions. Because of this, the small bleach greens along the Ballynahinch River slowly disappeared.
Around 1750, a new type of machine started appearing along the river: water-powered "scutch mills." These mills used the river's power to help prepare flax, a plant used to make linen. They would separate the useful fibers from the rest of the plant. The second scutch mill in County Down was built at a place called Rademon.
Images for kids
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The Ballynahinch River flowing through the countryside.
