Boyle River (Ireland) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Boyle River |
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Boyle River at Knockvicar.
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| Native name | An Bhúill |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Lough Gara, County Mayo. |
| River mouth | River Shannon Lough Eidin |
The Boyle River is a river in Ireland. It's part of the large Shannon River Basin, which is like a giant funnel collecting water for the River Shannon. The Boyle River starts at Lough Gara, a lake found on the border of Sligo and Roscommon.
From Lough Gara, the river flows through the town of Boyle. Then, it continues its journey to Lough Key. After that, it heads east through the village of Knockvicar. Finally, the Boyle River joins the mighty River Shannon at Lough Drumharlow, which is close to Carrick-on-Shannon.
The Boyle River travels a long way! From its start in Mayo all the way to the River Shannon, it stretches for about 64.4 kilometers (40 miles). The area of land that drains water into the Boyle River, called its basin, covers 725 square kilometers.
Understanding the Boyle River Basin
A river basin is like a huge bowl where all the rain and smaller streams collect and flow into one main river. The Boyle River has its own basin, and it's also part of an even bigger one called the Upper Shannon catchment. This larger area, above Carrick-on-Shannon, covers about 1,301 square kilometers.
The Upper Shannon catchment has two main parts. One part is for the River Shannon itself, which starts in Cavan. The other part is for the Boyle River, which begins in Mayo. These two important rivers meet up at Lough Eidin (also known as Drumharlow). This meeting point is about 4.7 kilometers upstream from Carrick-On-Shannon.
Where the Boyle River Gets Its Water
The Boyle River gets its start from two other rivers: the Lung and the Breedoge. Both of these rivers flow into Lough Gara, which is where the Boyle River officially begins.
The Lung River is about 29 kilometers (18 miles) long. It gets its water from lakes like Urlaur Lough and Errit Lough. These lakes are located on the border between Mayo and Roscommon.
The Boyle River's Long Journey
If you follow the water from the very start of the Boyle River's basin all the way to Limerick city, it's a journey of about 290 kilometers (180 miles).
When you add the 102.1 kilometers (63.5 miles) of the Shannon's estuary (the wide part where the river meets the sea), the total length of this water path becomes an amazing 392.1 kilometers (243.5 miles)! This makes the Boyle River, from its furthest source to the mouth of the Shannon, the longest river system within the entire River Shannon basin. It's even about 31.6 kilometers (19.5 miles) longer than the Shannon Pot source itself!
