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List of rivers of Ireland facts for kids

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This article lists the main rivers found on the island of Ireland. These rivers flow through both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Rivers that flow through Northern Ireland are marked with an asterisk (*).

Ireland has many waterways! The Republic of Ireland alone has over 70,000 kilometers of rivers, streams, and smaller water channels. This list includes some of the most important rivers, showing how long they are. You'll also find tables that highlight the longest rivers and those with the biggest water flow.

Ireland physical medium
This map shows some of Ireland's bigger and more famous rivers.

Ireland's Longest Rivers

This table shows the longest rivers in Ireland. It tells you their length, the counties they flow through, and their "basin area." A river's basin area is the total land area where all the rain and water drain into that river and its smaller streams.

Rank River Name Counties It Flows Through Length (km / miles) Basin Area (km²)
1 River Shannon (including lakes and estuary) Cavan, Leitrim, Roscommon, Longford, Westmeath, Galway, Offaly, Tipperary, Clare, Limerick, Kerry 360 km (224 mi) 16,800 km2
2 River Barrow Laois, Kildare, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford, Waterford 192 km (119 mi) 3,067 km2
3 River Suir Tipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny, Wexford 184 km (114.5 mi) 3,610 km2
4 River Blackwater (Munster) Kerry, Cork, Waterford 168 km (104.5 mi) 3,324 km2
5 River Bann (including Lough Neagh) Down, Armagh, Antrim, Londonderry 159 km (99 mi) 5,808 km2
6 River Nore Tipperary, Laois, Kilkenny 140 km (87 mi) 2,530 km2
7 River Suck (Shannon) Roscommon, Galway 133 km (83 mi) 1,600 km2
8 River Liffey Wicklow, Kildare, Dublin 132 km (82 mi) 1,256 km2
9 River Erne Cavan, Fermanagh, Donegal 129 km (80 mi) 4,372 km2
10 River Foyle (including Rivers Mourne, Strule & Camowen) Tyrone, Londonderry, Donegal 129 km (80 mi) 2,925 km2
11 River Slaney Wicklow, Carlow, Wexford 117 km (73 mi) 1,762 km2
12 River Boyne Kildare, Offaly, Meath, Louth 113 km (70 mi) 2,695 km2
13 River Moy Sligo, Mayo 101 km (62.5 mi) 2,086 km2

More About the Longest Rivers:

  • The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland. Its total length includes the lakes it flows through and its wide mouth (estuary) where it meets the sea.
  • The River Bann is the longest river entirely within Northern Ireland. It flows into and out of Lough Neagh, a very large lake.
  • The Three Sisters are three important rivers: the Barrow, Nore, and Suir. They all meet and flow into Waterford Harbour.

Ireland's Largest Rivers (by Water Flow)

This table shows the rivers that carry the most water. "Mean Discharge" means the average amount of water flowing through the river each second, measured in cubic meters per second (m³/s). A higher number means more water!

Rank River Name Average Water Flow (m³/s)
1 River Shannon 209 (300 at its mouth)
2 River Corrib 105.5
3 River Bann 92 (102.5 total)
4 River Foyle 90
5 River Blackwater (Munster) 87.5
6 River Erne 85
7 River Suir 76
8 River Moy 63
9 River Barrow 46.5
10 River Laune 43

Understanding Water Flow:

  • The River Shannon carries the most water. Its flow increases a lot when you include all the smaller rivers and streams that join it before it reaches the sea.
  • The River Bann also has a large flow, especially when you consider all the water from its entire basin area.
  • The "Three Sisters" rivers (Barrow, Nore, and Suir) combine to carry a huge amount of water into Waterford Harbour.

Rivers A-Z

Here is an alphabetical list of many rivers in Ireland. Rivers in Northern Ireland are marked with an asterisk (*). The length is given in miles and kilometers.

Rivers Starting with A

River Avoca - geograph.org.uk - 1582493
River Avoca

Rivers Starting with B

Bann River at Portadown - geograph.org.uk - 1093155
River Bann
Longfield's Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 560046
Munster Blackwater

Rivers Starting with C

Galway 2011-12-26 17
River Corrib

Rivers Starting with D

Rivers Starting with E

Rivers Starting with F

Peace Bridge Derry
River Foyle
  • River Foyle* 80 mi (130 km) (total) — Part of this river forms the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
  • River Funshion 34.75 mi (55.92 km)

Rivers Starting with G

Rivers Starting with I

Rivers Starting with J

  • John's
  • Joan Slade River, County Kildare

Rivers Starting with K

Rivers Starting with L

The Ormeau Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 268380
River Lagan

Rivers Starting with M

Rivers Starting with N

Bennetsbridge42
River Nore

Rivers Starting with O

Rivers Starting with P

Rivers Starting with Q

Rivers Starting with R

  • River Reelan* 10.5 mi (16.9 km)
  • River Robe (via Loughs Mask and Corrib) 39.25 mi (63.17 km)
  • River Roe* 34.25 mi (55.12 km)
  • Roogagh*
  • Roughty River 16.75 mi (26.96 km) (flowing into Kenmare Bay)
  • River Rye 15.5 mi (24.9 km)

Rivers Starting with S

RiverSuck2781
River Suck

Rivers Starting with T

  • River Tall* 22.5 mi (36.2 km)
  • River Tang 15.5 mi (24.9 km)
  • River Tar 18.75 mi (30.18 km)
Clonee Bridge, Clonee - geograph.org.uk - 665026
River Tolka
  • River Tolka 20.75 mi (33.39 km)
  • River Torrent* 25 mi (40 km)
  • River Triogue 16.75 mi (26.96 km)
  • Tullamore River 12.5 mi (20.1 km)

Rivers Starting with U

Rivers Starting with V

Rivers Starting with W

Rivers Starting with Y

  • Yellow River 17.25 mi (27.76 km)

Images for kids

See also

External sources

  • Irish Whitewater River Guides
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List of rivers of Ireland Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.