River Eske facts for kids
Quick facts for kids River Eske |
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Map showing the flow of River Eske and the six road bridges that cross it
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| Native name | An Iascaigh |
| Country | Ireland |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Lough Eske |
| River mouth | Atlantic Ocean via Donegal Bay |
| Length | 24.54 kilometres (15.25 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 80.8 square kilometres (31.2 sq mi) |
The River Eske is a beautiful river in the northwest of Ireland. It flows through County Donegal. The river starts at a lake called Lough Eske. This lake is in the southeast part of the county.
From there, the River Eske mostly flows west. It passes through the town of Donegal. Finally, it reaches the Atlantic Ocean by flowing into Donegal Bay.
Donegal Town is the only big town the river flows through. Even though it's not a huge river, it's very famous for fishing. People especially like to catch spring salmon, sea trout, and char here. The fishing season runs from March 1st to September 30th.
The River Eske flows from the Bluestack Mountains. These mountains are located north of Donegal Town. As the river goes through the town, it passes by some interesting places. One of these is Donegal Castle. This castle used to be the home of the O'Donnell family. They were important rulers of a land called Tyrconnell. This area is now mostly County Donegal.
The end of the river is right across from an old Franciscan Abbey. The O'Donnells built this abbey. But it was destroyed by the English in 1607. This happened after an event called the Flight of the Earls.
River Eske Bridges
The River Eske has several bridges crossing it. Almost as soon as the river leaves Lough Eske, it goes under the Lough Eske Bridge. The river then flows southwest towards Donegal Town.
About 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) downstream, it goes under Thrushbank Bridge. It keeps flowing southwest. Then, a new concrete bridge carries the N56 road over the river. This is part of the Donegal Town By-pass.
From this new bridge, the river turns south. A smaller stream called Drummenny Burn joins it here. This spot is between the Community Hospital and The Northern Garage. After this, the Eske flows west into Donegal Town. It passes the Community Hospital.
Bridges in Donegal Town
The River Eske flows under three bridges inside Donegal Town itself.
- The first and newest bridge is at Water Street. There have been many bridges here since the 1830s. These included bridges made of wood and concrete. The bridge there now is called Kennedy Bridge. It was built in 2004.
- From Water Street, the Eske flows west. It goes under a bridge at Tyrconnell Street. This bridge is known as the 'Iron Bridge'. You can guess why from its name! It was first built in 1895. But old drawings show a bridge was there even earlier. This bridge is called Tyrconnell Bridge. It was largely rebuilt in late 2018 and early 2019.
- The river then flows south to Bridge Street. This bridge has three arches. It was built between 1835 and 1840. It is now a protected building since 2003. This bridge is near where the river was first crossed a long time ago.
After this last bridge, the River Eske meets the sea. It flows into Donegal Harbour. This harbour is an inlet of Donegal Bay.
See also
In Spanish: Río Eske para niños
