River Suck facts for kids
Quick facts for kids River Suck |
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River Suck, Athleague
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| Native name | An tSuca |
| Country | Ireland |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Lough O'Flynn, County Roscommon 72 metres (236 ft) |
| River mouth | River Shannon Shannonbridge, County Offaly |
| Length | 133 kilometres (83 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 1,600 square kilometres (620 sq mi) |
| Tributaries |
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The River Suck (Irish: An tSuca) is a river within the Shannon River Basin in Ireland, 133 km (82.5 mi) in length. It is the main tributary of the River Shannon. It meets the Shannon a kilometre south of the village of Shannonbridge.
Contents
Name
The river's name is derived from the Irish suca, of uncertain meaning, possibly deriving from succín, Middle Irish for "amber." Edmund Hogan's Onomasticon Goedelicum records the spellings suġ (sugh), suggesting connections to Old Irish súg ("juice, sap").
Course
The River Suck drains an area of 1,599 square kilometres (617 sq mi). It forms much of the border between County Roscommon and County Galway, flowing along the western side of County Roscommon. Together with the Shannon on the east, it creates the long narrow form of southern County Roscommon.
The river rises in hills on the border of County Mayo and County Roscommon, and passes from Lough O'Flynn in a general south and south-easterly direction. Settlements along the river include Athleague, Ballinasloe, Ballyforan, Ballymoe, Castlerea, Glinsk, and Tulrush, and it flows into the River Shannon a kilometre south of the village of Shannonbridge.
Geography
The water is clean and unpolluted and the river flows through unspoilt countryside with moorland, water meadows and pastureland. Some stretches are fast-flowing while others are slow and meandering. There are abundant bream, rudd and tench in some parts, and perch and pike are also plentiful. To prevent flooding at Ballinasloe, a weir was erected in 1885 immediately above the four-arch bridge, with draw-doors which can be raised when there is an approaching flood.
Suck Valley Way
The Suck Valley Way is a long-distance trail. It is a 105-kilometre (65-mile) long circular route that begins and ends in Castlerea, County Roscommon. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Roscommon County Council, Roscommon Integrated Development Company and the Suck Valley Committee.
See also
In Spanish: Río Suck para niños
