Rivers of Ireland facts for kids
Ireland is an island with many rivers flowing through its beautiful landscapes. These rivers are super important for nature, people, and even for fun activities like fishing! This article will tell you all about the main rivers in Ireland, including the longest ones and those with the most water flowing through them.
The longest river in Ireland is the River Shannon. It's about 360.5 kilometers (224 miles) long! As it flows, the Shannon forms three big lakes: Lough Allen, Lough Ree, and Lough Derg. Lough Derg is the biggest of these. The Shannon finally empties into the Atlantic Ocean through a wide area called the Shannon Estuary. Other important rivers you might know include the River Liffey, River Lee, River Foyle, River Lagan, River Erne, and the River Boyne.
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Ireland's Longest Rivers
Did you know that Ireland has many long rivers? Here are some of the longest ones, along with the counties they flow through and how big their surrounding land areas (called "basin areas") are. These lengths were measured by the Ordnance Survey of Ireland.
- River Shannon (including its lakes and estuary): 360 km (224 mi) long. It flows through Cavan, Leitrim, Roscommon, Longford, Westmeath, Galway, Offaly, Tipperary, Clare, Limerick, and Kerry. Its basin area is huge, at 16,800 km².
- River Barrow: 192 km (119 mi) long. It flows through Laois, Kildare, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford, and Waterford. Its basin area is 3,067 km².
- River Suir: 184 km (114.5 mi) long. It flows through Tipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny, and Wexford. Its basin area is 3,610 km².
- River Blackwater (Munster): 168 km (104.5 mi) long. It flows through Kerry, Cork, and Waterford. Its basin area is 3,324 km².
- River Bann (including its flow through Lough Neagh): 159 km (99 mi) long. It flows through Down, Armagh, Antrim, and Londonderry. Its basin area is 5,808 km².
- River Nore: 140 km (87 mi) long. It flows through Tipperary, Laois, and Kilkenny. Its basin area is 2,530 km².
- River Suck (a part of the Shannon system): 133 km (83 mi) long. It flows through Roscommon and Galway. Its basin area is 1,600 km².
- River Liffey: 132 km (82 mi) long. It flows through Wicklow, Kildare, and Dublin. Its basin area is 1,256 km².
- River Erne: 129 km (80 mi) long. It flows through Cavan, Fermanagh, and Donegal. Its basin area is 4,372 km².
- River Foyle (including the Rivers Mourne, Strule & Camowen): 129 km (80 mi) long. It flows through Tyrone, Londonderry, and Donegal. Its basin area is 2,925 km².
Rivers with the Most Water Flow
Some rivers carry a lot more water than others! This is called their "mean discharge" and is measured in cubic meters per second (m³/s). Here are the rivers in Ireland with the biggest average water flow:
- River Shannon: About 209 m³/s (but can reach 300 m³/s when including all the rivers flowing into its estuary!).
- River Corrib: 105.5 m³/s.
- River Bann: 92 m³/s (can be up to 102.5 m³/s for its full basin).
- River Foyle: 90 m³/s.
- River Blackwater (Munster): 87.5 m³/s.
- River Erne: 85 m³/s.
- River Suir: 76 m³/s.
- River Moy: 63 m³/s.
- River Barrow: 46.5 m³/s.
- River Laune: 43 m³/s.
The Three Sisters rivers (Barrow, Nore, and Suir) together pour about 154 m³/s of water into Waterford Harbour.
Rivers in Northern Ireland
These rivers are found in Northern Ireland. Their lengths are given in miles and kilometers.
- River Crana: 12 mi (19 km)
- River Lennon (Leannan): 28.5 mi (45.9 km)
- River Foyle: 80 mi (129 km) total. Part of the Foyle forms the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
- Burn Dale (also called River Deele): 25.5 mi (41.0 km)
- River Finn (Foyle tributary): 39.25 mi (63.17 km)
- River Mourne (and its many branches like River Derg, Owenkillew River, River Strule).
- River Faughan: 29.5 mi (47.5 km)
- River Roe: 34.25 mi (55.12 km)
- River Bann: 90 mi (140 km). It has many important branches like the River Blackwater and River Main.
- River Bush: 33.5 mi (53.9 km)
- River Erne: 80 mi (130 km).
- River Lagan: 53.5 mi (86.1 km). This river flows through Belfast.
- River Quoile: 27.5 mi (44.3 km)
- Clanrye (Newry) River: 27 mi (43 km)
Rivers Flowing into the Irish Sea
These rivers are in the Republic of Ireland and flow into the Irish Sea on the east coast.
- Castletown River: 28 mi (45 km)
- River Fane: 38.25 mi (61.56 km)
- River Glyde: 34.75 mi (55.92 km)
- River Dee, County Louth: 37.75 mi (60.75 km)
- River Boyne: 70 mi (110 km). This river is famous for its history.
- River Tolka: 20.75 mi (33.39 km)
- River Liffey: 82 mi (132 km). This river flows right through Dublin city!
- River Dodder: 17 mi (27 km)
- River Dargle: 12.5 mi (20.1 km)
- River Vartry: 20.5 mi (33.0 km)
- River Avoca (Ovoca): 9.5 mi (15.3 km). This river is known for its beautiful "Meeting of the Waters."
- River Slaney: 73 mi (117 km)
Rivers Flowing into the Celtic Sea
These rivers are in the Republic of Ireland and flow into the Celtic Sea on the south coast.
- River Barrow: 119.5 mi (192.3 km).
- River Nore: 87.75 mi (141.22 km).
- River Suir: 114.75 mi (184.67 km). The Barrow, Nore, and Suir are often called "The Three Sisters" because they meet before flowing into the sea.
- River Colligan: 15 mi (24 km)
- River Mahon: 15.75 mi (25.35 km)
- River Blackwater, Cork: 104.5 mi (168.2 km). This is a very important river for salmon fishing.
- River Lee: 55.5 mi (89.3 km). This river flows through Cork city.
- River Bandon: 45 mi (72 km)
- River Ilen: 20.75 mi (33.39 km)
- Argideen River: 17.75 mi (28.57 km)
- River Owenabue: 20.5 mi (33.0 km)
Rivers Flowing into the Atlantic Ocean
These rivers are in the Republic of Ireland and flow into the mighty Atlantic Ocean on the west coast.
- Roughty River: 16.75 mi (26.96 km)
- River Laune: 14 mi (23 km)
- Caragh River: 14 mi (23 km)
- River Inny (Kerry): 16.5 mi (26.6 km)
- River Maine: 26.5 mi (42.6 km)
- River Feale: 46 mi (74 km)
- River Shannon: 224 mi (360 km). As mentioned, this is Ireland's longest river! It has many tributaries (smaller rivers that flow into it), like the River Brosna, Little Brosna River, River Inny, and River Suck.
- River Fergus: 36.5 mi (58.7 km)
- River Corrib: 5.75 mi (9.25 km). This short river connects Lough Corrib to Galway Bay.
- River Clarin: 19.75 mi (31.78 km)
- Kilcolgan River: 9.5 mi (15.3 km)
- River Doonbeg: 25.75 mi (41.44 km)
- River Inagh: 22.75 mi (36.61 km)
- River Erriff: 20.5 mi (33.0 km)
- River Moy: 62.5 mi (100.6 km). This river is well-known for its salmon fishing.
- Easky River, County Sligo: 18.5 mi (29.8 km)
- Ballisodare River: 5.5 mi (8.9 km)
- River Garavogue (including Lough Gill and River Bonnet): 31.5 mi (50.7 km)
- River Erne: 80 mi (130 km). This river flows through County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland and then into the Atlantic.
- Owenea River: 16.25 mi (26.15 km)
- River Eske: 15.25 mi (24.54 km)
- River Gweebarra: 19.75 mi (31.78 km)
- River Swilly: 25.5 mi (41.0 km)
Images for kids
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The River Dodder in winter.
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The River Goul.
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The River Lee in County Cork.
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The River Shannon at Shannonbridge.
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The River Annalee.
See also
In Spanish: Ríos de Irlanda para niños
