Sillees River facts for kids
The Sillees River is a cool river located in the southwest of County Fermanagh, which is in Northern Ireland. Its name, Abhainn na Sailchis, means "the sally kesh river" in the Irish language. The river starts its journey in a lake called Lough Ahork, which you can find in Lough Navar Forest.
From Lough Ahork, the Sillees River flows through some beautiful areas. It passes through Correl Glen, the town of Derrygonnelly, and the countryside around Boho. Along its way, the river goes through two lakes: Carran Lough and Ross Lough. Finally, the Sillees River empties into Lower Lough Erne.
Many smaller streams and rivers join the Sillees River. These include the Boho River and the Screenagh River, which comes out of a place called Arch Cave. Another stream, the Reyfad Stream, flows into the Pollytullybrack section of the famous Reyfad cave system.
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Fun Stories About the Sillees River
The Sillees River has some interesting old folk tales connected to it. These stories have been told for many years!
The Legend of St Faber
One famous story tells of a curse given by a person known as St Faber. The tale says that St Faber changed the direction of the river. Because of this, the river became known as a difficult place for fishing, but a place where it was easy to drown. It's a dramatic old story!
Black Francis Corrigan's Leap
Another exciting tale involves a highwayman named Black Francis Corrigan. A highwayman was a robber who attacked travelers on roads. After a famous robbery, the story says that Black Francis Corrigan, along with his horse, managed to leap over the entire Sillees River in a single jump! Imagine seeing that!
Amazing Discoveries in the River Area
The area around the Sillees River is very special for scientists who study ancient life and rocks. It has even had a type of ancient sea creature named after it!
Creatures Named After the River
A type of brachiopod (say: BRAK-ee-oh-pod) was named after the Sillees River. Brachiopods are small, shelled sea animals that lived long, long ago. This particular species is called Rugosochonetes silleesi. How cool is it to have a creature named after your river?
Ancient Life in the Rocks
Scientists have found many different kinds of ancient creatures in the rocks around the Sillees River. They discovered about 56 different types of brachiopods from the early Carboniferous period. This period was about 359 to 323 million years ago! They also found 69 different types of bryozoans (say: BRY-oh-zoh-ans). Bryozoans are tiny water animals that often live in colonies, looking a bit like moss or coral. These discoveries help us learn a lot about what life was like on Earth millions of years ago!
