The River Inny (Irish: ''An Eithne'') is a river within the

Shannon River Basin The Shannon River Basin consists of the area containing Ireland's longest river, the River Shannon, and all of its tributaries and lakes. The official Ordnance Survey Ireland length of the Shannon from its Shannon Pot source is made up of tid ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is in length, and has a number of lakes along its course.

Etymology

The river's name derives from the mythological figure Ethniu or Eithne, who reputedly died in rapids in its lower reaches.

Course

The Inny begins as a stream at

Slieve na Calliagh Slieve na Calliagh () are a range of hills and ancient burial site near Oldcastle, County Meath, Ireland. The summit is , the highest point in the county. On the hilltops are about twenty passage tombs, some decorated with rare megalithic art, ...

, in the townland of Tubride, near Oldcastle, a hilly area which holds the complex of megalithic tombs now more often named for

Loughcrew Loughcrew or Lough Crew () is an area of historical importance near Oldcastle, County Meath, Ireland. It is home to a group of ancient tombs from the 4th millennium BC, some decorated with rare megalithic art, which sit on top of a range of hil ...

, all in

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the ...

. In its upper reaches, it marks the boundary between Counties Meath and Cavan for about a short distance before it enters Lough Sheelin, which lies at a meeting points of Counties Cavan, Meath and

Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = , subdivis ...

. The portion as far as Lough Sheelin is also sometimes known as the Upper Inny, or the Ross River. At Lough Sheelin, multiple tributaries join, including the Mountnugent (Mount Nugent) River and the Bellsgrove (or Belsgrove, also known as Ballyheelan) and Crover Streams, as well as the Mauraghboy, Carrick, Rusheen, Moneybeg and Schoolhouse Streams. The Upper Inny and Lough Sheelin are on limestone, while some of the Lough Sheelin tributaries flow over quartzite. From Lough Sheelin, the Inny, sometimes known as the Lower Inny from here on, forms the boundary between Westmeath and Cavan. It flows under the bridge at the village of

Finea Finnea () is a small village in County Westmeath on the border with County Cavan. It straddles the R394 road, in the northern portion of Ireland. Transport Bus Éireann route 447 provides a link to Castlepollard, Crookedwood and Mullingar ...

, and into

Lough Kinale Lough Kinale () is a freshwater lake in the north midlands of Ireland. It is located on the borders of Counties Longford, Westmeath and Cavan. Lough Kinale forms part of the River Inny. The lake's inflow is from Lough Sheelin and the outflow is ...

, where counties Cavan and Westmeath meet Longford. From there the river forms much of the boundary between Longford and Westmeath but enters Westmeath near Streete and flows into

Lough Derravaragh Lough Derravaragh ( ga, Loch Dairbhreach) is a lake in County Westmeath, Ireland, north of Mullingar between Castlepollard, Crookedwood and Multyfarnham. Lough Derravaragh sits on the River Inny which flows from Lough Sheelin on its way t ...

, known for its role in the legend of the Children of Lir. It then flows near the village of Ballinalack, forms Lough Iron, and crosses into County Longford near Abbeyshrule, where the Whitworth Aqueduct suspends the Royal Canal above the river, and pumps supply the canal with water. At nearby Tenelick the mythological Princess Eithne drowned in the rapids, giving her name to the river, which powered two mills here for many years. It continues past Newcastle House to Ballymahon. Downstream of Ballymahon, the Inny again forms the county line between Longford and Westmeath, and runs westwards into

Lough Ree Lough Ree () is a lake in the midlands of Ireland, the second of the three major lakes on the River Shannon. Lough Ree is the second largest lake on the Shannon after Lough Derg. The other two major lakes are Lough Allen to the north, and Lou ...

at Inny Bay. Lough Ree is the second major lake of the River Shannon which drains into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. In the 1960s the river was drained which removed the weir at Newcastle, this fed a generator and a sawmill for the "big house" nearby. It also closed off the millrace and millpond to the ruined mill at the bridge in Ballymahon. This silenced the waterfall at the mill which had roared for about 100 years.

References

External links

Inny River whitewater guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inny Rivers of County Westmeath Rivers of County Longford Tributaries of the River Shannon