The Aherlow River (; ) is a river in
County Limerick
County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...
and
County Tipperary
County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...
, Ireland.
Name
The name Aherlow comes from ''eatharlach'', an old Irish word believed to mean "lowland between two high lands", i.e. a
valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
, in this case between the
Galtee Mountains
Galtymore or Galteemore () is a mountain in the province of Munster, Ireland. At , it is one of Ireland's highest mountains, being the 12th-highest on the Arderin list, and 14th-highest on the Vandeleur-Lynam list. Galtymore has the 4th-highe ...
and
Slievenamuck.
Course
The Aherlow River rises in Anglesborough,
County Limerick
County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...
, flowing westward towards Ballygibbon and then turning north, meeting two tributaries in Lyre and flowing northwards near
Galbally, County Limerick. It then turns eastwards, passes under the
R663 and for 5 km forms the County Limerick–
County Tipperary
County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...
border. It enters the
Glen of Aherlow
The Glen of Aherlow ( Irish: ''Gleann Eatharlaí'') is a valley located between Slievenamuck and the Galtee Mountains in the western part of County Tipperary in Ireland. The principal village is Lisvarrinane (sometimes spelled Lisvernane). There ...
then, and follows a
meander
A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the Channel (geography), channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erosion, erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank (cut bank, cut bank or river cl ...
ing course through the Glen, meeting the Clydagh River at Pollagh and another tributary at Ashgrove, where it passes under the five-arch Ashgrove Bridge. The Aherlow River continues eastward, passing under the
Limerick–Rosslare railway line
The Limerick–Rosslare Main Line is a railway route in Ireland that linked the city of Limerick on the Atlantic coast with Rosslare Europort on the coast of the Irish Sea. It also serves the city of Waterford, and at it connects with the Du ...
in Tankerstown and is bridged by the
N24. It meets the
River Ara and another tributary at Ballymorris, and flows on southeastwards, flowing into the
Suir
The River Suir ( ; or ''Abhainn na Siúire'' ) is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean through Waterford after a distance of .
The catchment area of the Suir is 3,610 km2. at Kilmoyler.
Wildlife
As with many tributaries of the
River Suir
The River Suir ( ; or ''Abhainn na Siúire'' ) is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean through Waterford after a distance of .
The catchment area of the Suir is 3,610 km2. , the Aherlow River is a noted
brown trout
The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...
fishery.
See also
*
Rivers of Ireland
Shown here are all the major rivers and tributaries of Ireland with their lengths (in kilometres and miles). Starting with the Northern Ireland rivers, and going in a clockwise direction, the rivers (and tributaries) are listed in regard to their ...
References
{{coord, 52.339561, N, 8.248872, W, display=title, region:IE_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki
Rivers of County Limerick
Rivers of County Tipperary