Assaroe Falls (, ), also known as ''Cathaleen’s Falls'', was a
waterfall
A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge
of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...
on the
River Erne
The River Erne ( , or ''An Éirne'') in the northwest of the island of Ireland, is the second-longest river in Ulster, flowing through Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and forming part of their border.
Course
The Erne rises on ...
near
Ballyshannon
Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 road (Ireland), N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 road (Ireland), N15 crosses the River Erne. The town was inc ...
,
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. It was named after
Aodh Ruadh, who according to tradition, slipped and fell from the waterfall and drowned.
Known for its beauty and famous salmon leap, the water was diverted for construction of the
Cathaleen's Fall hydroelectric power station that was built in the town in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
A dam was constructed upriver, known as Assaroe Lake, with a channel to lower the riverbed through the town to increase the head of water at the dam in order to drive the turbines.
There is a campaign to restore the historic salmon leap at Assaroe Falls.
See also
*
List of waterfalls
This list of notable waterfalls of the world is sorted by continent, then country, then province, state or territory. A waterfall is included if it is at least tall and has an existing Wikipedia article, or it is considered historically sig ...
Annalistic references
* ''M836.17. A slaughter was made of the foreigners at Eas Ruaidh.''
Citations
{{reflist
References
*
Twiss, Richard (1775)
''A Tour in Ireland''Ireland Illustrated entry, National University of Ireland, Galway
Waterfalls of the Republic of Ireland
Protected areas of County Donegal
Landforms of County Donegal
Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border