Nanny (river)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The River Nanny (), also called the Nanny Water, is a river that flows from Kentstown into the
Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...
at Laytown. The river is known for its trout fishing, and its estuary on the Irish sea provides a haven for wintering birds.


Course and geology

The extensive tablelands between the Boyne and the Nanny valleys form the Nanny watershed. The source lies upstream Navan, near Brannantowns; some authorities describe the source as south of
Navan Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town and largest town of County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is at the confluence of the River Boyne and Leinster Blackwater, Blackwater, around 50 km northwest of Dublin. At the ...
, and it flows to Kentstown. It crosses under the N2 near Balrath, and continues more or less parallel to the L1670. It has one significant tributary, the River Hurley,Explore Ireland
River Nanny Estuary and Shore
Accessed 23 December 2015.
which joins it at Boolies Little. From there the Nanny flows east-north-east, gaining in water at the
moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...
between Annesbrook and
Duleek Duleek (; ) is a small town in County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Duleek takes its name from the Irish language, Irish words ''daimh'' and ''liag'', meaning house of stones, referring to an early stone-built church, St. Cianán's Churc ...
. From there it flows east, breaking into two streams between Gaffney and Beaumont, where it unites again, running adjacent briefly to the R150, and then flows east, crossing under the M1, traveling through Dardistown Cross, past Rockbellew, and runs parallel to the Duleek Road near Julianstown.Peter O'Reilly. ''Rivers of Ireland: A Flyfisher's Guide.'' Stackpole Books, 1 April 2003, p. 226. After Julianstown, the river widens appreciably, to the estuary south of Laytown. There are also mounds of gravel near the Nanny source, a ridge of gravel about two miles long, compounded with limestone pebbles and stratified sandy layers. From Julianstown, the side of the Nanny is marked by gray, thick-bedded
crystalline A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macrosc ...
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
, freely exposed, and dipping northwards at 15 degrees. Limestone cliffs are also exposed along the river at Rock Bellew, although these are blueish gray in color. The river bends near Dardistown bridge, again at St. Columbkille's Well, and a quarter of a mile north of the well, exposing evenly bedded limestone similar to those exposed at Rock Bellew.


Historical events

According to legend, in 848, Cineadh, lord of Cianachta-Breagh, allied with the Norsemen and rebelled against Malachy and plundered the churches and territories of the Hy-Niall from the
River Shannon The River Shannon ( or archaic ') is the major river on the island of Ireland, and at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of I ...
to the sea; a year later, the people of Malachy drown him in the Nanny (then known as the ''Ainge''), which flowed through his patrimony. During the
Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and ...
the Battle of Julianstown was fought at the Nanny Water crossing at Julianstown during which an English Royalist relief force from Dublin on its way to break the first siege of Drogheda was soundly defeated by Irish rebels. During the
Williamite War The Williamite War in Ireland took place from March 1689 to October 1691. Fought between Jacobite supporters of James II and those of his successor, William III, it resulted in a Williamite victory. It is generally viewed as a related conflic ...
s, after the
Battle of the Boyne The Battle of the Boyne ( ) took place in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II, and those of King William III who, with his wife Queen Mary II (his cousin and James's daughter), had acceded to the Crowns of England and Sc ...
, the Jacobite army retreated from the field and headed for the bridge at
Duleek Duleek (; ) is a small town in County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Duleek takes its name from the Irish language, Irish words ''daimh'' and ''liag'', meaning house of stones, referring to an early stone-built church, St. Cianán's Churc ...
, to cross the Nanny.


Flora and fauna

According to legend,
Saint Patrick Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British culture, Romano-British Christian missionary and Archbishop of Armagh, bishop in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Irelan ...
had cursed several of the rivers in Meath, including the Nanny, for their deficit of fish. The river abounds with wild trout, however, and is stocked with
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 ...
, which accounts for more than half of the annual catch. The peak time for trout is March to May, and there is a fly fishing only stretch near Bellewstown. Sea trout also make their way up from the estuary.


Estuary

The estuary stretches to and is an important site for wintering wading birds and is protected under the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
Birds Directive The Birds Directive (formally known as Council Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds) is the oldest piece of EU legislation on the environment and one of its cornerstones which was unanimously adopted in April 1979 as the Dir ...
. The formation itself is narrow and sheltered, providing an excellent habitat for waterbirds. Golden plovers, oystercatchers,
ringed plover The common ringed plover or ringed plover (''Charadrius hiaticula'') is a species of bird in the family Charadriidae. It breeds across much of northern Eurasia, as well as Greenland. Taxonomy The common ringed plover was Species description, f ...
s and sanderlings shelter there over the winter. Other resident waterbirds include brent geese,
bar-tailed godwit The bar-tailed godwit (''Limosa lapponica'') is a large and strongly migratory wader in the family Scolopacidae, which feeds on bristle-worms and shellfish on coastal mudflats and estuaries. It has distinctive red breeding plumage, long legs, ...
s,
great black-backed gull The great black-backed gull (''Larus marinus'') is the largest member of the gull family. It is a very aggressive hunter, pirate, and scavenger which breeds on the coasts and islands of the North Atlantic in northern Europe and northeastern Nort ...
s,
common gull The common gull (''Larus canus'') is a medium-sized gull that breeds in cool temperate regions of the Palearctic from Iceland and Scotland east to Kamchatka in the Russian Far East. Most common gulls bird migration, migrate further south in wint ...
s,
Eurasian curlew The Eurasian curlew or common curlew (''Numenius arquata'') is a very large wader in the family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia. In Europe, this species is often referred ...
s, dunlins and
great cormorant The great cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo''), also known as just cormorant in Britain, as black shag or kawau in New Zealand, formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and ...
s.Ask about Ireland
Nanny
23 December 2015.
The estuary channel is impacted by muddy sediment. It includes both salt and freshwater marsh, and some wet grassland areas. The salt marsh is most pronounced in the eastern side of the channel. Sea plantain, sea aster,
red fescue ''Festuca rubra'' is a species of grass known by the common name red fescue, creeping red fescue or the rush-leaf fescue. It is widespread across much of the Northern Hemisphere and can tolerate many habitats and climates. It is best adapted to w ...
, and sea purslane grow there. Deeper into the estuary, the marsh habitats support
bulrush Bulrush is a vernacular name for several large wetland graminoid, grass-like plants *Sedge family (Cyperaceae): **''Cyperus'' **''Scirpus'' **''Blysmus'' **''Bolboschoenus'' **''Scirpoides'' **''Isolepis'' **''Schoenoplectus'' **''Trichophorum'' ...
and yellow flag. The shore line, approximately at low tide mark, includes beach and intertidal habitats. Image:The River Nanny at Julianstown - geograph.org.uk - 1567663.jpg, Rapids on the Nanny, at Julianstown Image:River_Nanny.jpg, River Nanny at Sonairte Environmental Center, between Julianstown and Laytown Image:Julianstown_nanny2.jpg, View of the River Nanny Image:Bridge_at_Boolies,_Duleek,_Co._Meath_-_geograph.org.uk_-_904959.jpg, Bridge at Duleek, immediately below the junction of the Nanny and the Hurley river. Image:Laytown_meath_beach.jpg, Estuary of the Nanny at Laytown Image:Mouth of the River Nanny - geograph.org.uk - 694766.jpg, Nanny enters the Irish Sea Image:Dardistown Bridge, Cooper Hill, Co. Meath - geograph.org.uk - 977024.jpg, Nanny passes under Dardistown Bridge


References


See also

*
River Boyne The River Boyne ( or ''Abhainn na Bóinne'') is a river in Leinster, Ireland, the course of which is about long. It rises at Trinity Well, Newberry Hall, near Carbury, County Kildare, and flows north-east through County Meath to reach the ...
{{coordinates, 53, 37, 57.1, N, 6, 38, 14.7, W, display=title
Nanny A nanny is a person who provides child care. Typically, this care is given within the children's family setting. Throughout history, nannies were usually servants in large households and reported directly to the lady of the house. Today, modern ...