The Owenbrean River ( or "stinking river"
), is a small river in
County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of six counties of Northern Ireland.
The county covers an area of and had a population of 63,585 as of 2021. Enniskillen is the ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
which flows down from
Cuilcagh Mountain before sinking underground, eventually reaching the
Marble Arch Cave
The Marble Arch Caves are a series of natural limestone caves located near the village of Florencecourt in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The caves are named after the nearby Marble Arch, a natural limestone arch at the upstream end of Cla ...
system.
Main route
The Owenbrean flows underground through Pollasumera, until it sumps and appears again in nearby Pollnagollum of the Boats. The river eventually enters the Marble Arch system via Skreen Hill 3—a long stretch of cave only accessible by divers—Skreen Hill 2 and Skreen Hill 1, which is the furthest section of the
show cave
A show cave—also called tourist cave, public cave, and, in the United States, commercial cave—is a cave which has been made accessible to the public for guided visits.
Definition
A show cave is a cave that has been made accessible to ...
.
[Jones, Burns, Fogg & Kelly (1997), pp. 79–84] During the guided tour of the
Marble Arch Caves
The Marble Arch Caves are a series of natural limestone caves located near the village of Florencecourt in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The caves are named after the nearby Marble Arch, a natural limestone Natural arch, arch at the upstr ...
, visitors are led on a subterranean pathway alongside the Owenbrean River, as well as travelling upon it for a short while on an underground boat journey. The Owenbrean meets the combined Sruh Croppa and Aghinrawn at The Junction, which is halfway along the boat tour.
Separation
Upstream of the main sinks in the blind gorge, the Owenbrean is also known to lose a portion of its flow as it is diverted into the Upper and Lower Sinks.
[Jones, Burns, Fogg & Kelly (1997), pp. 60–61] These feed into the ''Prod's Pot–Cascades Rising'' cave system, from which the waters emerge above ground again around away in
Cladagh Glen
The Cladagh River () is a small river in County Fermanagh, formed from three rivers and a number of streams draining off the northern slopes of Cuilcagh mountain, which combine underground in the Marble Arch Cave system. On the surface, the R ...
, rejoining the Owenbrean's original flow in its new form as the River Cladagh (Dunn, J.).
See also
*
Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark
The Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark formerly known as the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark straddles the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is centred on the Marble Arch Caves and in 2001 it became one of the first geopar ...
Notes
References
*
{{authority control
Rivers of County Fermanagh
Sinking rivers
Subterranean rivers of the United Kingdom