Image of beach fishing for salmon in the River Feale near the town of Ballybunion in 1975.
The River Feale (''An Fhéil'' or ''Abhainn na Féile'' in
Irish) rises near
Rockchapel in the
Mullaghareirk Mountains of
County Cork
County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...
in the southwest of
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 ...
and flows northwestwards for 75 kilometres through
Mountcollins and
Abbeyfeale 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
Listowel
Listowel ( ; , ) is a heritage market town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the River Feale, from the county town, Tralee. The town of Listowel had a population of 4,794 according to the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, the third large ...
in
County Kerry
County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...
before finally emptying into
Cashen Bay, a wide estuary north of
Ballyduff. It merges into 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 ...
's estuary, which joins with the Atlantic Ocean with a flow rate of 34.6 m
2/s. The river, along with its tributaries, combine to add to over 160 km (100 miles) of waterways. For the final 10 km (6 miles) stretch it is also known as the Cashen River. The river contains a large
salmon
Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...
and
sea trout
Sea trout is the common name usually applied to anadromous (sea-run) forms of brown trout (''Salmo trutta''), and is often referred to as ''Salmo trutta'' morpha ''trutta''. Other names for anadromous brown trout are bull trout, sewin (Wales ...
population.
The headwaters of the Feale rise approximately 4.3 km northeast of the village of
Rockchapel between the townlands of Rockhill West, Rockhill East and Tooreenmacauliffe on the southwestern slopes of
Mullaghareirk mountain. For 65 kilometers the Feale flows through County Kerry, or forms part of its boundary, which makes it the longest river flowing through Kerry.
Name
According to
Geoffrey Keating
Geoffrey Keating (; – ) was an Irish historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill. He became a Catholic priest and a poet.
Biography
It was generally believed unt ...
's ''
Foras Feasa ar Éirinn
''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'' – literally 'Foundation of Knowledge on Ireland', but most often known in English as 'The History of Ireland' – is a narrative history of Ireland by Geoffrey Keating, written in Irish and completed .Bernadette Cun ...
'' (compiled in the 1630s), the river takes its name from a legendary woman:
In County Limerick and north Kerry, the Feale is also referred to as one of the Three Sisters. These are three rivers which all rise close to each other in the Mullaghareirk mountains in north County Cork and generally flow north or northwest into the Shannon Estuary (the others being the rivers
Maigue and
Deel). This term is not to be confused with three of Ireland's larger rivers, the Nore, the Suir and the Barrow, which are also collectively referred to as
The Three Sisters.
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 ...
*
Shannon River Basin
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feale
Rivers of County Kerry
Rivers of County Cork