The River Fergus ()
is a river within the
Shannon River Basin which flows in
County Clare
County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...
,
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 ...
. The river begins at Lough Fergus in north Clare and flows into the
Shannon Estuary. The source is at Lough Fergus in the townland of Kilmore North.
At Knockroe, the river is joined by a tributary stream called the Clooneen River. The Fergus flows underground for about a kilometre in Cahermacon, near Kilnaboy. The river then flows through
Lough Inchiquin. Just after this lake, a tributary which has its source at Loughnagowan joins the Fergus. The river then flows along by the village of
Corofin. After Corofin, the river flows through
Lough Atedaun,
Ballyteige Lough,
Dromore Lough and
Ballyallia Lake. The river then flows through the town of
Ennis
Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in Cou ...
, where it is crossed by six road bridges, a pedestrian bridge and a railway bridge. There is also a small branch which splits off just north of Ennis and rejoins the main flow to the east of the town. Another tributary, a stream known as the Inch River or Claureen River, also joins at Ennis. The river then flows through the village of Clarecastle, where there was a port in former times. After Clarecastle, the river widens into an estuary which then joins the Shannon Estuary. There are several islands in the Fergus Estuary, including
Deer Island,
Coney Island,
Trummer,
Feenish,
Inishmacowney,
Canon Island and
Inishloe. Some of these islands were once inhabited, and there were schools on Coney Island and Inishloe.
The River Fergus is noted for its trout and salmon fishing.
A water-powered flour mill was located at Clifden, Corofin, just after the river exits Lough Inchiquin. Some of the ruins of the mill still exist. Another water mill was located in Ennis, and its mill wheel has been restored.
The River Fergus has an average discharge of 25.7 m
3/s.
Name
The river's name is recorded in old Irish manuscripts as ''Forgas'' and ''Forgus''.
A possible derivation is from
Old Irish
Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic (, Ogham, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ; ; or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic languages, Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive written texts. It was used from 600 to 900. The ...
''for-'' ("on, upon") and ''gas'', "stripling, twig, scion", with the Fergus seen as a twig or small branch off of the much larger
River Shannon.
Settlements
Settlements along the river include
Corofin,
Ennis
Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in Cou ...
and
Clarecastle.
See also
*
Rivers of Ireland
*
River Shannon
*
Shannon River Basin
References
External links
*
*
{{coord, 52, 42, N, 9, 00, W, display=title, region:IE_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki
Fergus