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| River Suir | |
|---|---|
 River Suir atHolycross, Tipperary | |
 Map of the Three Sisters, including the Suir | |
| Etymology | Old Irishsiur, "sister"[1] |
| Native name | Abhainn na Siúire (Irish) |
| Location | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Counties | Tipperary,Waterford,Kilkenny |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Devil's Bit Mountain |
| • location | Templemore,County Tipperary |
| • coordinates | 52°49′16″N7°54′50″W / 52.821°N 7.914°W /52.821; -7.914 |
| • elevation | 480 m (1,570 ft) |
| Mouth | Waterford Harbour |
• location | Waterford |
• coordinates | 52°07′N6°34′W / 52.11°N 6.56°W /52.11; -6.56 |
| Length | 185 km (115 mi) |
| Basin size | 1,394 sq mi (3,610 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 76.9 m3/s (2,720 cu ft/s) |
TheRiver Suir (/ʃʊər/SHOOR;Irish:an tSiúr[ənʲˈtʲuːɾˠ] orAbhainn na Siúire[ˌəun̠ʲn̪ˠəˈʃuːɾʲə]) is a river inIreland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean throughWaterford after a distance of 185 kilometres (115 mi).[2]The catchment area of the Suir is 3,610 km2.[3]Its long-term average flow rate is 76.9 cubic metres per second (m3/s), about twice the flow of either theRiver Barrow (37.4 m3/s) or theRiver Nore (42.9 m3/s) before these join, but a little less than the Barrow's flow when it meets the Suir 20 km downstream (over 80 m3/s).[3]
Popular with anglers, it abounds inbrown trout andsalmon. Although the Suir holds the record for asalmon taken from an Irish river (weighing 57 lb/26 kg, taken on a fly in 1874), as has been the case in many other Atlantic rivers, salmon stocks have been in decline in recent years.[4]
Rising on the slopes ofDevil's Bit Mountain, just north ofTemplemore inCounty Tipperary, the Suir flows south throughLoughmore,Thurles,Holycross,Golden andKnockgraffon. Merging with theRiver Aherlow atKilmoyler and further on with theTar, it turns east at theComeragh Mountains, forming the border betweenCounty Waterford andCounty Tipperary. It then passes throughCahir,Clonmel andCarrick-on-Suir before reachingWaterford. Near thePort of Waterford it meets theRiver Barrow atCheekpoint to form a wide navigableestuary, capable of accommodating seagoing vessels up to 32,000 tonsdwt. It exits to the sea betweenDunmore East andHook Head.
Together with the Nore and the Barrow, the river is one of the trio known asThe Three Sisters.
The Suir is known inIrish as theSiúr and it is thought the present spelling in English with the u and i reversed is due to a mistake. Some people therefore feel that the spelling in English should be Siur and this spelling is occasionally seen as Siur.[citation needed]Edmund Spenser (1552–1599) author ofThe Fairie Queene, in his writings during theElizabethan age while domiciled inCounty Cork, referred to the "gentle Shure", probable a most accurate spelling and the most phonetically correct of the period.
In the early years of the 21st century, the remains of a very largeViking settlement were found at a bend in the river atWoodstown just upstream from Waterford.
InClonmel, the Suir floods the local area after very heavy rainfalls falling in the up river catchment of 2,173 km2. The Office of Public Works (OPW) completed and installed a Flood Forecasting System which was used to forecast flooding in January 2008 and January 2009, the flooding of January 2009 being a 1 in 5-year event. Phase 1 of the Clonmel Flood defence (1–100-year) which stated in 2007 is scheduled for completion in late 2009 and phase two and three as one contract by 2011/2012. The flood defence consists of demountable barriers, walls and earth banks. The Gashouse Bridge, Coleville Road, Davis Road, the quays and the Old Bridge are generally the worst affected areas.
Carrick-on-Suir is tidal and has a 1–50-year flood defence. The Office of Public Works (OPW) now plan to install a 1–200-year flood defence where the river Suir flows throughWaterford city.
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