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This is an alphabetical list of the main rivers on the island ofIreland. It includes rivers that flow through theRepublic of Ireland andNorthern Ireland. Rivers that flow throughNorthern Ireland are marked with an asterisk (*). There are over 70,000 km of waterways in theRepublic of Ireland contained in 3,192 river water bodies including rivers, streams, and tributaries.[1] The major rivers have their length (in miles and kilometres) given. Also shown are two tables.Table 1 shows the longest rivers in Ireland with their lengths (in miles and kilometres), the counties they flow through, and their catchment areas (in km2).Table 2 shows the largest rivers in Ireland (by mean flow) in cubic meters per second.
Lengths obtained from theOrdnance Survey of Ireland:Rivers and their Catchment Basins 1958 (Table of Reference), and for the rivers Bann and Erne –Notes on River Basins by Robert A. Williams
| River | Counties | Length | Basin Area | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | River Shannon (including estuary and flow through lakes)a | Cavan,Leitrim,Roscommon,Longford,Westmeath,Galway,Offaly, | 360 km (224 mi) | 16,800 km2[2] |
| 2 | River Barrowb | Laois,Kildare,Kilkenny,Carlow, | 192 km (119 mi) | 3,067 km2[2] |
| 3 | River Suirb | Tipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny, Wexford | 184 km (114.5 mi) | 3,610 km2[2] |
| 4 | River Blackwater (Munster) | Kerry,Cork, Waterford | 168 km (104.5 mi) | 3,324 km2[2] |
| 5 | River Bann (including flow through L. Neagh)c | Down,Armagh,Antrim,Londonderry | 159 km (99 mi) | 5,808 km2[3] |
| 6 | River Noreb | Tipperary, Laois, Kilkenny | 140 km (87 mi) | 2,530 km2[2] |
| 7 | River Suck (Shannon) | Roscommon, Galway | 133 km (83 mi) | 1,600 km2[4] |
| 8 | River Liffey | Wicklow, Kildare,Dublin | 132 km (82 mi) | 1,256 km2[2] |
| 9 | River Erne | Cavan,Fermanagh,Donegal | 129 km (80 mi)[5] | 4,372 km2[2] |
| 10 | River Foyle (including Rivers Mourne, Strule & Camowen) | Tyrone, Londonderry, Donegal | 129 km (80 mi) | 2,925 km2[3] |
| 11 | River Slaney | Wicklow, Carlow,Wexford | 117 km (73 mi) | 1,762 km2[2] |
| 12 | River Boyne | Kildare, Offaly,Meath,Louth | 113 km (70 mi) | 2,695 km2[2] |
| 13 | River Moy | Sligo,Mayo | 101 km (62.5 mi) | 2,086 km2[2] |
| 14 | River Clare (Corrib)d | Mayo, Roscommon, Galway | 93 km (58 mi) | 1,108 km2[6] |
| 15 | River Blackwater (Ulster) (Bann)c | Tyrone,Monaghan, Armagh | 92 km (57 mi) | 1,507 km2[3] |
| 16t | River Inny (Shannon) | Cavan, Longford, Westmeath | 89 km (55.5 mi) | 1,254 km2[4] |
| 16t | River Lee | Cork | 89 km (55.5 mi) | 1,253 km2[2] |
| 18 | River Lagan | Down, Antrim | 86 km (53.5 mi) | 565 km2[3] |
| 19 | River Brosna (Shannon) | Westmeath, Offaly | 79 km (49 mi) | 1,248 km2[4] |
| 20 | River Laune (includes Lough Leane andRiver Flesk) | Kerry | 76 km (47.25 mi) | 829 km2 |
| 21 | River Feale (Shannon) | Cork, Limerick, Kerry | 74 km (46 mi) | 1,170 km2[7] |
| 22 | River Bandon | Cork | 72 km (45 mi) | 608 km2[2] |
| 23 | River Blackwater (Boyne) | Cavan, Meath | 68 km (42.5 mi) | 733 km2[8] |
| 24 | River Annalee (Erne) | Monaghan, Cavan | 66.8 km (41.75 mi) | 522 km2[8] |
| 25 | River Bride (M. Blackwater) | Cork, Waterford | 64 km (40 mi) | 419 km2 |
| 26 | Boyle River (including Lung River) (Shannon) | Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon | 64 km (40 mi)[9] | 725 km2 |
| 27 | River Deel (Shannon) | Cork, Limerick | 63.2 km (39.5 mi) | 481 km2[8] |
| 28 | River Robe (Corrib)d | Mayo | 62.8 km (39.25 mi) | 320 km2 |
| 29 | River Finn (County Donegal) (Foyle) | Donegal, Tyrone | 62.8 km (39.25 mi) | 505 km2[8] |
| 30 | River Maigue (Shannon) | Cork, Limerick | 62 km (38.75 mi) | 1,000 km2 |
| 31 | Fane River | Monaghan, Armagh, Louth | 61.2 km (38.25 mi) | 350 km2 |
| 32 | Ballisodare River | Sligo | 60.8 km (38 mi) | 650 km2[3] |
| 33 | River Dee (Louth) | Cavan, Meath, Louth | 60.4 km (37.75 mi) | 392 km2[8] |
| 34 | River Fergus (Shannon) | Clare | 58.4 km (36.5 mi) | 1,043 km2 |
| 35 | Little Brosna River (Shannon) | Offaly, Tipperary | 57.6 km (36 mi) | 662 km2 |
| 36 | Mulkear River (including Bilboa River) (Shannon) | Tipperary, Limerick | 55.9 km (34.75 mi) | 650 km2 |
| 37 | River Glyde (Co. Louth) | Cavan, Meath, Louth | 55.9 km (34.75 mi) | 348 km2 |
TABLE 1
a
b
c
d
| River (River Basin) | Mean Discharge (m3/s) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | River Shannon[2]a | 209 (300) |
| 2 | River Corrib[2] | 105.5 |
| 3 | River Bann[17]b | 92 (102.5) |
| 4 | River Foyle[18] | 90 |
| 5 | River Blackwater (Munster)[2] | 87.5 |
| 6 | River Erne[2] | 85 |
| 7 | River Suir[2]c | 76 |
| 8 | River Moy[2] | 63 |
| 9 | River Barrow[2]c | 46.5 |
| 10 | River Laune[2] | 43 |
| 11 | River Nore[2]c | 42 |
| 12 | River Lee[2] | 40 |
| 13 | River Slaney[2] | 39 |
| 14 | River Boyne[2] | 38.5 |
| 15 | River Cong[8] (Corrib) | 37.6 |
| 16 | River Feale[19] (Shannon) | 34.6 |
| 17 | River Fergus[19] (Shannon) | 25.7 |
| 18 | River Clare[20] (Corrib) | 22.9 |
| 19 | River Suck[20] (Shannon) | 22.2 |
| 20 | River Avoca[2] | 22 |
| 21 | River Bandon[2] | 21.5 |
| 22 | River Mourne[20] (Foyle) | 21.1 |
| 23 | River Blackwater (Ulster)[20] (Bann) | 19.7 |
| 24 | River Ballisodare[8] | 18.25 |
| 25 | River Inny[20] (Shannon) | 18.4 |
| 26 | River Liffey[2] | 17 |
| 27 | River Derg[20] (Foyle) | 16.2 |
| 28 | River Maigue[19] (Shannon) | 15.6 |
| 29 | River Main[20] (Bann) | 15.4 |
| 30 | River Blackwater (Boyne)[8] (Boyne) | 15.08 |
| 31 | Aille River (Connacht)[21] (Corrib) | 15.0 |
| 32 | Owenmore River (County Mayo)[20] | 14.7 |
| 33 | Boyle River[8] (Shannon) | 13.57 |
| 34 | River Deel[8] (Shannon) | 12.56 |
| 35 | Mulkear River[8] (Shannon) | 12.55 |
TABLE 2
a TheRiver Shannon's 209 m3/s is toLimerick City (Catchment area: 11,700 km2). If the discharges from all of the rivers and streams into theShannon Estuary (including the rivers Feale 34.6m3/s, Maigue 15.6m3/s, Fergus 25.7m3/s, and Deel 7.4m3/s)[19][22] are added to the discharge at Limerick giving a total catchment of 16,865 km2, the total discharge of the River Shannon at its mouth at Loop Head reaches300 m3/s
b TheRiver Bann's 92 m3/s is to Movanagher Gauging station (Basin area 5209.8 km2).[23] The 102.5 m3/s is based on the total basin area of 5808 km2[3].
cThe Three Sisters (Barrow, Nore & Suir) total flow intoWaterford Harbour is 154 m3/s and the combined flow of the Barrow and Nore rivers is 86 m3/s before joining the river Suir nearWaterford City.
