TheSix Mile Water is a river in southernCounty Antrim,Northern Ireland. It is an indirect tributary of theRiver Bann, viaLough Neagh.
The river was historically called theOllarbha and is known inIrish asAbhainn na bhFiodh[1] ("river of the woods"), which was formerly anglicized 'Owenaview'.[2]
Accounts vary as to the origin of the name. The river is almost 26 miles (42 km) long rather than six.[3] It is said to be named from a crossing point sixIrish miles from Antrim, on the road to Carrickfergus.[2] Another story is that it was named by English soldiers, who calculated that it was a six-mile march fromCarrickfergus Castle to the ford atBallyclare.[4]
It rises in the hills west ofLarne and north ofCarrickfergus and descends gently westward, flowing through or close to the communities ofBallynure,Ballyclare,Doagh,Parkgate,Templepatrick,Dunadry andAntrim into Lough Neagh. A weir exists at Ballyclare where water was diverted to thepaper mill. The Six Mile Water Park was constructed around the river in Ballyclare, in order that the river's frequent floods would not affect houses in the area. It has a catchment of 117 square miles.[5]
The river is the subject of the song "Six Mile Water", by the alternative rock bandTherapy?. It appeared on their fifth full-length albumSuicide Pact – You First released in 1999.
54°43′04″N6°13′52″W / 54.71788°N 6.23122°W /54.71788; -6.23122