Awbeg River is a river in the southern part of Ireland. It is a tributary of the Blackwater River and flows into that larger river at a point in County Cork. Its name comes from the Irish ''Abha Bheag'' ("small river", a slightly older form than the modern Irish name).The source of this information is a site that credits Buttevant: A Short Story produced 1991 by trainees on the F.A.S. Community Youth Training Program.

The course

There are two contributories of the Awbeg. The first rises in County Limerick as the Gralgne River and enters County Cork a half mile north-east of Ardskeagh Cross Roads, then flows west under a railroad bridge and south under Farran bridge on the Buttevant/Charlevllle road.In this case, the source is not clear as to why Gralgne is referred to as a branch of Awbeg rather than its own river. The second branch rises about two miles north of Liscarroll and flows south and then north and west under Annagh Bridge to join the first branch at Scart Bridge. From there, the river flows south through Buttevant and east through Doneraile, turns south near Shanballymore and through Castletownroche to enter the Blackwater at Poulcormac near

Bridgetown Abbey The Augustinian Priory of St Mary, most commonly referred to as Bridgetown Priory and also as Bridgetown Abbey, is a ruined 13th-century Augustinian monastery of the Canons regular of St. Victor. It is located in Castletownroche, County Cork, Irel ...

Ecology

North of Buttevant the river flows through flat

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

land, while south of Buttevant the river generally flows through a narrow, steep-sided valley with wooded sides. For the most part the river flows over Carboniferous limestone.National Parks & Wildlife Service
/ref> The river supports a range of plant species including dropwort, pondweed, club-rush,

water-cress Watercress or yellowcress (''Nasturtium officinale'') is a species of aquatic flowering plant in the cabbage family Brassicaceae. Watercress is a rapidly growing perennial plant native to Europe and Asia. It is one of the oldest known leaf ve ...

and '' Ranunculus''. The river is largely fringed by a narrow strip of marsh vegetation, dominated by reed-canary grass. The Awbeg is a breeding ground for

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

s and supports a significant population of

Atlantic salmon The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlantic salmon are ...

. The site supports a population of white-clawed crayfish, a threatened species.

Old bridges

Blake's Bridge, an old stone bridge over the Awbeg River in Buttevant, was widened at some time in the past. The masonry is unusual similar to that found at a nearby Franciscan abbey. The ancient clapper bridge near

Ballybeg Abbey Ballybeg Priory (Irish: ), also known as Ballybeg Abbey, the Abbey of St Thomas, and St Thomas's Priory, is a 13th-century priory of the Augustinian order near the town of Buttevant, County Cork, Ireland. It is home to one of the best preserved ...

was erected in the 13th century by the Augustinian Friars of Ballybeg for convenience in crossing the Awbeg to their mill and lands beyond. It is constructed of huge slabs of limestone that are about 3 m long, equally wide, and each weighing a ton. The transverse slabs measure 2.7 m to 3.0 m in length and are wide and thick in proportion and each weighs a tonne.

Knockanare Well

Knockanare Well Knockanare Well is a holy well in County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is situated on the left bank of the River Awbeg, about a half-mile east of Buttevant and southeast of the Ballyhoura Mountains. A Sheela na Gig once stood next to t ...

is situated on the left bank of the Awbeg river, about a half-mile east of Buttevant and southeast of the

Ballyhoura Mountains The Ballyhoura Mountains ( ga, An Sliabh Riabhach) are located in south-east County Limerick and north-east County Cork in central Munster, running east and west for about 6 miles on the borders of both counties. Features The southern part of th ...

Gentle Mullagh

Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser (; 1552/1553 – 13 January 1599) was an English poet best known for ''The Faerie Queene'', an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen of ...

referred to the Awbeg as "the gentle Mullagh" (or Mulla) and resided at Kilcolman Castle in its vicinity.

References

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