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The Cladagh River () is a small river in
County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 ...
, formed from three rivers and a number of streams draining off the northern slopes of
Cuilcagh Cuilcagh () is a mountain on the border between County Fermanagh (in Northern Ireland) and County Cavan (in the Republic of Ireland). With a height of it is the highest point in both counties. It is also the 170th highest peak on the island of ...
mountain, which combine underground in the Marble Arch Cave system. On the surface, the River Cladagh emerges from one of the largest
karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, Dolomite (rock), dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathe ...
resurgences in the UK, before flowing through Cladagh Glen Nature Reserve and eventually draining into the
Arney River The Arney River is a small river in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, feeding from Lower Lough MacNean and into Upper Lough Erne. It meanders through a wide, flat Glacial Trough between the uplands of Fermanagh, Belmore Mountain and the Cuilc ...
.


Course


Below ground

The river is sourced by three tributaries: the Sruh Croppa, the Aghinrawn and the Owenbrean; all of which sink into limestone on the Marlbank (a plateau on northern Cuilcagh Mountain) and join underground in the extensive Marble Arch cave system.Jones, Burns, Fogg & Kelly (1997), p. 79 The Sruh Croppa and Aghinrawn flow together for a short distance from Cradle Hole into Marble Arch Cave, before joining up with the Owenbrean at The Junction. In normal water levels, the Marble Arch Caves tour begins by boat, underground on the initial stretch of the Cladagh, and passes The Junction before continuing upstream along the Owenbrean.


Above ground

The main resurgence from the cave system pours from beneath a cliff face into the chaotic limestone collapse fields immediately above the Marble Arch, a natural limestone bridge which lends its name to the cave system. The Cladagh then cascades under the arch and turns abruptly north into the head of Cladagh River gorge, or Cladagh Glen. Halfway along Cladagh Glen, another large resurgence joins the Cladagh at Cascades Rising. This is the discharge for the ''Prod's Pot–Cascades Rising'' section of the Marble Arch Cave system, which takes water from a large catchment including Gortmaconnell (2 km), Brookfield (2.5 km) and more surprisingly
Badger Pot Badger Pot and Pigeon Pot are two caves found in the Karst topography on the eastern slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain, south of Florencecourt Forest Park, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. They are sourced from small rivers which, at each pot, si ...
and other East Cuilcagh sinks, 5.5 km away, as well as a portion of the Owenbrean River from small sinks upstream of its main sink at Pollasumera (Gunn, J.).


Environment

This area is part of the
Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark The Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark formerly known as the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark straddles the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is centred on the Marble Arch Caves and in 2001 it became one of the first geopa ...
which includes Marlbank Forest, the Cladagh Glen and the Marble Arch National Nature Reserve. A loop from the
Ulster Way The Ulster Way is a series of walking routes which encircles Northern Ireland. It was founded in the 1970s by Wilfrid Merydith Capper, who was inspired by Tom Stephenson's Pennine Way. The route was relaunched in 2009 by the Department of the ...
traverses Cladagh Glen.


See also

*
List of rivers of Northern Ireland This is an alphabetical list of the main rivers on the island of Ireland. It includes rivers that flow through the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Rivers that flow through Northern Ireland are marked with an asterisk (*). There are o ...


Notes


References

* {{authority control Cladagh