The Little Brosna River ( ga, An Bhrosnach Bheag) rises near

Dunkerrin Dunkerrin () is a small village in County Offaly, Ireland, just south of Roscrea and near the County Tipperary border. It is on the R445 road which was once the main road from Dublin to Limerick. Dunkerrin is now bypassed by the M7, the nearest ...

County Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It flows for 36 miles before joining the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Shan ...

Course

The river rises near Dunkerrin, and flows near Birr; it forms part of the boundary between County Offaly and

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

. It crosses an area of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, then passes through an area of callow before merging with the easternmost of four channels of the Shannon near Victoria Lock, by

Clonahenoge Clonahenoge (''Cluain Fheannóg'' in Irish) is a townland in County Offaly, Ireland. It is located at the confluence of the Little Brosna River and the River Shannon. Structures of note Hamilton Lock and the Clonahenoge canal were built about ...

and facing Meelick.

Tributaries

The most significant

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

is the

River Camcor The River Camcor is a tributary of the Little Brosna River in central Ireland. It joins the Little Brosna in the Birr Castle Desmesne, Birr, County Offaly. The Little Brosna, in turn, joins the River Shannon close to Victoria Lock at Meeli ...

at Birr, while others include the Pallas Stream, Bunow River, Clareen Stream, Golden Grove Stream and Keeloge Stream.

Bridges

Sharavogue Bridge, built in the early 1850s, carries the R492 road over the river which here forms the boundary between the townlands of Sharavogue and Ballincor Demesne. The bridge is listed as being of architectural and technical interest. Railway Bridge at Glasderry More is a latticed metal bridge carrying the (disused) railway line over the Little Brosna. Riverstown Bridge, with five arches, carries the N52 across the Little Brosna near

Riverstown Riverstown, historically called ''Ballyederdaowen'' (), is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. Known for its musical tradition it is located at a bridging point of the River Unshin (Arrow), 17.2 km (10 miles) south of Sligo town and 4 ...

. This is a narrow bridge at 5.15m between parapets, with traffic negotiating the bridge one direction at a time with the aid of traffic lights. Croghan Bridge a stone bridge of three arches from the mid-18th century, it carries the Croghan Road, Birr across the Little Brosna. Ivy Bridge crosses the river within the demesne of Birr Castle, just downstream of the confluence of the rivers Camcor and Little Brosna. Derrinsallow Bridge, built about 1850, has three arches of dressed limestone and rubble. It crosses from County Offaly to County Tipperary at Derrinsallow. New Bridge built about 1820 is the last crossing before joining the Shannon. It has five rounded arches of limestone. The bridge takes the R438 road between County Tipperary and County Offaly.

Angling

The Little Brosna is a historic and popular

angling Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook or "angle" (from Old English ''angol'') attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techniqu ...

river, particularly known for its

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

. An electric fishing survey of the river at

was conducted in September 2012 by

Inland Fisheries Ireland Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI; ga, Iascach Intíre Éireann) is a state agency responsible for fisheries management of freshwater fish and coastal fish with 12 nautical miles of the shore. A separate agency, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, is responsible f ...

. Species noted here were brown trout (87),

lamprey Lampreys (sometimes inaccurately called lamprey eels) are an ancient extant lineage of jawless fish of the order Petromyzontiformes , placed in the superclass Cyclostomata. The adult lamprey may be characterized by a toothed, funnel-like s ...

(1),

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...

(38) and

stone loach The stone loach (''Barbatula barbatula'') is a European species of fresh water ray-finned fish in the family Nemacheilidae. It is one of nineteen species in the genus ''Barbatula''. Stone loaches live amongst the gravel and stones of fast flowin ...

(7). Some good Fishing can be had around Shinrone and Birr during the months of late spring and early Summer. Dry Fly Fishing is the preferred method used by anglers To catch Trout on the river. In some cases, Spinning can be used to catch some of the bigger brown trout

Inland fisheries Ireland Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI; ga, Iascach Intíre Éireann) is a state agency responsible for fisheries management of freshwater fish and coastal fish with 12 nautical miles of the shore. A separate agency, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, is responsible f ...

operate a Fish Farm Outside

Shinrone Shinrone () is a village in County Offaly, Ireland. It is in the southernmost part of the county, close to the border with County Tipperary. It lies at the junction of the R491 regional road between Nenagh and Roscrea with the R492 to Sharavo ...

, near Brosna. Rainbow & Brown trout are bred in the Farm. The Fish farm is located on the River.

Drainage

The Little Brosna

Water Management Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. 97% of the water on the Earth is salt water and only three percent is fresh water; slightl ...

Unit Action Plan covers 681km2 in County Offaly, North Tipperary and

County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...

. Sharavogue Bog is a

raised bog Raised bogs, also called ombrotrophic bogs, are acidic, wet habitats that are poor in mineral salts and are home to flora and fauna that can cope with such extreme conditions. Raised bogs, unlike fens, are exclusively fed by precipitation ( ombro ...

situated on the flood plain of the Little Brosna at Sharavogue in County Offaly. It is an example of a type of habitat that is becoming increasingly rare in Ireland and Europe and is on the list of

Special Areas of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

, as listed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.Rights
for

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...

data: ''EEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (Eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: Directorate-General for Environment.'' Redwood raised bog, named for Redwood, North Tipperary, has developed on the southern margin of the Little Brosna flood plain at its confluence with the Shannon. It forms part of the Little Brosna Callows Area of Scientific Interest, which is of international importance as a wildfowl habitat and as a classical example of a flood plain ecosystem. The reserve includes the last relatively intact bog dome on the flood plain margin as well as a dried out portion of another dome and an area of fen. The intact dome has a typical raised bog flora and in the centre it retains quaking areas and numerous bog pools. Established in 1991 it is in state ownership.

References