The River Lee (Irish: ''An Laoi'') is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in
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 rises in the
Shehy Mountains
The Shehy Mountains (''Cnoic na Seithe'' in Irish, meaning ''"Hills of the animal hides"'') are a range of low mountains situated on the border between County Cork and County Kerry, in Ireland.
Geography and geology
The highest peak (also the h ...
on the western border of
County Cork
County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...
and flows eastwards through
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
, where it splits in two for a short distance, creating an island on which Cork's city centre is built, then passing through
Cork Harbour
Cork Harbour () is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of the River Lee in County Cork, Ireland. It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area" (after Port Ja ...
on the south coast, one of the largest natural harbours in the world, to empty into the
Celtic Sea
The Celtic Sea ; cy, Y Môr Celtaidd ; kw, An Mor Keltek ; br, Ar Mor Keltiek ; french: La mer Celtique is the area of the Atlantic Ocean off the southern coast of Ireland bounded to the east by Saint George's Channel; other limits includ ...
. The catchment area of the River Lee is 1,253 km
2.
The long-term average flow rate of the River Lee is 40.4 cubic metres per second (m
3/s)
A
hydro-electric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...
scheme was built on the river, upstream from Cork City, and this part of the river now contains the
Carrigadrohid
Carrigadrohid () is a townland and village in the parish of Aghinagh, County Cork, Ireland. It is situated on the north bank of the River Lee, with the nearby village of Canovee to the south. Carrigadrohid is part of the Dáil constituency of ...
and
Inniscarra
Inniscarra () is a civil parish in the barony of Muskerry East, County Cork, Ireland. It is located about 15km west of Cork city. The local GAA club is Inniscarra GAA and Dripsey GAA. Inniscarra is located on the north side of the River Lee. ...
reservoirs
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...
. The river is crossed by 42 bridges, 29 of which are in Cork City, and one
tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...
. The river also provides an stretch of salmon fishing.
Name
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...
's ''
Geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
'' (2nd century AD) described a river called Δαβρωνα (''Dabrona'') or Λαβρωνα (''Labrona''), which is sometimes considered to refer to the River Lee.
Though unconfirmed, the Irish name for the river, ''Laoi'', may derive from ''Corca Luighe'', which in turn derives from 'Luighe', the son of a
quasi-mythical Milesian noble.
There is also the Λουρ (''Lour''), a separate river which passes through
Tralee
Tralee ( ; ga, Trá Lí, ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the Lee River') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in County ...
.
Description
Sources
The River Lee has its source in the Shehy Mountains near
Gougane Barra
Gougane Barra () is a scenic valley and heritage site in the Shehy Mountains of County Cork, Ireland. It is near Ballingeary in the Muskerry ''Gaeltacht''. Gougane Barra is at the source of the River Lee and includes a lake with an oratory built ...
, where there is a forest park, chapel, hotel, and shop.
Course
![River Lee at Cork](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/River_Lee_at_Cork.jpg)
The Lee flows from the lake of Gougane Barra as a fast-paced torrent, but by the town of
Ballingeary
Ballingeary (, ) is a village in the Shehy Mountains in County Cork, Ireland.
The village is located within the Muskerry ''Gaeltacht'' (Irish-speaking area). According to the 2016 census, over 42% of the population speak Irish on a daily basi ...
it eases and flows into
Lough Allua
Lough Allua () is a freshwater lake in County Cork with an area of 1.36 km² located beside Inchigeelagh and forms part of the River Lee.
Wildlife
Lough Allua is a pike, salmon, Arctic char and trout
Trout are species of freshw ...
. Departing the lough, running east, it again becomes a rapid flow before running into
The Gearagh
The Gearagh () is a submerged glacial woodland and nature reserve two kilometres southwest of Macroom, County Cork, in Kilmichael parish, Ireland. It is located at the point where the River Lee descends from the mountains and widens at an all ...
, and Carrigadrohid feeder reservoirs, and then into the large
Inniscarra reservoir created by
Inniscarra Dam
Inniscarra Dam is a buttress dam located on the River Lee in the civil parish of Inniscarra in County Cork, Ireland. Construction of the dam started in February 1953 and resulted in the formation of the Inniscarra Reservoir. The dam is owned and o ...
. Moving on, it flows down from the dam, in normal conditions a gentle river until it comes to
Ballincollig
Ballincollig () is a suburban town within the administrative area of Cork city in Ireland. It is located on the western side of Cork city, beside the River Lee on the R608 regional road. In 2016 it was the largest town in County Cork, at whic ...
Weir in Ballincollig Park; here it is dangerous to swimmers when in high water. The Lee then flows into the city under Inniscarra Bridge and flows parallel to the Carrigrohane road. Along this section gauges monitor the water levels from the Inniscarra Dam. The river flows over the Lee
weir
A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
and then is split into the north and south channels at a
sluice (it historically occupied the city area as a maze of channels). This area is popular for recreation,
kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...
and
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
. The two channels join again at the Cork docks and enter the extensive estuary and harbour, south of Glanmire, passing either side of Great Island (
Cobh
Cobh ( ,), known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. With a population of around 13,000 inhabitants, Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour and home to Ireland's ...
lies on the south coast) to fill the outer harbour, and reaching the open sea between Whitegate and Crosshaven.
Tributaries
Upper course (above Inchigeela)
High tributaries include the Owenagariff, the Bunsheelin, the Paudeen and the Garrifowa.
Middle course (to the Dripsey)
Tributaries joining below Lough Allua and Inchigeela include the River Toon, the extensive Sullane River system, from near Ballyvourney (tributaries include the Douglas, Finnow, Foherish and Laney or Laine Rivers) via
Macroom
Macroom (; ga, Maigh Chromtha) is a market town in County Cork, Ireland, located in the valley of the River Sullane, halfway between Cork city and Killarney. Its population has grown and receded over the centuries as it went through periods of ...
, the smaller Buinea and Glashagariff Rivers, and the
River Dripsey
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...
and its tributaries the Rylane and the Delaghinagh.
Near Cork city
Below the last ESB dam, tributaries joining include the River Bride from Slievowen via
Crookstown, Killumney and Ovens, and the
River Shournagh (formed from the Blarney and Martin Rivers, and the Owennagearagh River; historically may have been the Awbeg River).
City area
![2017-06-15_7356x4904_cork_river_lee_south_channel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/2017-06-15_7356x4904_cork_river_lee_south_channel.jpg)
City area tributaries include the combined Maglin (from Ballincollig) and
Curraheen (occasionally Curragheen) Rivers, capturing the Glasheen River also and joining at the western end of the UCC complex, and the Kiln River (sometimes Bride River) which joins by the Christy Ring Bridge in the city centre, a little west of St. Patrick's Bridge
(formed in turn from a Bride River and the Kilnap or Glennamought River, later joined by the Glen River).
Tidal area
Estuarine tributaries include the Glashaboy River, passing Glanmire (main tributaries the Black Brook, Cloghnageshee River and Butterstown River),
the Douglas or Tramore River (joined by the Trabeg River as it flows into the Douglas Channel, its estuary) which drains parts of the southern city, Owennacurra River (joined by the Dungurney River at Midleton), and the
Owenaboy River almost at the final mouth of the outer Lee estuary (the Liberty Stream joins this river, with significant flows from Cork Airport).
Recreation
Recreation activities on the Lee include sailing, swimming, kayaking, water skiing. Several rowing clubs are based on the Lee including the "Lee Rowing Club", "Shandon Boat Club" and “Cork Boat Club”. Naomhoga Chorcai is also based on the Marina, and is Ireland's largest
Currach
A currach ( ) is a type of Irish boat with a wooden frame, over which animal skins or hides were once stretched, though now canvas is more usual. It is sometimes anglicised as "curragh".
The construction and design of the currach are unique ...
(traditional canvas fishing boat) rowing club. Angling is also common from the banks of the Lee Fields.
Flooding
Tidal considerations, combined with low-lying urban developments, and later dam management contribute to repeated flooding events on the Lee. For example, specific streets in Cork city centre have been affected by floods more than 100 times since the mid-19th century.
2009 flooding
In
late 2009 the river flooded, causing some of the most significant damage in Cork city for a number of centuries. The Lee Water Station was forced to shut down after being submerged under six metres of water, and resulted in 40% of Cork City (50,000 people) being without running water for over a week.
Lower-lying parts of the
University College Cork
University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork.
The university was founded in 1845 as one of ...
campus were also flooded extensively, resulting in lectures being cancelled throughout the week. There was severe damage to the university's then newly built IT building, the Western Gateway Building, situated next to the river on a known floodplain, where, for example, a 300-seat auditorium was flooded to near ceiling height. To prevent issues upstream, the
ESB made a controversial decision to release water from the Inniscarra hydro-electric dam. This released 535 tonnes of water per second into the already flooded river, raising the flood to 1.5 metres in parts of the city centre. The ESB insisted this was an essential move, and if water had not been released, the flooding would have been much worse.
See also
*
The Gearagh
The Gearagh () is a submerged glacial woodland and nature reserve two kilometres southwest of Macroom, County Cork, in Kilmichael parish, Ireland. It is located at the point where the River Lee descends from the mountains and widens at an all ...
References
External links
Salmon Ireland, information on the Salmon rivers of Ireland
{{coord, 51, 53, 55, N, 8, 32, 21, W, region:IE_type:river_source:kolossus-nlwiki, display=title
Lee
Geography of Cork (city)