The River Fergus ( ga, An Forghas) is a river within the

Shannon River Basin The Shannon River Basin consists of the area containing Ireland, Ireland's longest river, the River Shannon, and all of its tributaries and lakes. The official Ordnance Survey Ireland length of the Shannon from its Shannon Pot source is made up o ...

which flows in County Clare,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. The river begins at Lough Fergus in north Clare and flows into the

Shannon Estuary The Shannon Estuary ( gle, Inbhear na Sionainne) is a large estuary where the River Shannon flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary has Limerick City at its head and its seaward limits are marked by Loop Head to the north and Kerry Head to th ...

. The source is at Lough Fergus in the townland of Kilmore North. At Knockroe, the river is joined by a tributary stream called the Clooneen River. The Fergus flows underground for about a kilometre in Cahermacon, near Kilnaboy. The river then flows through Lough Inchiquin. Just after this lake, a tributary which has its source at Loughnagowan joins the Fergus. The river then flows along by the village of Corofin. After Corofin, the river flows through Lough Atedaun, Ballyteige Lough, Dromore Lake and Ballyallia Lake. The river then flows through the town of

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

, where it is crossed by six road bridges, a pedestrian bridge and a railway bridge. There is also a small branch which splits off just north of Ennis and rejoins the main flow to the east of the town. Another tributary, a stream known as the Inch River or Claureen River, also joins at Ennis. The river then flows through the village of Clarecastle, where there was a port in former times. After Clarecastle, the river widens into an estuary which then joins the Shannon Estuary. There are several islands in the Fergus Estuary, including Deer Island, Coney Island,

Trummer Trummer is an uninhabited island in the River Fergus The River Fergus ( ga, An Forghas) is a river within the Shannon River Basin which flows in County Clare, Ireland. The river begins at Lough Fergus in north Clare and flows into the Shann ...

Island, Inishmacowney, Canon Island and Inishloe. Some of these islands were once inhabited, and there were schools on Coney Island and Inishloe. The River Fergus is noted for its trout and salmon fishing. A water-powered flour mill was located at Clifden, Corofin, just after the river exits Lough Inchiquin. Some of the ruins of the mill still exist. Another water mill was located in Ennis, and its mill wheel has been restored. The River Fergus has an average discharge of 25.7 m³/s.

Name

The river's name is recorded in old Irish manuscripts as ''Forgas'' and ''Forgus''. A possible derivation is from

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writte ...

''for-'' ("on, upon") and ''gas'', "stripling, twig, scion", with the Fergus seen as a twig or small branch off of the much larger

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 Sha ...

Settlements

Settlements along the river include Corofin,

and

Clarecastle Clarecastle (''An Clár'' or ) is a village just south of Ennis in County Clare, Ireland. From 2008 to 2016 the village saw a significant population increase due to its proximity to Ennis, Shannon, and Limerick. Name The town is named after ...

References

External links

* * {{coord, 52, 42, N, 9, 00, W, display=title, region:IE_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki Fergus

Name

Settlements

See also

References

External links