The Sillees River ( ga, Abhainn na Sailchis meaning "the sally kesh river") is located in south-western

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 a ...

. Its origins lie in Lough Ahork, which is located in Lough Navar Forest (''Coill Loch na bhFear''). From here it continues through Correl Glen, Derrygonnelly and the

Boho Boho may refer to: Geography * Boho, County Fermanagh, a village and parish in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland ** Boho Caves, a cave system in Boho * Boho, North Sumatra, a village on the island of Samosir, Indonesia Other uses * Boho, short fo ...

countryside, passing through both Carran and Ross Loughs where it ends in

Lower Lough Erne Lough Erne ( , ) is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is the second-biggest lake system in Northern Ireland and Ulster, and the fourth biggest in Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River Erne, ...

There are a few tributary streams and rivers that flow into the Sillees river, amongst them the Boho River, the Screenagh, which emerges from the Arch cave, and the Reyfad Stream, which enters Pollytullybrack of the Reyfad cave system.

Folk tales associated with the river

The river is famous for the curse which was given by St Faber, when she changed its direction, making the river bad for fishing and good for drowning. In another tale of the river, there is a highwayman known as

Black Francis Corrigan Black Francis McHugh, also known as "Proinsías Dubh", was a notorious highwayman, or Rapparee, who 'robbed the rich to give to the poor' at the end of the 18th century. His origins lay in Meenclogher ( Co Tyrone). Black Francis and his gang Bla ...

, who leaps the Sillees in a single bound with his horse after a famous robbery.

Geological and palaeontological interest

The Sillees River has the distinction of having a species of brachiopod named after it, namely . Indeed, some 56 species of early

Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carbonifero ...

brachiopods alone were discovered in this area as well as 69 species of bryozoans.

References

{{authority control Rivers of County Fermanagh