The River Erne ( , ga, Abhainn na hÉirne or ''An Éirne'') in the northwest of the island of

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 ...

, is the second-longest river in

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

, flowing through

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

and the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

, and forming part of their border.

Course

The Erne rises on the east shoulder of Slieve Glah mountain three miles south of Cavan in County Cavan, Republic of Ireland, and flows 80 miles (129 km) through Lough Gowna, Lough Oughter and Upper and Lower Lough Erne,

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 ...

, Northern Ireland, to the sea at Ballyshannon,

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

back in the Republic. The

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 w ...

is 120 kilometres long and is used for fly fishing for

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

and

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...

, with a number of fisheries along both the river itself and its tributaries. The town of

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,823 a ...

is mostly situated on an island in the river, between Upper and Lower Lough Erne. It is linked to the River Shannon by the

Shannon–Erne Waterway The Shannon–Erne Waterway ( ga, Uiscebhealach na Sionainne is na hÉirne) is a canal linking the River Shannon in the Republic of Ireland with the River Erne in Northern Ireland. Managed by Waterways Ireland, the canal is in length, has sixt ...

. The total catchment area of the River Erne is 4,372 km². The long-term average rate of the River Erne is 101.7 cubic metres per second (m³/s)

Name

The river takes its name from a

mythical Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrati ...

princess named ''Éirne''.

Angling

Pleasure boating

Live aboard pleasure cruisers are available in several locations along the Erne waterway, including Belturbet, Knockniny, Carrybridge, Bellanaleck,

, and Killadeas. In addition to the use of the Erne for live aboard boating holidays, sections of the river are used for water skiing, bank fishing,

trolling In slang, a troll is a person who posts or makes inflammatory, insincere, digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages online (such as in social media, a newsgroup, a forum, a chat room, a online video game), or in real life, with the i ...

, jet skiing and scuba diving. Boaters are cautioned, by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, that Upper Lough Erne is a maze of small islands needing careful navigation, and waves on Lower Lough Erne can reach "open-sea dimensions".

Ancient ruins

The Erne waterway is home to ancient ruins, both Christian and Pagan, with ruins found in several locations, including:

Crom Estate The Crom Estate (pronounced ''K-ROM) is a nature reserve located in the south of County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, along the shores of Upper Lough Erne. It is one of three estates owned and managed by the National Trust in County Fermanagh, ...

, on the North bank of the Upper Erne channel, Gad Island, near Crom Estate,

Devenish Island Devenish or Devinish () is an island in Lower Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Aligned roughly north–south, it is about one and a quarter miles (2 km) long and two-thirds of a mile (1 km) wide. The main place to catch a ferry ...

, Inismacsaint Island, Davy’s Island, White Island, and Boa Island. Many of these locations can only be reached by boat. Devenish Island has a historical display centre adjacent to its ruins. Visitors sometimes use rental boats and the

Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland {{Unreferenced, date=April 2021 Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland (OSNI) was the official mapping agency of Northern Ireland. The agency ceased to exist separately on 1 April 2008 when it became part of Land and Property Services, an executiv ...

Activity Map of Lough Erne () to locate these ancient sites.

Culture

The song ''Buachaill Ón Éirne'' is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

about a young boy from the Erne area. It has been recorded by such groups as Clannad and

The Corrs The Corrs are an Irish family band that combine pop rock with traditional Irish themes within their music. The group consists of the Corr siblings, Andrea (lead vocals, tin whistle, mandolin, ukulele), Sharon (violin, keyboards, vocals), Carol ...

. The Erne is also mentioned in a traditional song, ''An Mhaighdeán Mhara'', which has been recorded by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh of Altan, Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill, and

Moya Brennan Moya Brennan (born Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin on 4 August 1952), also known as Máire Brennan, is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist. She is the sister of the musical artist known as Enya. She began performing pr ...

Former railway lines

A number of places were once accessible by train along the River Erne, with the once extensive Great Northern Railway and the Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway both serving the area.

References

External links

Information and maps of the Erne from the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erne Ballyshannon Rivers of County Cavan Rivers of County Donegal Rivers of County Fermanagh International rivers of Europe