The River Maigue (, ) rises in the Milford area of north
County Cork
County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. The River Maigue is long. It drains an area of
It is joined by the small
River Glen and the larger
River Loobagh in south
County Limerick
County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...
. It then flows north through
Bruree, after which it augmented by the
River Morning Star. It flows through
Croom and
Adare before entering the
Shannon Estuary () just north of Ferry Bridge between
Kildimo and
Clarina, just west of
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
city. The River Maigue is tidal up to Adare on the
N21 Road Bridge.
History
In ancient times the Maigue was central to the territories of the
O'Donovans and their predecessors in
Uí Chairpre Áebda (Cairbre Eva). The majority of its towns and villages were once the sites of fortresses. Later these territories were occupied by the
FitzGerald dynasty
The FitzGerald dynasty is a Hiberno-Norman noble and aristocratic dynasty, originally of Cambro-Normans, Cambro-Norman and Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman origin. They have been Peerage of Ireland, peers of Ireland since at least the 13th centur ...
.
The beautiful slow song in Irish, ‘Slán le Máigh’, was written by Aindrias Mac Craith, a poet from the local area who lived in the 18th century. The song is still widely sung and is also played as a slow air.
Tributaries
River Loobagh
The Loobagh () is a river with healthy
Trout
Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...
and
Salmon
Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...
populations. It rises in the hills south of
Kilfinane and flows through
Kilmallock
Kilmallock () is a town in south County Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, near the border with County Cork, 30 km south of Limerick city. There is a Dominican Priory in the town and King John's Castle (Kilmallock), King's Castle (or K ...
. It joins the Maigue south of Bruree.
Morning Star River
The Morning Star is a little river which flows westwards through rich farmland through
Bruff
Bruff () is a town in east County Limerick, in the midwest of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, located on the old Limerick–Cork (city), Cork road (R512 road (Ireland), R512). The town lies on the River Maigue, Morning Star river, with two bridg ...
and
Athlacca to join the Maigue north of Bruree. Its name derives from the Irish ''Camhaoir'', , a corruption of the original name, . This is a name of unknown etymology also once used for the
River Erne
The River Erne ( , or ''An Éirne'') in the northwest of the island of Ireland, is the second-longest river in Ulster, flowing through Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and forming part of their border.
Course
The Erne rises on ...
; it may be an
Indo-European hydronym (cf. the many European rivers named
Samara
Samara, formerly known as Kuybyshev (1935–1991), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast in Russia. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with a population of over 1.14 ...
).
[Joyce, P. W. (1869:486). The Origin and History of Irish Names of Places. Ireland: Educational Company of Ireland.]
Camogue River
The
River Camogue flows in a westerly direction through Grange, Meanus and Manister and joins the Maigue upstream of Croom.
See also
*
Rivers of Ireland
References
External links
Maigue River Guide
{{coord, 52, 39, N, 8, 48, W, display=title, region:IE_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki
Maigue
Maigue
Adare
O'Donovan family
Tributaries of the River Shannon