River Feale

River Feale (Abhainn na Féile)
River
River Feale at Finuge Crossing, County Kerry
Name origin: Fial, a mythical woman
Country Ireland
Counties Cork, Limerick, Kerry
Towns Abbeyfeale, Listowel
Source Mullaghareirk Mountains
Mouth Shannon Estuary
 - location Ballyduff
Length 75 km (47 mi)
Basin 445.2 sq mi (1,153 km2)
Discharge
 - average 34.6 m3/s (1,222 cu ft/s)
Beach seine fishing for salmon in River Feale near by town Ballybunion, year 1975.

The River Feale (An Fhéil or Abhainn na Féile in Irish) rises near Rockchapel in the Mullaghareirk Mountains of County Cork in the southwest of Ireland and flows northwestwards for 75 kilometres [1] through Abbeyfeale in County Limerick and Listowel in County Kerry before finally emptying into the Mouth of the Shannon by Ballyduff. Then it flows out through the Shannons estuary and joins with the Atlantic Ocean with a flow rate of 34.6 m2/s.[2] The river, along with its tributaries, combine to add to over 160 km (100 miles) of waterways. The river contains a large Salmon and Sea trout population.

Name

According to Geoffrey Keating's Foras Feasa ar Éirinn (compiled in the 1630s), the river takes its name from a legendary woman:[3][4]

Fuair Fial bean Lughaidh mic Íotha bás do náire ar bhfaicsin a nochta da céile ar dteacht ó shnámh dhi; gonadh uaithe ghairmthear Innbhear Féile don abhainn sin ó shoin i le
Fial wife of Lughaidh son of Ioth died of shame on her husband seeing her naked as she returned from swimming; and from her that river has ever since been called Innbhear Feile
Foras Feasa ar Éirinn, part 22

See also

References

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Coordinates: 52°27′N 9°37′W / 52.450°N 9.617°W / 52.450; -9.617


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/28/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.