River Foyle
| River Foyle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Etymology | Feba(i)l,mythological figure |
| Native name | An Feabhal(Irish) |
| Location | |
| Jurisdictions | Republic of Ireland,Northern Ireland |
| Province | Ulster |
| Counties | Donegal,Tyrone,Londonderry |
| Cities | Derry |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | River FinnandRiver Mourne |
| • location | Newtownstewart |
| • coordinates | 54°43′16″N7°21′54″W/ 54.721°N 7.365°W |
| 2nd source | River Finn |
| • location | Lough Finn |
| • coordinates | 54°51′32″N8°08′06″W/ 54.859°N 8.135°W |
| Source confluence | |
| • location | Strabane/Lifford |
| • coordinates | 54°49′44″N7°28′48″W/ 54.829°N 7.480°W |
| Mouth | Lough Foyle |
• coordinates | 55°06′25″N7°04′44″W/ 55.107°N 7.079°W |
| Length | 32 km (20 mi) |
TheRiver Foyle(fromIrishAn Feabhal)[1]is ariverin westUlsterin the northwest of the island ofIreland,which flows from the confluence of the riversFinnandMourneat the towns ofLiffordinCounty Donegal,Republic of Ireland,andStrabaneinCounty Tyrone,Northern Ireland.From here it flows to the city ofDerry,where it discharges intoLough Foyleand, ultimately, theAtlantic Ocean.The total length of the River Foyle is 32 km (20 mi).[2]The river separates part of County Donegal from parts of bothCounty Londonderryand County Tyrone. The district of County Donegal that borders the western bank of the River Foyle is traditionally known as the Laggan.[3]This district includes the villages ofSt JohnstonandCarrigans,both of which are nestled on the banks of the River.
Tributaries
[edit]TheBurn Dale(also known as theBurnDeele or the River Deele) flows into the River Foyle on the northern outskirts ofLifford,while the SwillyBurnflows into the Foyle nearPorthall,ahamletbetweenSt Johnstonand Lifford. St Johnston Burn flows into the Foyle at St Johnston, while Flushtoun Burn flows into the river on the southern outskirts of St Johnston. Carrigans Burn flows from Port Lough, and enters the Foyle on the southern outskirts ofCarrigans.Both the Burn Dennet and the Glenmornan River flow into the Foyle just to the north ofBallymagorry,entering the river a short distance to the north of Corkan Isle.
Name
[edit]Claudius Ptolemy'sGeography(2nd century AD) described a river mouth called Ουιδουα (Widua,fromPIE*widhu,'tree') which referred to the Foyle.[4]
TheIrishname isAn Feabhal,which refers to Febail, father of the mythicalBran.[5][6]
Crossings
[edit]The River Foyle is also the fastest-flowing river inEuropefor its size[citation needed],making the construction ofbridgesacross it difficult. InDerry,the main crossing point, there are three bridges. The southernmost bridge, the oldest of the three, is Europe's only road traffic double-decker bridge and is officially known as theCraigavon Bridge(occasionally referred to colloquially as the Blue Bridge). The northernmost bridge, known as theFoyle Bridge,is a much larger bridge and was built to accommodate tallshipsat a time when it was envisaged that the city would need to accommodate such vessels. However, this proved unnecessary as the main port was moved several miles north of the city and the large vessels it was designed for never had to come so far south. The Foyle Bridge was planned originally by the Londonderry Development Commission and was intended to alleviate the traffic congestion on the existing Craigavon Bridge and in the city centre. However, political prevarication meant that it was not constructed until the 1980s. Derry's third bridge, thePeace Bridge,is situated behind theGuildhall Square,north of the Craigavon Bridge. The pedestrian and cycle bridge was opened in 2011, intended as a symbol of union between the two sides of the city.[7]
Outside Derry, the only bridge to cross the River Foyle isLifford Bridge,which was built in the 1960s betweenLifford,thecounty townof County Donegal, on the western bank of the river, andStrabane,a major town in County Tyrone, on the eastern bank.
Navigation
[edit]The tidal Foyle is navigable from the coast to approximately sixteen kilometres (10 mi) inland. The derelictStrabane Canalcontinued from this point a further six kilometres (4 mi) toStrabane.Traffic on the Foyle further south than the northern bridge is now more or less restricted to pleasure boats with the occasional tanker coming in the refinery at the northern end of the town. A tour of the Foyle on board a small cruise ship called the Toucan One, once provided tourists a chance to travel along the River Foyle from Derry city centre to Greencastle County Donegal on the shores of Lough Foyle. However, because of a lack of funding from various sources, this venture has now come to a standstill.
Foyle Search and Rescue
[edit]Due to the presence of three bridges over the river in Derry, some people choose to attemptsuicideby jumping into the deep and fast-moving Foyle. 'Foyle Search and Rescue' was established as a charity in July 1993 and has adopted the role of protecting human life in the River Foyle from the Craigavon Bridge, Foyle Bridge and the newly opened Peace Bridge. Between 1993 and 2008 it dealt with more than 1000 people in distress.[8][9]
Fishing
[edit]Prior to thePlantation of Ulsterthe fishing rights on the River would have been owned by the O’Neills and the O’Donnells, the Chieftains ofTír EoghainandDonegalrespectively. When the Plantation of Ulster started in 1609 a body calledThe Honourable The Irish Societyhad been set up by Royal Charter in 1613 to administer the affairs of the Plantation. The Society was then given the rights to the fishing on the river and on theRiver Bann,all except the parts of the rivers owned by theBishop of Derry.In 1944 an action for trespass was taken by the Society against a fisherman fromPorthallwho they deemed to be fishing illegally. The case was heard by Mr JusticeGeorge Gavan Duffyin the high court inDublinduring 1947–48. The case was dismissed against the man. The Society then appealed the decision and also appealed to both Northern and Southern Governments at losing the case. Both Governments agreed to buy the fishing rights for the sum of £110,280 on condition that they drop the appeal. This led to the establishment of a commission to oversee the fishing on the river and onLough Foyle.The body set up was called the Foyle Fisheries Commission and was established by a Bill passed simultaneously by the Governments of the Republic of Ireland[10]and Northern Ireland[11]on 25 March 1952. The Foyle Fisheries Commission was disestablished on 10 April 2007 with the signing of the Foyle & Carlingford Fisheries Act 2007.[12] The Foyle is believed to be one of the bestAtlantic Salmonrivers in Ireland. Details of the fishing regulations are available from the Loughs Agency.[13]The village of St Johnston, which lies on the County Donegal bank of the river, is a major fishing settlement on the Foyle.
Area of Special Scientific Interest
[edit]Railways
[edit]The riverbank has theBelfast-Derry railway lineproviding a key link to the city ofDerry.Trains bring passengers along on theNI Railwaysservice along the shoreline ofLough Foylefrom onward stations such asColeraine,Belfast Lanyon PlaceandBelfast Grand Central.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"An Feabhal/River Foyle".Logainm.ie.Retrieved16 April2018.
- ^Robert A. Williams (16 April 1872)."Notes on river basins".Retrieved16 April2018– via Internet Archive.
- ^"East Donegal Ulster Scots – About us".eastdonegalulsterscots.com.Archived fromthe originalon 13 February 2012.Retrieved12 May2012.
- ^"Ireland"(PDF).romaneranames.uk.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2 April 2019.
- ^O'Donovan, Tom."Irish Sagas: Immram Brain names".iso.ucc.ie.Retrieved16 April2018.
- ^Chang, Heesok; DeMaria, Robert Jr.; Zacher, Samantha (2013).A Companion to British Literature, Volume 1: Medieval Literature, 700–1450.John Wiley & Sons. p. 327.ISBN978-1-118-73189-5.
- ^"Celebrations to mark opening of Derry's peace bridge".BBC News. 24 June 2011.Retrieved11 August2011.
- ^Foyle Search & Rescue – a fourth emergency service16 January 2008, Retrieved 16 February 2007.
- ^TREBLED: Suicide bids along Foyle -in 2007Archived12 June 2008 at theWayback Machine8 February 2007 Retrieved 16 February 2007.
- ^(eISB), electronic Irish Statute Book."electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB)".irishstatutebook.ie.Retrieved16 April2018.
- ^"Foyle Fisheries Act (Northern Ireland) 1952".
- ^(eISB), electronic Irish Statute Book."electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB)".irishstatutebook.ie.Retrieved16 April2018.
- ^Loughs Agency. orgArchived31 December 2009 at theWayback MachineRetrieved 1 September 2008.
External links
[edit]
- Salmon fishing on the Foyle System, from Salmon IrelandArchived23 October 2009 at theWayback Machine