The Avoca (Irish: Abhainn Abhóca) is a river in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is contained completely within the county. Its length is 35 miles (56.3km).[1]
The Avoca starts life as two rivers, the Avonmore (Irish: Abhainn Mhór, meaning 'Big River') and the Avonbeg (Irish: Abhainn Bheag, meaning 'Small River'). These join at a spot called the Meeting of the Waters (Cumar an dá Uisce) in the Vale of Avoca, which is considered a local beauty spot, and was celebrated by Thomas Moore in his song of the same name.
There is not in the wide world a valley so sweet,
As the vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet; Oh, the last rays of feeling and life must depart,
Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart.
The Avoca flows into the Irish Sea at Arklow where it widens into a large estuary, giving Arklow its Irish language name an t-Inbhear Mór (the big inlet).[citation needed] The catchment area of the Avoca is 652km2.[2] The long term average flow rate of the Avoca is 20.2 cubic metres per second (m3/s)[2]
Name
The Avoca was originally called Abhainn Mhór / Abhainn Dé (great river/God's river); the present name was derived from Oboka (Greek: Οβοκα),[3] the name of a river in Ptolemy's Geography, which was thought to correspond to the Avoca (Ovoca). However, Oboka more likely refers to the Liffey.[4]
Industry
The valley of the Avoca has a large copper mine, and further downstream was the NET fertiliser factory (closed since 2002). These are said to have contributed greatly to pollution in the lower reaches of the river.
Transport
The railway line from Dublin to Rosslare also passes along the Vale of Avoca, cutting inland from its mainly coastal route and the R752 road tightly follows the west bank of the Avoca from The Meetings to Arklow.
Arklow is a town in County Wicklow on the southeast coast of Ireland. The town is overlooked by Ballymoyle Hill. It was founded by the Vikings in the ninth century. Arklow was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the 1798 rebellion. Its proximity to Dublin led to it becoming a commuter town with a population of 13,163 as of the 2016 census. The 2022 census recorded a population of 13,399. The town is in a townland and civil parish of the same name.
The Avoca River, an inland intermittent river of the north–central catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the lower Riverina bioregion and Central Highlands and Wimmera regions of the Australian state of Victoria. The headwaters of the Avoca River rise on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees Range and descend to flow into the ephemeral Kerang Lakes.
The River Corrib in the west of Ireland flows from Lough Corrib through Galway to Galway Bay. The river is among the shortest in Europe, with only a length of six kilometres from the lough to the Atlantic. It is popular with local whitewater kayakers as well as several rowing clubs and pleasure craft. The depth of this river reaches up to 94 feet.
Avoca is a small town near Arklow, in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is situated on the River Avoca.
The River Feale rises near Rockchapel in the Mullaghareirk Mountains of County Cork in the southwest of Ireland and flows northwestwards for 75 kilometres through Abbeyfeale in County Limerick and Listowel in County Kerry before finally emptying into Cashen Bay, a wide estuary north of Ballyduff. Then it flows out through the Shannon's estuary and joins with the Atlantic Ocean with a flow rate of 34.6 m2/s. The river, along with its tributaries, combine to add to over 160 km of waterways. For the final 10 km stretch it is known as the Cashen River. The river contains a large salmon and sea trout population.
The River Rye or Ryewater is a tributary of the River Liffey. It rises in County Meath, flowing south-east for 19 miles. Although the river has been the subject of arterial drainage schemes, it is generally fast flowing over a stoney bottom. The Rye's major tributary is the Lyreen.
The Blackwater or Munster Blackwater is a river which flows through counties Kerry, Cork and Waterford in Ireland. It rises in the Mullaghareirk Mountains in County Kerry and then flows in an easterly direction across County Cork through the towns of Mallow and Fermoy. It then enters County Waterford where it flows through Lismore, before abruptly turning south at Cappoquin and finally draining into the Celtic Sea at Youghal Harbour in Cork. In total, the Blackwater is 169 km (105 mi) long.
The River Blackwater or Ulster Blackwater is a river mainly in County Armagh and County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Its source is to the north of Fivemiletown, County Tyrone. The river divides County Armagh from County Tyrone and also divides County Tyrone from County Monaghan, making it part of the border between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
Woodenbridge is a small village in County Wicklow, Ireland. It lies between Arklow and Avoca, at the meeting of the Avoca, Aughrim and Goldmine rivers. The village is located at the junction of the R747 and R752 roads. The R747 crosses the Aughrim on the stone bridge which is still called "Wooden Bridge".
Rathdrum is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is situated high on the western side of the Avonmore River valley, which flows through the Vale of Clara. The village is in a townland and civil parish of the same name.
The R747 road is a regional road in Ireland running north-west/south-east from the M9 near Ballitore in County Kildare to Arklow in County Wicklow, a distance of 66 km (41 mi).
The Avonmore River, also known as Abhainn Dé, flows from Lough Dan in the Wicklow Mountains west of Roundwood. It flows in a generally southerly direction for approximately 30 km (19 mi) before joining the Avonbeg at the Meeting of the Waters to form the River Avoca, which in turn discharges into the Irish Sea at Arklow. From source to sea the river remains in East Wicklow.
The Avonbeg River rises on the northern flank of Camenabologue in the Wicklow Mountains and flows southeast into the valley of Glenmalure. It continues southeast through the villages of Greenan and Ballinaclash before joining the Avonmore at the Meeting of the Waters to form the River Avoca, which in turn discharges into the Irish Sea at Arklow. From source to sea the river remains in East Wicklow. Avonbeg Road, Avonbeg Drive, Avonbeg Park and Avonbeg Gardens in Tallaght, Dublin are named after the river.
The River Roe is a river located in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It flows north from Glenshane in the Sperrin Mountains to Lough Foyle, via the settlements of Dungiven, Burnfoot, Limavady and Myroe. The River Roe's length is 34.25 miles (55.12 km)
The River Fane is a river flowing from County Monaghan to Dundalk Bay in County Louth, Ireland.
The Aughrim River flows from confluence of the Derry Water and River Ow south of the village of Aughrim in County Wicklow in Ireland. It flows in a generally easterly direction for approximately 12 km (7.5 mi) following the R747 regional road for its full length before joining the River Avoca in the Vale of Avoca, which in turn discharges into the Irish Sea at Arklow. From source to sea the river remains in East Wicklow.
Glenmacnass Waterfall is an 80-metre high waterfall situated at the head of the Glenmacnass Valley in the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland. The Glenmacnass Waterfall is a popular tourist destination and scenic viewpoint area in the Wicklow Mountains. The Waterfall is bounded to the west by Tonelagee, and to the east by Scarr mountain. The entire Glenmacnass Valley can be accessed by the R115 road, which connects the Sally Gap in the north, to the village of Laragh in the south.
The Figile River is a river in eastern Ireland.
The Broadmeadow River or Broad Meadow Water, is a river of County Meath and northern County Dublin, about 25 kilometres (16 mi) long. It opens into a wide estuary between Swords and Malahide, and reaches the open sea several kilometres downstream, north of Malahide village. One of the larger watercourses by volume in County Dublin, the Broadmeadow is a salmonid river, with several species of fish, including brown trout. It has many small, and a few larger, tributaries, notably the Ward River. It is under the responsibility of Meath County Council and Fingal County Council, as well as oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency.
An Abhainn Mhór is the Irish name for several rivers etc. in Ireland:
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