River in southeastern Ireland
River Slaney Map of the rivers of southeast Ireland
Etymology Old Irish sláine , "health"[ 1] [ 2] Native name An tSláine (Irish) Abhainn na Sláine (Irish) Country Ireland Source • location Lugnaquilla , County Wicklow • elevation 549 metres (1,801 ft)
Mouth Irish Sea • location
Wexford Harbour , County Wexford Length 117.5 kilometres (73.0 mi) Basin size 1,762 square kilometres (680 sq mi) Discharge • average 37 m3 /s (1,300 cu ft/s)
Tributaries • left River Derreen , River Derry , River Bann , River Ballyedmond , River Sow • right Browns Beck Brook , River Clody , River Urrin , River Boro
The River Slaney (; Irish : An tSláine )[ 3] is a large river in the southeast of Ireland . It rises on Lugnaquilla Mountain in the western Wicklow Mountains and flows west and then south through counties Wicklow , Carlow and Wexford for 117.5 km (73 mi),[ 4] before entering St George's Channel in the Irish Sea at Wexford town. The estuary of the Slaney is wide and shallow and is known as Wexford Harbour . The catchment area of the River Slaney is 1,762 km2 .[ 5] The long-term average flow rate of the River Slaney is 37.4m3 /s[ 5]
Towns that the Slaney runs through include Stratford-on-Slaney , Baltinglass , Tullow , Bunclody , Enniscorthy and Wexford . The river is crossed by 32 road bridges and one railway bridge.[ 6]
Wildlife
Varied and plentiful wildlife can be found in the environs of the river. In Wicklow, herds of deer can be seen, as well as swans , dippers , mallards , herons and kingfishers . At dusk, bats , owls and otters may be seen, while the mudflats of the estuary are favoured by black-headed gulls , redshanks and oystercatchers .[ 7] The goosander can be seen on the Slaney at Kildavin . In season, salmon and trout and pike are fished.[ 8]
History
Ptolemy 's Geography (2nd century AD) described a river called Μοδοννος (Modonnos , "mudflats ") which may have referred to the River Slaney, though scholarly opinion remains divided on the issue.[ 9]
There is a reference to the Slaney in the Irish ballad Boolavogue ,[ 10] commemorating the Battle of Vinegar Hill in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 .
"Slaney Valley " was a 1972 Irish number one for Larry Cunningham .[ 11]
Tributaries
Tributaries of the Slaney include the River Derreen , the River Derry , the River Clody, the River Bann , the River Urrin, the River Boro, and the River Sow.
See also
References
External links
52°20′N 6°27′W / 52.333°N 6.450°W / 52.333; -6.450