River Suck

The River Suck (Irish: An tSuca [ənˠ ˈt̪ʊkə]) is a river within the Shannon River Basin in Ireland, 133 km (82.5 mi)[1] in length. It is the main tributary of the River Shannon. It meets the Shannon a kilometre south of the village of Shannonbridge.

River Suck
River Suck, Athleague
EtymologyIrish suca, possibly from words meaning "amber" or "juice, sap"
Native nameAn tSuca
Location
CountryIreland
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationLough O'Flynn, County Roscommon
 • elevation72 metres (236 ft)
MouthRiver Shannon
 • location
Shannonbridge, County Offaly
Length133 kilometres (83 mi)
Basin size1,600 square kilometres (620 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average22.2 m3/s (780 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • rightSmalghrean River, Linbaun River, Shiven River

Name

The river's name is derived from the Irish suca, of uncertain meaning, possibly deriving from succín, Middle Irish for "amber."[2] Edmund Hogan's Onomasticon Goedelicum records the spellings suġ (sugh), suggesting connections to Old Irish súg ("juice, sap").[3][4]

Course

The River Suck drains an area of 1,599 square kilometres (617 sq mi).[5] It forms much of the border between County Roscommon and County Galway, flowing along the western side of County Roscommon. Together with the Shannon on the east, it creates the long narrow form of southern County Roscommon.[6]

The river rises in hills on the border of County Mayo and County Roscommon, and passes from Lough O'Flynn in a general south and south-easterly direction. Settlements along the river include Athleague, Ballinasloe, Ballyforan, Ballymoe, Castlerea, Glinsk, and Tulrush, and it flows into the River Shannon a kilometre south of the village of Shannonbridge.[6]

Geography

The water is clean and unpolluted and the river flows through unspoilt countryside with moorland, water meadows and pastureland. Some stretches are fast-flowing while others are slow and meandering. There are abundant bream, rudd and tench in some parts, and perch and pike are also plentiful.[7] To prevent flooding at Ballinasloe, a weir was erected in 1885 immediately above the four-arch bridge, with draw-doors which can be raised when there is an approaching flood.[8]

Suck Valley Way

The Suck Valley Way is a long-distance trail. It is a 105-kilometre (65-mile) long circular route that begins and ends in Castlerea, County Roscommon. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Roscommon County Council, Roscommon Integrated Development Company and the Suck Valley Committee.[9]

See also

References
  1. Ordnance Survey of Ireland: Rivers and their Catchment Basins 1958 (Table of Reference)
  2. "Turloughs, Floods and Wells". Our Irish heritage. National Museum of Ireland. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  3. "eDIL - Irish Language Dictionary". www.dil.ie.
  4. "DOI: Onomasticon Goedelicum (A)". publish.ucc.ie.
  5. SuckWater Management Unit Action Plan
  6. Philip's (1994). Atlas of the World. Reed International. p. 19. ISBN 0-540-05831-9.
  7. "The River Suck". DiscoverIreland. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  8. Vernon-Harcourt, Leveson Francis (2015). Rivers and Canals. Cambridge University Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-1-108-08059-0.
  9. National Trails Office 2010, p. 44.


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