River Awbeg

River Awbeg
River Awbeg at Castletownroche
Basin features
Main source	Ballyhoura Mountains, County Limerick
River mouth	Celtic Sea at Youghal via Blackwater River

Awbeg River (Irish: An Abhainn Bheag, meaning "the small river") is a river in the southern part of Ireland. It is a tributary of the Blackwater River and flows into that larger river at a point in County Cork. Its name comes from the Irish Abha Bheag ("small river", a slightly older form than the modern Irish name).

There are two contributories of the Awbeg. The first rises in County Limerick as the Gralgne River and enters Co. Cork a half mile north-east of Ardskeagh Cross Roads, then flows west under a railroad bridge and south under Farran bridge on the Buttevant/Charlevllle road.

The second branch rises about two miles north of Liscarroll and flows south and then north and west under Annagh Bridge to join the first branch at Scart Bridge.

From there, the river flows south through Buttevant and east through Doneraile, turns south near Shanballymore and through Castletownroche to enter the Blackwater at Poulcormac near Bridgetown Abbey.

North of Buttevant the river flows through flat agricultural land, while south of Buttevant the river generally flows through a narrow, steep-sided valley with wooded sides. For the most part the river flows over Carboniferous limestone. The river supports a range of plant species including dropwort, pondweed, club-rush, water-cress and Ranunculus. The river is largely fringed by a narrow strip of marsh vegetation, dominated by reed-canary grass. The Awbeg is a breeding ground for otters and supports a significant population of Atlantic salmon. The site supports a population of white-clawed crayfish, a threatened species.