River Erne

River Erne
The river Erne in Ballyshannon
Native name	An Éirne
Country	Ireland, Northern Ireland
Basin features
Main source	Slieve Glah, County Cavan ~255 m (837 ft)
River mouth	Atlantic Ocean at Ballyshannon
Basin size	4,372 km2 (1,688 sq mi)
Tributaries	Left: Cladagh River, Arney River, Sillees River Right: River Annalee, River Finn (Erne tributary), Colebrooke River, Ballycassidy River, Kesh River, Brannagh River
Physical characteristics
Length	~129 km (80 mi)
Discharge	Average rate: 101.7 m3/s (3,590 cu ft/s)

The River Erne (pronounced airn, Irish: Abhainn na hÉirne or An Éirne) in the northwest of Ireland, is the second-longest river in Ulster. It rises on the east shoulder of Slieve Glah mountain three miles south of Cavan in County Cavan and flows 80 miles (129 km) through Lough Gowna, Lough Oughter and Upper and Lower Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, to the sea at Ballyshannon, County Donegal. For 30 miles from Crossdoney in County Cavan to Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, it is difficult to distinguish the river as it winds its way through interconnected loughs or parts of loughs nestling among the drumlin hills of Cavan and south Fermanagh. The river is 120 kilometres long and is very popular for fly fishing for trout and salmon, with a number of fisheries along both the river itself and its tributaries. The town of Enniskillen is mostly situated on an island in the river, between Upper and Lower Lough Erne. It is linked to the River Shannon by the Shannon–Erne Waterway. The total catchment area of the River Erne is 4,372 km². The long-term average flow rate of the River Erne is 101.7 cubic metres per second (m³/s)

The river takes its name from a mythical princess named Éirne.