River Suir (Abhainn na Siúire) | |
River | |
River Suir at Holycross, Tipperary
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Country | Ireland |
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Counties | Tipperary, Waterford |
Source | Devil's Bit Mountain |
- location | Templemore, County Tipperary |
- elevation | 480 m (1,575 ft) |
- coordinates | 52°49′16″N 7°54′50″W / 52.821°N 7.914°W |
Mouth | Waterford Harbour |
- location | Waterford |
- coordinates | 52°07′N 6°34′W / 52.11°N 6.56°WCoordinates: 52°07′N 6°34′W / 52.11°N 6.56°W |
Length | 185 km (115 mi) |
Basin | 1,394 sq mi (3,610 km2) |
Discharge | |
- average | 76.9 m3/s (2,716 cu ft/s) |
The River Suir (/ʃʊər/; Irish pronunciation: [ʃuːrˠ], Irish An tSiúr or Abhainn na Siúire) is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Waterford after a distance of 185 kilometres (115 mi). The catchment area of the Suir is 3,610 km2. Its long term average flow rate is 76.9 cubic metres per second (m3/s), more than twice the flow of the River Barrow (37.4 m3/s).
Popular with anglers, it holds plentiful reserves of brown trout. While the Suir holds the record for a salmon taken from an Irish river (weighing 57 lb/26 kg, taken on a fly in 1874), as is the case in many other Atlantic rivers, salmon stocks have been in decline in recent years.
Rising on the slopes of Devil's Bit Mountain, just north of Templemore in County Tipperary, the Suir flows south through Loughmore, Thurles, Holycross, Golden and Knockgraffon. Merging with the River Aherlow at Kilmoyler and further on with the Tar, it turns east at the Comeragh Mountains, forming the border between County Waterford and County Tipperary. It then passes through Cahir, Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir before reaching Waterford. Near the Port of Waterford it meets the River Barrow at Cheekpoint to form a wide navigable estuary, capable of accommodating seagoing vessels up to 32,000 tons dwt. It exits to the sea between Dunmore East and Hook Head.