River Slaney | |
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River Slaney at Stratford-on-Slaney
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Native name | Abhainn na Sláine |
Country | Ireland |
Basin features | |
Main source |
Lugnaquilla, County Wicklow 549 metres (1,801 ft) |
River mouth | Irish Sea at Wexford via Wexford Harbour |
Basin size | 1,762 square kilometres (680 sq mi) |
Tributaries | |
Physical characteristics | |
Length | 117.5 kilometres (73.0 mi) |
Discharge |
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The River Slaney (Irish: Abhainn na Sláine, meaning "river of health" [ˈawənʲˈn̪ˠaˈsˠl̪ˠaːnʲə]) 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), 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. The long term average flow rate of the River Slaney is 37.4 Cubic Metres per second (m3/s)
Towns on the Slaney include Stratford-on-Slaney, Baltinglass, Tullow, Bunclody, Enniscorthy and Wexford. Over the river's 117 kilometre course, it is crossed by 32 road bridges and one railway bridge.
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, wild ducks, 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. The rare goosander can be seen on the Slaney at Kildavin. In season, salmon and trout and pike are fished.