The River Suir rises in the Devils Bit in The Silvermine Mountains in County Tipperary at an area about six miles north west of the town of Templemore.

        According to legend

• "the river Suir began to flow on the night that King Conn of the hundred battles was born ".

       But this is only legend.

• It flows in a southerly direction through the towns of Templemore , Thurles , Cahir and Ardfinnan.
• After Ardfinnan it flows in an easterly direction through the towns of Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir and through the City of Waterford.
• It enters the sea at Waterford Harbour near Dunmore East.
• The river Suir meets river Nore and The river Barrow at Cheekpoint.
• These three rivers are known as The Three Sisters Rivers.
• The river Suir is 114 miles long (184 km).
• The river Suir is largely in County Tipperary and it divides the counties of Tipperary and Waterford from Clonmel to Carrick-on-Suir and the counties of Kilkenny and Waterford from Carrick-on-Suir to Waterford.

• The estuary is bounded by counties Tipperary and Kilkenny to the north and west and Waterford on the south.
• The estuary is a highly productive natural resource.It provides valuable quantities of varied seafood and functions as a major hub for shipping and commence.
• It supplies a large natural habitat for wildlife and offers a wide range of recreational opportunities for residents and visitors.
• An estuary is usually considered to be the the section of a river system from the point at which water levels are affected by tides down to the confluence with the sea. There is strong tidal action in the Suir , Barrow and Nore estuary.
• The river Suir is tidal as far as Carrick-on-Suir. One of the more important beneficial uses of the estuary is as a fishing ground.
• At its confluence with the sea there is a fishing village Dunmore where large quantities of fish are landed and sold or processed for the Irish market and for export including places as far away as Japan.
• Fishing also took place in the estuary for as long as people inhabited the area.
• Stone monuments in the area prove that this is up to 6000 years ago.
• Extensive shipping also took place in Waterford harbour which at one time was the principal port in the Country. Because of the width and depth of the river Suir at Waterford City very large ships could easily use the harbour including turning around in theriver. Large Cruise Liners still dock at Wareford City.

In all there are thirty five tributaries of the River Suir.They are as follows :
Starting at Waterford itself with

• Saint Johns river which flows westward through the city.
• The next tributary is the river Blackwater which flows through Kilmacow Parish in County Kilkenny.
• The river Clodiagh rises in the Comeragh Mountains and flows through Portlaw.

• The river Pill flows trough Piltown village and drains the surrounding hills into the Suir. Much of the battle of Piltown took place near this river.

      The next tributary is the river :

• Linaun. This river actually divides the counties of Kilkenny and Tipperary and also the provinces of Munster and Leinster. This also was a site of a great battle in the fifth century following which it became a boundary between the provinces of Munster and Leinster for ever after.

      After Carrick-on-Suir the river:

• Glasha flows from the Comeraghs also. Next there is a network of tributaries running from Killenaule and Fethard in County Tipperary. These are the:
• Anner
• Moyle
• Cashawley.

      After Clonmel lies the

• Glenary tributary on the Waterford side as well as the
• Nire which runs through the beautiful Nire valley.

      After the village of Newcastle the

• Tar river flows from beyond Clogheen  in  th e Knockmealdown  mountains.
• The Thonogue flows into the Suir north of Ardfinnan.

      The Suir runs in a North South direction  towards Cahir and   North of Cahir three  tributaries join the Suir :

• The Aherlow river which comes down the Glen of Aherlow
• The Ara river which flows from beyond Tipperary Town and
• The Mill river which flows from the Cashel direction. North of Tipperary Town are the
• Multeen and
• Argla tributaries.

There is a second tributary called the

• Clodiagh which flows from the Templemore direction south to the Suir , and near the town of Thurles is the
• Drish river.

   Project  Research  and  Display   by Claire Sullivan  SIP  Project

Three  Stages  of  a  River