Munster Blackwater
| Munster Blackwater | |
|---|---|
The Blackwater at Fermoy | |
| Native name | |
| Location | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| Counties | Kerry, Cork, Waterford |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Mullaghareirk Mountains |
| • location | County Kerry |
| • coordinates | 52°11′31″N 9°14′28″W / 52.192°N 9.241°W |
| • elevation | 229 m (751 ft) |
| Mouth | Celtic Sea |
• location | Youghal Harbour, Cork |
• coordinates | 51°56′31″N 7°49′59″W / 51.942°N 7.833°W |
| Length | 169 km (105 mi) |
| Basin size | 1,200 sq mi (3,100 km2) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Funshion or Funcheon, Araglin |
| • right | Bride |
| Designation | |
| Official name | Blackwater Estuary |
| Designated | 7 June 1996 |
| Reference no. | 836 |
The Blackwater or Munster Blackwater (Irish: An Abhainn Mhór, The Great River) is a river which flows through counties Kerry, Cork and Waterford in Ireland. It rises in the Mullaghareirk Mountains in County Kerry and then flows in an easterly direction across County Cork through the towns of Mallow and Fermoy. It then enters County Waterford where it flows through Lismore, before abruptly turning south at Cappoquin and finally draining into the Celtic Sea at Youghal Harbour in Cork. In total, the Blackwater is 169 km (105 mi) long.
The total catchment area of the River Blackwater is 3,324 km2. Its long-term average flow rate of is 89.1 cubic metres per second (m3/s) The Blackwater is notable for being one of the best salmon fishing rivers in the country. Like many Irish rivers, salmon stocks declined in recent years, but the Irish government banned commercial netting of salmon off the coast of Ireland in November 2006.