River Foyle
Encyclopedia
The River Foyle is a river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in west Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
in the northwest of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, which flows from the confluence of the rivers Finn
River Finn
The River Finn is a river that flows through County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland and County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. It rises in Lough Finn in County Donegal and flows east through a deep mountain valley to Ballybofey and Stranorlar and on to the confluence with the River Mourne at Lifford...
and Mourne
River Mourne
The River Mourne is a river in County Tyrone , Northern Ireland, and is a tributary of the River Foyle. At Strabane it joins with the River Finn to form the River Foyle. Fishing is largely for salmon, grilse and sea trout....
at the towns of Lifford
Lifford
Lifford is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland. It is the administrative capital of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council, although the town of Letterkenny is often mistaken for fulfilling this role...
in County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, and Strabane
Strabane
Strabane , historically spelt Straban,is a town in west County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It contains the headquarters of Strabane District Council....
in County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. From here it flows to the City of Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, where it discharges into Lough Foyle
Lough Foyle
Lough Foyle, sometimes Loch Foyle , is the estuary of the River Foyle in Ulster. It starts where the Foyle leaves Derry. It separates the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland from County Londonderry in Northern Ireland.-Transport:...
and, ultimately, the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. The river separates part of County Donegal from parts of both County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
and County Tyrone. The district of County Donegal that borders the western bank of the River Foyle is traditionally known as the Laggan. http://www.eastdonegalulsterscots.com/about.html This district includes the villages of St. Johnston and Carrigans
Carrigans
Carrigans is a village in The Laggan, a district in the east of County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. The village is located only a short distance from the River Foyle on the R236 regional road....
, both of which are nestled on the banks of the river.
Sport on the Foyle
The river is home to a number of sporting clubs and a small mooring facility has been recently added for small yachtYacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
s outside the Derry City Council
Derry City Council
Derry City Council is a district council in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. The Council is is responsible for the city of Derry and the immediate environ, providing services to an estimated population of , making it the third largest district council in Northern Ireland by population.The...
offices in the heart of Derry. The main sports on the river are canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
, sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
and rowing
Watercraft rowing
Watercraft rowing is the act of propelling a boat using the motion of oars in the water. The difference between paddling and rowing is that with rowing the oars have a mechanical connection with the boat whereas with paddling the paddles are hand-held with no mechanical connection.This article...
. People partake in water-skiing and jet-skiing in the summer.
Crossing the Foyle
The River Foyle is also the fastest flowing river in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for its size, making the construction of bridges to cross it difficult. In Derry, the main crossing point, there are three bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s. The southernmost bridge, the oldest of the three, is Europe's only road traffic double decker bridge and is officially known as the Craigavon Bridge
Craigavon Bridge
The Craigavon Bridge is one of three bridges in Derry, Northern Ireland. It crosses the River Foyle further south than the Foyle Bridge and Peace Bridge. It is one of only a few double-decker road bridges in Europe. It was named after Lord Craigavon, the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.The...
(occasionally referred to colloquially as the Blue Bridge). The northernmost bridge, known as the Foyle Bridge
Foyle Bridge
The Foyle Bridge is a bridge in Derry in Northern Ireland. The central cantilever span of the bridge is the longest in Ireland at 234 metres , and the whole suspended bridge structure including the approach spans is also the longest in Ireland at 866 metres .It crosses the River Foyle to the north...
, is a much larger bridge and was built to accommodate tallship
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
s at a time when it was envisaged that the city would need to accommodate such vessels. However, this proved unnecessary as the main port was moved several miles north of the city and the large vessels it was designed for never had to come so far south. Derry's most famous politician, the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
-winning John Hume
John Hume
John Hume is a former Irish politician from Derry, Northern Ireland. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble....
, was most closely associated with the planning of the Foyle Bridge, believing that the large size was required to maintain a potential economic lifeline to the city through the port. Derry's third bridge, the Peace Bridge
Peace Bridge (Foyle)
The Peace Bridge is a cycle and footbridge bridge across the River Foyle in Derry, Northern Ireland, which opened on 25 June 2011. It is the newest of three bridges in the city, the others being the Craigavon Bridge and the Foyle Bridge. It was opened to the public by EU Commissioner for Regional...
, is situated behind the Guildhall Square
Guildhall, Derry
The Guildhall in Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, is a building in which the elected members of Derry City Council meet. It was built in 1890....
, north of the Craigavon Bridge. The pedestrian and cycle bridge was opened in 2011, intended as a symbol of union between the two sides of the city.
Outside of Derry, the only bridge to cross the River Foyle is Lifford Bridge
Lifford Bridge
Lifford Bridge is a cross-border bridge on the N15 - A38 road, spanning the River Foyle which marks the border between Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and Lifford in County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland....
, which was built in the 1960s between Lifford, the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of County Donegal on the western bank of the river, and Strabane, a major town in County Tyrone on the eastern bank.
Traffic on the Foyle
Traffic on the Foyle further south than the northern bridge is now more or less restricted to pleasure boats with the occasional tanker coming in the refinery at the northern end of the town. A tour of the Foyle onboard a small cruise ship called the Toucan One, once provided tourists a chance to travel along the River Foyle from Derry city centre to Greencastle Co.Donegal on the shores of Lough Foyle. However because of a lack of funding from various sources, this venture has now come to a standstill.Foyle Search and Rescue
Due to the presence of three bridges over the river in Derry, some people choose to attempt suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by jumping into the deep and fast moving Foyle. 'Foyle Search and Rescue' was established as a charity in July 1993 and has adopted the role of protecting human life in the River Foyle from the Craigavon Bridge, Foyle Bridge and the newly opened Peace Bridge. Between 1993 and 2008 it dealt with more than 1000 people in distress.
Fishing in the Foyle
The Foyle is believed to be one of the best salmonSalmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
rivers in Ireland.
Details of the fishing regulations are available from the Loughs Agency. The village of St. Johnston, which lies on the County Donegal bank of the river, is a major fishing settlement on the Foyle.
Area of Special Scientific Interest
The River Foyle and Tributaries Area of Special Scientific InterestArea of Special Scientific Interest
An Area of Special Scientific Interest or ASSI is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in Northern Ireland. ASSIs are the equivalent of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in the rest of the United Kingdom....
(ASSI) includes the River Foyle and its tributaries ie that part of the River Finn
River Finn
The River Finn is a river that flows through County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland and County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. It rises in Lough Finn in County Donegal and flows east through a deep mountain valley to Ballybofey and Stranorlar and on to the confluence with the River Mourne at Lifford...
which is within Northern Ireland, the River Mourne
River Mourne
The River Mourne is a river in County Tyrone , Northern Ireland, and is a tributary of the River Foyle. At Strabane it joins with the River Finn to form the River Foyle. Fishing is largely for salmon, grilse and sea trout....
and its tributary the River Strule (up to its confluence with the Owenkillew River) and the River Derg, along with two of its sub-tributaries, the Mourne Beg River and the Glendergan River. The area encompasses 120 km of watercourse and is notable for the physical diversity and naturalness of the banks and channels, especially in the upper reaches, and the richness and naturalness of its plant and animal communities. Of particular importance is the population of Atlantic Salmon
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
, which is one of the largest in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Research has indicated that each sub-catchment within the system supports genetically distinct populations.