Owenbrean River Explained

Owenbrean
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:United Kingdom
Subdivision Type3:Region
Subdivision Name3:Northern Ireland
Subdivision Type4:County
Subdivision Name4:County Fermanagh
Length:8.5km (05.3miles)
Source1 Location:Eastern Cuilcagh Mountain
Mouth:River Cladagh
Mouth Location:Marble Arch Caves

The Owenbrean River (Irish: Abhainn Bhréan or "stinking river"[1]), is a small river in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland which flows down from Cuilcagh Mountain before sinking underground, eventually reaching the Marble Arch Cave system.

Main route

The Owenbrean flows underground through Pollasumera, until it sumps and appears again in nearby Pollnagollum of the Boats. The river eventually enters the Marble Arch system via Skreen Hill 3—a 650m (2,130feet) long stretch of cave only accessible by divers—Skreen Hill 2 and Skreen Hill 1, which is the furthest section of the show cave.[2] During the guided tour of the Marble Arch Caves, visitors are led on a subterranean pathway alongside the Owenbrean River, as well as travelling upon it for a short while on an underground boat journey. The Owenbrean meets the combined Sruh Croppa and Aghinrawn at The Junction, which is halfway along the boat tour.

Separation

Upstream of the main sinks in the blind gorge, the Owenbrean is also known to lose a portion of its flow as it is diverted into the Upper and Lower Sinks.[3] These feed into the Prod's Pot–Cascades Rising cave system, from which the waters emerge above ground again around 2.5km (01.6miles) away in Cladagh Glen, rejoining the Owenbrean's original flow in its new form as the River Cladagh (Dunn, J.).

See also

References

54.2467°N -7.7969°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Illustrations of Townlands in Maps . Ulster Placenames – Celebrating Ulster's Townlands . 28 February 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174205/http://www.ulsterplacenames.org/illustrations_of_townlands_in_maps.htm . 3 March 2016 . dead .
  2. Jones, Burns, Fogg & Kelly (1997), pp. 79–84
  3. Jones, Burns, Fogg & Kelly (1997), pp. 60–61