River Moyola

54.800°N 7.083°W / 54.800; -7.083

Moyola River
Castledawson Bridge over the Moyola
Native name
  • Abhainn na Scríne
  • An Bhior
Location
CountryNorthern Ireland
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationSperrin Mountains
Mouth 
 • location
Lough Neagh
Length27 mi (43 km)

The River Moyola or Moyola River (Irish: Abhainn na Scríne[1]) stretches for approximately 27 miles from the Sperrin Mountains to Lough Neagh.[2] The Moyola starts a small river (3-5 metres; 10' to 16') for the first few miles of its length and proceeds to expand to a medium-sized river (5-20 metres; 16' to 65') and then to a large river (20 metres +; 65' plus) for its last couple of miles before Lough Neagh. In ancient times, the River Moyola was known as the 'Bior', and served as the border between the Airgiallan kingdoms of Fir Li and Ui Tuirtri.

Forgetown Bridge

According to Deirdre and Laurence Flanagan in their book, Irish Place Names, the River Moyola derives its name from Magh nÉola, meaning Éolas Plain.[3]

The Bridges of the Moyola River are

Bealnamala Bridge , Moyard Bridge , Church Bridge , Owenreagh Bridge , Disert Bridge , Derrynoyd Bridge. Upper River.

Weddell Bridge , Forgetown Bridge , Lisnamuck Bridge , A29 Fortwilliam Bridge , Curran Bridge A6 Broagh Bridge. Middle River.

Dawsons Bridge , Moyola Bridge , Railway Bridge A6 Toome Bypass Bridge , Aughrim Bridge , New Bridge. Lower River.

Hydrology

The flow or discharge of the river is measured near to its mouth in Lough Neagh. The catchment area to the gauging station is 304 square kilometres (117 sq mi), which yields an average flow of 8.4 cubic metres per second (300 cu ft/s). [4] The maximum recorded flow between 1971 and 2012 was 156 cubic metres per second (5,500 cu ft/s) on 19 January 1988.[5]

Fortwilliam Bridge Outside Tobermore

The catchment has a varied geology including limestone, schist, shale and basalt with outcrops of chalk. Overlying this solid geology are superficial deposits of glacial till, plus sand and aggregates. Land use is primarily grassland, with areas of bog and heathland, but includes the towns of Magherafelt and Maghera.[4] The average annual rainfall in the catchment is 1,224 millimetres (48.2 in),[6] which is somewhat higher than the average for United Kingdom at 1,101 millimetres (43.3 in).[7]

Moyola In Flood Curran Bridge

Mentions in literature
Owenreagh Bridge Near Straw
Derrynoyd Bridge ,The Big Bridge Near Draperstown

The river is mentioned frequently in the poetry of Seamus Heaney, such as Gifts of Rain and A New Song,[8] Whitby-sur-Moyola[9] and Moyulla.[10] Critic Daniel Tobin suggests that for Heaney his "childhood river, Moyola, is not unlike Wordsworth's Derwent."[11]

References
  1. "Abhainn na Scríne". logainm.ie.
  2. 54.714°N 6.539°W / 54.714; -6.539
  3. Deirdre & Laurence Flanagan, Irish Place Names; ISBN 0-7171-3396-6
  4. "203020 - Moyola at Moyola New Bridge". The National River Flow Archive. Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  5. "203020 - Moyola at Moyola New Bridge - Annual Maximum". The National River Flow Archive. Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  6. "203020 - Moyola at Moyola New Bridge - Rainfall". The National River Flow Archive. Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  7. "Climate tables UK 1961-90". Met Office. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  8. Heaney, Seamus (1972). Wintering out. London, UK: Faber & Faber. ISBN 0-571-10158-5.
  9. Heaney, Seamus (1996). The spirit level. London, UK: Faber & Faber. ISBN 0-571-17822-7.
  10. Heaney, Seamus (2006). District and circle. London, UK: Faber & Faber. ISBN 0-571-23096-2.
  11. Tobin, Daniel (1998). Passage to the center: imagination and the Sacred in the poetry of Seamus Heaney. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-813-12083-7.
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