The River Maigue (,[A. D. Mills, 2003, A Dictionary of British Place-Names, Oxford University Press. Strictly speaking, the Irish term an mháigh means simply, "the plain". In this case, "river of" is an implied auxiliary meaning.] rises in the Milford area of north County Cork, Ireland. The River Maigue is long.[Ordnance Survey of Ireland: Rivers and their Catchment Basins 1958 (Table of Reference)] It drains an area of
It is joined by the small River Glen and the larger River Loobagh in south County Limerick. It then flows north through Bruree, after which it augmented by the River Morning Star. It flows through Croom and Adare before entering the Shannon Estuary () just north of Ferry Bridge between Kildimo and Clarina, just west of Limerick city. The River Maigue is tidal up to Adare on the N21 Road Bridge.
History
In ancient times the Maigue was central to the territories of the O'Donovans and their predecessors in Uí Chairpre Áebda (Cairbre Eva). The majority of its towns and villages were once the sites of fortresses. Later these territories were occupied by the FitzGerald dynasty.
The beautiful slow song in Irish, ‘Slán le Máigh’, was written by Aindrias Mac Craith, a poet from the local area who lived in the 18th century. The song is still widely sung and is also played as a slow air.
Tributaries
River Loobagh
The Loobagh () is a river with healthy
Trout and
Salmon populations. It rises in the hills south of
Kilfinane and flows through
Kilmallock. It joins the Maigue south of Bruree.
Morning Star River
The Morning Star is a little river which flows westwards through rich farmland through
Bruff and
Athlacca to join the Maigue north of Bruree. Its name derives from the Irish
Camhaoir, , a corruption of the original name, Samhaoir. This is a name of unknown etymology also once used for the
River Erne; it may be an Indo-European hydronym (cf. the many European rivers named Samara).
[Joyce, P. W. (1869:486). The Origin and History of Irish Names of Places. Ireland: Educational Company of Ireland.]
Camogue River
The
River Camogue flows in a westerly direction through Grange, Meanus and Manister and joins the Maigue upstream of Croom.
See also
External links
