River Moy
The River Moy is a river in the north-west of Ireland. The Moy is first named in Adomnán's Life of Columba (c. 700) as Modam fluvium. Later spellings include Muaide, Muadam, Múed, Múaid; the name An Mhuaidh is used in modern Irish.
Geography
The Moy rises at the foot of the Ox Mountains in County Sligo and flows for nearly 70 miles. For the greater part of its length, it flows south-westward, entering County Mayo and passing near Swinford before turning north near the village of Kilmore. It then heads for the town of Ballina, where it forms the border between the counties of Mayo and Sligo, before entering the Atlantic Ocean at Killala Bay. The Moy Estuary is five miles long beginning at Ballina and running into Killala Bay. The catchment area of the River Moy is 800 square miles.[1] The long-term average flow rate of the River Moy into Killala Bay is 13,000 gallons per second.[2]
The Moy valley, with its ancient churches and abbeys, is a prominent tourist destination.[3]
Economics
The river was once among the best salmon fisheries in Europe; however, in recent times, drift-net fishing off the coast caused a huge decline in salmon numbers. According to central fisheries board statistics, 101,231 returning salmon were taken by drift nets off the west coast of Ireland in 2005. In the same year, 29% (6,675) of all rod-caught salmon in Ireland were taken in the Ballina district as a result of a weir which keeps salmon trapped in the ridge pool near the mouth of the river during the summer. Drift netting for salmon was banned in November 2006 and the ban came into force on 1 January 2007.[4]
References
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about River Moy) |
- Location map: 54°10’60"N, 9°9’0"W
- http://www.themoy.com daily updates on Fishing conditions and Catches
- Salmon fishing on the River Moy, from Salmon Ireland
- The Moy Fishery
