Owenbrean River
The Owenbrean River is a small river in Fermanagh which flows down from Cuilcagh Mountain before sinking underground, forging its way beneath the mountain and eventually reaching the Marble Arch Cave system. The river meets up with two other mountain rivers within the caves, the Sruh Croppa and the Aghinrawn; these three rivers then form the River Cladagh.
Names
The name 'Owenbrean' is from the Gaelic Abhainn Bhréan, meaning "stinking river".[1])
The Marble Arch system is fed by three small rivers that drain the north face of Cuilcagh Mountain. East to west these are the Owenbrean, the Aghinrawn and the Sruh Croppa. Ordnance Survey maps and local names differ, possibly a confusion in the former, for locally the central river flowing to Monastir Cliff ('Owenbrean' on OS maps) has always been called the 'Aghinrawn' and the eastern river, sinking at Pollasumera (unnamed on maps) is the 'Owenbrean'. All other literature adheres to this local usage.[2][3]
Main route
The Owenbrean drains the north-eastern slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain and the southern and western slopes of Trien Mountain. After meandering northwards for 3 miles, it turns abruptly west into a confined, blind gorge for 350 yards before swinging north into the magnificent gothic entrance of Pollasumera, set in 66 ft high cliffs.[4] In dry weather, the river drains into its bed in the gorge before reaching the cave.[5]
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 700-yard-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.[2]
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.[6] These feed into the Prod's Pot–Cascades Rising cave system, from which the waters emerge above ground again around 1½ miles away in Cladagh Glen, rejoining the Owenbrean's original flow in its new form as the River Cladagh (Dunn, J.).[6]
References
- ↑ "Illustrations of Townlands in Maps". Ulster Placenames – Celebrating Ulster's Townlands. http://www.ulsterplacenames.org/illustrations_of_townlands_in_maps.htm. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Jones, Burns, Fogg & Kelly (1997), pp. 79–84
- ↑ "Marlbank-Cuilcagh Mountain Region; Marble Arch Karst". Habitas Online. http://www.habitas.org.uk/escr/summary.asp?Item=1156. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
- ↑ Jones, Burns, Fogg & Kelly (1997), p. 92
- ↑ "Marble Arch Karst; Pollasumera". Habitas Online. http://www.habitas.org.uk/escr/summary.asp?Item=348. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jones, Burns, Fogg & Kelly (1997), pp. 60–61
- Jones, Gareth Ll.; Burns, Gaby; Fogg, Tim; Kelly, John (1997). The Caves of Fermanagh and Cavan (2nd Ed.). Lough Nilly Press. ISBN 0-9531602-0-3.
Coordinates: 54°14′48″N 7°47′49″W / 54.24667°N 7.79686°W