The Barrow is a river in Ireland. It is one of the Three Sisters; the other two are the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest of these three rivers and at 192 km (192 mi) is the second longest river in Ireland, after the River Shannon. Barrow has a catchment area of 3 067 km2 before the River Nore joins it just over 20 km before its mouth. The long-term average flow of the river, again before it joins the River Nore, is 37,4 m3 per second. At its confluence with the Suir, the river has a catchment area of approximately 5 500 km2 and a flow of over 80 m3/s.
Recreation
Parts of the Barrow attract kayakers and swimmers, particularly in the summer months. The Barrow Way is a 120 kilometre (120 mi) walking route along the Barrow, one of Ireland’s national marked trails. The trail follows the Barrow Line and then the towpaths along the non-tidal part of the river, ending in St Mullins.
History
In the past, the Barrow formed a natural boundary between the kingdoms of Laigin on the east coast and Osraige on the west coast.
Sir John Davies quoted the saying that ‚he who lives west of the Barrow lives west of the law.
The course of the stream
The headwaters are in the Slieve Bloom mountains. Together with the rivers Suir (An tSiúr) and Nore (An Fheoir) it flows into the Celtic Sea near Waterford, forming an estuary. These rivers are called the Three Sisters in Ireland, as the Nore flows into the Barow, which in turn flows into the Suir shortly before entering the estuary.
Water levels
The source of water is rainfall. It has plenty of water throughout the year.
Uses
There is a well-developed shipping service on the river. On the upper reaches it is connected to the Grand Canal which runs from the River Shannon to Dublin.
Geography
The River Lerr is one of its tributaries.
Before reaching the sea at Waterford, the Barrow passes through the towns of Portarlington, Monasterevin, Carlow, Graiguenamanagh and New Ross. It also joins the Grand Canal at Athy.
The river is famous for pike fishing.
