River Foyle (an Feabhal)
River
Countries	Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom
Counties	Tyrone, Londonderry, Donegal
Cities	Derry, Strabane
Source	River Mourne
- location	Newtownstewart
- coordinates	54°43′16″N 7°21′54″W / 54.721°N 7.365°W / 54.721; -7.365
Secondary source	River Finn
- location	Lough Finn
- coordinates	54°51′32″N 8°08′06″W / 54.859°N 8.135°W / 54.859; -8.135
Source confluence
- location	Strabane / Lifford
- coordinates	54°49′44″N 7°28′48″W / 54.829°N 7.480°W / 54.829; -7.480
Mouth	Lough Foyle
- coordinates	55°06′25″N 7°04′44″W / 55.107°N 7.079°W / 55.107; -7.079

The River Foyle at night

The Foyle, early morning, April 2006

The River Foyle (from Irish: an Feabhal)^[1] is a river in west Ulster in the northwest of Ireland, which flows from the confluence of the rivers Finn and Mourne at the towns of Lifford in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, and Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. From here it flows to the City of Derry, where it discharges into Lough Foyle and, ultimately, the Atlantic Ocean. The river separates part of County Donegal from parts of both County Londonderry and County Tyrone. The district of County Donegal that borders the western bank of the River Foyle is traditionally known as the Laggan.^[2] This district includes the villages of St. Johnston and Carrigans, both of which are nestled on the banks of the river.

Sport on the Foyle[link]

The river is home to a number of sporting clubs and a small mooring facility has been recently added for small yachts outside the Derry City Council offices in the heart of Derry. The main sports on the river are canoeing, sailing and rowing. People partake in water-skiing and jet-skiing in the summer.

Crossing the Foyle[link]

The River Foyle is also the fastest flowing river in Europe for its size, making the construction of bridges to cross it difficult. In Derry, the main crossing point, there are three bridges. The southernmost bridge, the oldest of the three, is Europe's only road traffic double decker bridge and is officially known as the Craigavon Bridge (occasionally referred to colloquially as the Blue Bridge). The northernmost bridge, known as the Foyle Bridge, is a much larger bridge and was built to accommodate tallships at a time when it was envisaged that the city would need to accommodate such vessels. However, this proved unnecessary as the main port was moved several miles north of the city and the large vessels it was designed for never had to come so far south. The Foyle Bridge was planned originally by the Londonderry Development Commission and was intended to alleviate the traffic congestion on the existing Craigavon Bridge and in the city centre. However, political prevaricating meant that it was not constructed until the 1980s. Derry's third bridge, the Peace Bridge, is situated behind the Guildhall Square, north of the Craigavon Bridge. The pedestrian and cycle bridge was opened in 2011, intended as a symbol of union between the two sides of the city.^[3][4] Outside of Derry, the only bridge to cross the River Foyle is Lifford Bridge, which was built in the 1960s between Lifford, the county town of County Donegal on the western bank of the river, and Strabane, a major town in County Tyrone on the eastern bank.

Navigation on the Foyle[link]

The tidal Foyle is navigable from the coast to approximately 10 miles inland. The derelict Strabane Canal continued from this point a further four miles to Strabane. Traffic on the Foyle further south than the northern bridge is now more or less restricted to pleasure boats with the occasional tanker coming in the refinery at the northern end of the town. A tour of the Foyle onboard a small cruise ship called the Toucan One, once provided tourists a chance to travel along the River Foyle from Derry city centre to Greencastle County Donegal on the shores of Lough Foyle. However, because of a lack of funding from various sources, this venture has now come to a standstill.

Foyle Search and Rescue[link]

Due to the presence of three bridges over the river in Derry, some people choose to attempt suicide by jumping into the deep and fast moving Foyle. 'Foyle Search and Rescue' was established as a charity in July 1993 and has adopted the role of protecting human life in the River Foyle from the Craigavon Bridge, Foyle Bridge and the newly opened Peace Bridge. Between 1993 and 2008 it dealt with more than 1000 people in distress.^[5][6]

Fishing in the Foyle[link]

The Foyle is believed to be one of the best salmon rivers in Ireland. Details of the fishing regulations are available from the Loughs Agency.^[7] The village of St. Johnston, which lies on the County Donegal bank of the river, is a major fishing settlement on the Foyle.

Area of Special Scientific Interest[link]

The River Foyle and Tributaries Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) includes the River Foyle and its tributaries i.e. that part of the River Finn which is within Northern Ireland, the River Mourne and its tributary the River Strule (up to its confluence with the Owenkillew River) and the River Derg, along with two of its sub-tributaries, the Mourne Beg River and the Glendergan River. The area encompasses 120 km of watercourse and is notable for the physical diversity and naturalness of the banks and channels, especially in the upper reaches, and the richness and naturalness of its plant and animal communities. Of particular importance is the population of Atlantic Salmon, which is one of the largest in Europe. Research has indicated that each sub-catchment within the system supports genetically distinct populations.^[8]

See also[link]

• List of rivers of Northern Ireland

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: River Foyle

• Salmon fishing on the Foyle System, from Salmon Ireland