Six Mile Water

The Six Mile Water is a river in southern County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is an indirect tributary of the River Bann, via Lough Neagh.

A bridge over the Six Mile Water in the grounds of Antrim Castle

Name

The river was historically called the Ollarbha and is known in Irish as Abhainn na bhFiodh[1] ("river of the woods"), which was formerly anglicized 'Owenaview'.[2]

Accounts vary as to the origin of the name. The river is almost 26 miles (42 km) long rather than six.[3] It is said to be named from a crossing point six Irish miles from Antrim, on the road to Carrickfergus.[2] Another story is that it was named by English soldiers, who calculated that it was a six mile march from Carrickfergus Castle to the ford at Ballyclare.[4]

Course and catchment

It rises in the hills west of Larne and north of Carrickfergus and descends gently westward, flowing through or close to the communities of Ballynure, Ballyclare, Doagh, Parkgate, Templepatrick, Dunadry and Antrim into Lough Neagh. A weir exists at Ballyclare where water was diverted to the paper mill. The Six Mile Water Park was constructed around the river in Ballyclare, in order that the river's frequent floods would not affect houses in the area. It has a catchment of 117 square miles.[5]

Culture

The river is the subject of the song Six Mile Water, by the Metal band Therapy?. It appeared on their fifth full-length album Suicide Pact - You First released in 1999.

See also

References
  1. "Placenames Database of Ireland". Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  2. "Six Mile Water, Co Antrim". Northern Ireland Place-Name Project.
  3. Ordnance Survey of Ireland: Rivers and their Catchment Basins 1958 (Table of Reference)
  4. "History of the area". Antrim and District Angling Association. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  5. "The Six Mile water". Antrim and District Angling Association. Archived from the original on 11 April 2008. Retrieved 28 February 2009.

54.71788°N 6.23122°W / 54.71788; -6.23122

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