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Tributaries include: River Ballinderry River Blackwater River Cusher The River Bann is one of Northern Ireland's principle rivers. Its upper waters are famous for salmon fishing, while the estuary is important for eel fishing. The river flows north from Lough Neagh to the Atlantic Ocean at Lough Foyle. Lough Neagh is the largest lake in the British Isles. It borders the districts of Magherafelt on the northwest, Antrim on the northeast, Lisburn on the east, Craigavon on the south, Dungannon on the southwest, and Cookstown on the west. Despite its size (25 kilometres by 30 kilometres (15 miles by 20 miles), covering 390 square kilometres (150 square miles) the lake is shallow. It has ten feeding tributaries of which the Upper Bann is the largest. The outflow from the Lake is by the Lower Bann. In 1959 a flood-control project reduced the water level to 15 m (45 feet) above sea level. Much of the low lying region (below 200 m (600 feet) is mantled in poorly draining boulder clay and other glacial deposits, which provide areas of boggy ground and give rise to many small tributary streams. Places on the Bann Coleraine, at the upper limit of navigation on the Bann, has a population of about 50,000 people. It is on the estuary of the Lower Bann, about 6 kilometres (4 miles) from the river's mouth. It is an important sea port and market town. The name comes from Cuil Rathain, given to it by St Patrick in the 5th century. Coleraine is also a center for distilling whisky. |
