Abbey River, Limerick
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| Abbey River | |
|---|---|
 Confluence of the Abbey and Shannon Rivers at Hellsgate Island | |
 | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Distributary of the River Shannon |
| Mouth | |
• location | Atlantic Ocean as the River Shannon |
The Abbey River (Irish: Abhainn na Mainistreach) is a distributary arm of the River Shannon that flows around the northeastern, eastern, and southern shores of King's Island, Limerick before rejoining the Shannon at Hellsgate Island.[1][2] Hellsgate Island is only visible at low tide.[3] It is bridged by the Abbey Bridge, Baals Bridge, the Canal Bridge, Matthew Bridge, O'Dwyer Bridge, and the Sylvester O'Halloran Footbridge.
King's Island's encirclement by the Shannon and Abbey rivers made it a very defensible location, leading to the founding of Limerick as a Viking settlement in the ninth century.[4] The Abbey River has played a defensive role throughout the city's history, not least during the Cromwellian siege of 1650-51,[5] and the Williamite siege of 1691.[6] It is named after the former Franciscan Abbey located next to the river.
In the early 2000s, a number of historical artefacts were discovered when the river was drained. These included Limerick Port seal, intact mortar bombs from the 1690s and a Viking Age bronze artefact, circa AD 1000.[7]