Ireland’s third largest river, the Blackwater rises in the mountains east of Killarney and flows east to Lismore, entering the sea at Youghal. There are few if any, rivers in Ireland or the neighbouring isle so beautiful as the Blackwater.

At Cappoquin the waters are tidal and salmon are constantly running. It is a major salmon river which also holds a lot of trout. The salmon angling season opens on February 1st and ends on September 30th.

The Blackwater flows over sandstone, and is a swift and rocky spate river in its upper reaches. It has a stony bed in most places, but in the lower and middle reaches, the nature is pool and stream, with some weed and long sandy flats. Flanked by the Knockmealdown mountains and inhabited by untamed wildlife the river is absolutely breath-taking all year round.

This majestic waterway was once the breadline of the region. In the pre-railway period before 1877, there was much traffic on the river. Barges known locally as “market boats,” and small sailing ships brought merchandise from Youghal and returned to that port with the produce of the farms and the mills in the fertile valley. In the 1840s, through the initiative of Sir Richard Musgrave of Tourin, the tidal portion of the river was opened to passenger traffic between Youghal and Cappoquin. A river steeped in history, her banks are dotted with lovingly maintained stately homes and stunning architecture.