- elevation 265 m (869 ft) Mouth Lough Erne | ||
- location Upper Lough Erne, Co. Fermanagh Countries | ||
The Cladagh River (Irish: An Chlaideach or "washing river") or Swanlinbar River is a moderately large river which forms from a number of small streams rising on the south-eastern slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain, County Cavan and flows through the village of Swanlinbar, before crossing the border into County Fermanagh and eventually flowing into Upper Lough Erne. It is ultra-oligotrophic upstream before gradually becoming oligotrophic and oligo-mesotrophic through its middle and lower reaches.
Map of Cladagh River
The river is a designated Special Area of Conservation, containing one of the largest surviving populations in Northern Ireland of the freshwater pearl mussel. The mussels, estimated to be a minimum of 10,000 in number, are confined to a 6 km (3.7 mi) stretch of undisturbed river in the middle section.