River Robe (Ireland)

For other uses, see Robe River (disambiguation).

The River Robe (Irish: Abhainn an Róba) is a river in County Mayo, Ireland.^[2][3] It rises near Ballyhaunis, then flows generally west for 64 kilometres (40 mi), where it drains into Lough Mask.^[1][4]

River Robe
The Robe entering the village of Brickens
Etymology	Old Irish rodba, "aggressive"
Native name	Abhainn an Róba
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Bekan Parish, County Mayo, Ireland
Mouth
• location	Lough Mask
Length	64 km (40 mi)[1]
Basin size	320 km2 (120 sq mi)

The river is the longest tributary of Lough Mask, and it drains 320 square kilometres of south Mayo.^[1]

The Robe's Environmental Protection Agency River ID is 30_1579.^[5]

Name

Medieval chronicles give the rivers name in Irish as Rodhba, a name possibly derived from Old Irish rodba, "aggressive," referring to its fast flow.^[6][7]

Course of the river

The Robe flowing through bogland in Keebagh, near its source.

The Robe rises about five kilometres southwest of Ballyhaunis^[8] and follows a meandering path southwest through the townland of Keebagh and Brickens village. It turns gently to the west between Tootagh and Garryduff and continues west between Claremorris and Ballindine. It meanders in serpentine coils beside the R331 road, passing Taugheen, from where it begins its southwesterly descent to Hollymount. From there, the river winds in broad loops before descending southwestwards into Ballinrobe (Irish: Baile an Róba, meaning 'town of the Robe'). The Robe empties into Lough Mask, four kilometres west of Ballinrobe, near Cushlough (Irish: Cois Loch, meaning 'beside the lake').^[9]

See also

• Rivers of Ireland
• List of rivers of County Mayo