The Barr Mouth (River Bann)

in Places by Simon — September 6, 2010 at 8:52 pm | 0 comments

OK, here’s my pet theory – the River Bann flows in the Atlantic at its mouth i.e. the Bann Mouth. Just like any other river that flows into the sea at a single point (don’t forget, some rivers flow through deltas or indistinct mangrove swamps). The River Bann did this for thousands of years before anything resembling a barr appeared. Of course when it did, it was only a matter of time before someone misread “Bann” for “Barr” and the rest, as they say, is history. I have no authority for this, it is just a theory after all, but when someone says it isn’t the Bann mouth, my reply is “that’s the river Bann? And that’s its mouth? Bann Mouth sounds like a pretty accurate name to me!” Anyway, the river itself has managed to make it all the way across Northern Ireland from its source in the Mourne, so I’m sure it doesn’t care what you call it.

Tags: North Coast