River Blackwater

The Blackwater running through Fermoy is the town's defining feature. The river is wide and fast here — fast enough to make the stone bridge interesting to watch in spate — and the tree-lined banks on both sides give the town center a green frame that most Irish market towns lack. A pleasant riverside walkway runs along the south bank, and the weirs and pools downstream attract both kingfishers and the serious salmon anglers who have come to this stretch for generations.

Fishing permits and equipment can be arranged through local tackle shops in Fermoy; the season runs from February to September, with spring and early summer the best time for salmon. The Fermoy Salmon Angling Club controls much of the fishing on the town water. Even if you're not there to fish, walking the river bank in the early morning — when the mist is on the water and the herons are working the shallows — is a good reason to be in Fermoy.

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The Blackwater is often called the "Irish Rhine" for the way it winds through wooded valleys between old castles and demesne walls. The stretch around Fermoy is among its most attractive — broad, clear, and lined with trees that turn gold in autumn. Salmon fishing has been a serious business here since at least the 12th century, when the Cistercian monks who founded Fermoy's original abbey relied on the river for sustenance.

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