Overview
The Leinster Blackwater – also called the Kells Blackwater, and in Irish An Abhainn Dubh, ‘the black river’ – runs 68 km from south County Cavan to the River Boyne at Navan. It rises near Bailieborough, spreads out through Lough Ramor at Virginia, and passes the old monastic town of Kells before joining the Boyne in County Meath. The dark, peat-fed water is where it gets its name, and along most of its length it’s a quiet river for fishing and low-key walking rather than a headline sight. Its catchment covers 733 km², with an average flow of about 15 m³/s.
The two Blackwaters
Two rivers called the Blackwater feed the Boyne in Meath, which causes endless confusion. This one – the Leinster or Kells Blackwater – rises in Cavan and follows the route above, taking in the Nadreegeel Lough Stream as its strongest tributary at Lough Ramor. The other, the Enfield or Kildare Blackwater, rises further south and joins the Boyne near Donore. Both carry the Irish name An Abhainn Dubh.
Fishing
This is the reason most people come. The Blackwater is a wild brown-trout river – not stocked – and the Kells Anglers Association, founded in 1893, has held the fishing rights on the 14 miles from Lough Ramor down to Kells ever since. It’s fly water: dry fly, wet fly and nymph, best worked through the May-to-August hatches. Most trout run half a pound to a pound and a half, with better fish of two to five pounds; the river record, taken in 2004, was 9 lb 11 oz. The association runs a catch-and-release policy, so come prepared to return your fish. Permits are sold through the Kells Angling Club – the Flying Sportsman shop on Carrick Street in Kells, or online.
History along the river
The river has long been a boundary – in medieval times between the Gaelic kingdom of Bréifne and the Anglo-Norman lands of the de Lacys. Kells, roughly halfway along, grew up around a 6th-century monastery; the Book of Kells that carries its name was later moved to Dublin. At the mouth in Navan, the ruins of Athlumney Castle stand over the confluence with the Boyne – a medieval tower house and later fortified house on the east bank, with interpretive panels and a flat, paved approach from the housing-estate car park.
Walking
The Blackwater doesn’t have one set-piece walk; it rewards pottering. The Kells riverside loop (about 5 km) follows the river through the town past old stone bridges and the monastic site, with parking on Main Street. At Virginia, Lough Ramor spreads into a broad, reedy lake that’s good for birdwatching, with a free car park on the R207 a few minutes from the shore. Between Virginia and Navan the banks are largely traffic-free and family-friendly, if uneven in places near the older bridges.
Getting there
- By car: from Dublin, the M3 northwest; exit at Junction 7 for Navan, then east on the R153 (Athlumney Road) for the castle and confluence.
- Public transport: Bus Éireann route 109 runs regularly between Dublin and Navan; from there it’s a local taxi to the river.
Both Navan and Kells have cafés, pubs and places to stay. Walking is open year-round, but the banks turn muddy after rain – waterproof footwear outside summer.
Nearby
If you’re tracing the Blackwater’s upper reaches in County Cavan, consider pairing your visit with:
- Annagh Lake – a calm waterside spot popular for angling, paddleboarding and lakeside walks.
- Ballyconnell Bridge and Canal Walk – a historic stone bridge and scenic towpath route.
- Cavan Burren Park – a karst landscape of ancient dolmens, wedge tombs and forested trails.
- Castle Lake & Bailieborough Castle – ruined fortifications around a quiet lake, good for a half-day walk.
For the fishing, time it for the mayfly in May; for a quiet walk, the Kells riverside loop is the easy win, half an hour from the car and back.