The Cladagh River is a small river in County Fermanagh

County Fermanagh

Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....

 which rises from Marble Arch Caves

Marble Arch Caves

The Marble Arch Caves are a series of natural limestone caves located near the village of Florencecourt in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. They are formed by water draining off the northern slopes of Cuilcagh mountain.- History of exploration :...

, below Cuilcagh Mountain

Cuilcagh

Cuilcagh, historically Slieve Cuilcagh , is the highest mountain in the Breifne area and the 165th highest on the island of Ireland . The summit lies on the border between County Fermanagh and County Cavan , and is the highest point in both counties...

, before flowing through Cladagh Glen Nature Reserve and eventually draining into the Arney River

Arney River

The Arney River is a small river in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, feeding from Lower Lough MacNean and into Upper Lough Erne. It meanders through a wide, flat Glacial Trough between the uplands of Fermanagh, Belmore Mountain and the Cuilcagh Mountains. The valley is characterised by wide flat...

.

Below ground

The river is sourced by three tributaries, the Sruh Croppa, the Aghinrawn and the Owenbrean

Owenbrean River

The Owenbrean River , is a small river in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland which flows down from Cuilcagh Mountain before sinking underground, eventually reaching the Marble Arch Cave system...

, all of which sink into limestone on the Marlbank (a plateau on northern Cuilcagh Mountain) and join underground in the extensive Marble Arch cave system. The Sruh Croppa and Aghinrawn flow together for a short distance from Cradle Hole into Marble Arch Cave, before joining up with the Owenbrean at The Junction. In normal water levels, Marble Arch Caves tour begins by boat, underground on the initial stretch of the Cladagh, and passes The Junction before continuing upstream along the Owenbrean.

Above ground

The main resurgence from the cave system pours from beneath a cliff face into the chaotic limestone collapse fields immediately above the Marble Arch, a natural limestone bridge which lends its name to the cave system. The Cladagh then cascades under the arch and turns abruptly north into the head of Cladagh River gorge, or Cladagh Glen.

Half way along Cladagh Glen, another large resurgence joins the Cladagh at Cascades Rising. This is the discharge for the Prod's Pot–Cascades Rising cave system, which takes water from a large catchment including Gortmaconnell (2 km), Brookfield (2.5 km) and more surprisingly Badger Pot

Badger Pot

Badger Pot and Pigeon Pot are two caves found in the Karst topography on the eastern slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain, south of Florencecourt Forest Park, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland....

and other East Cuilcagh sinks, 5.5 km away, and a portion of the Owenbrean River, from small sinks upstream of its main sink at Pollasumera (Gunn, J.).