The River Dodder and the City Weir

Dodder at Spawell Templeogue
South Dublin Libraries

The  Dodder

The river Dodder rises on Kippure Mountain in County Wicklow and is approximately 29 kilometres long. It flows through Glenasmole valley, Templeogue and Rathfarnham. It has five tributaries, the Dundrum Slang, The little Dargle, The Owendoher, the Whitechurch and the Tallaght Stream as well as streams such as Mareens Brook, Cot Brook and Slade brook, all of which provide drainage for the land

The Dodder is a fast flowing river prone to overflowing and flooding . The Dodder Valley is itsef is a flood plain formed in teh ice age  This has caused a lot of damage to the land around it. Gravel and silt that was deposited by floods has been used in construction. A lot of damage occurred in the 80’s with several big Hurricanes and storms. Since then boulders have been placed at strategic areas on the river in an attempt to stop erosion

The river has however been slowed down over the years by waterworks in Glenasmole and by several weirs.

Around the river bend in Knocklyon are several pools which include Pussy’s Leap, The poets pool- famous for being right beside the home of poet Austin Clarke- and the weir pool just after Templeogue bridge.

The Dodder enters the sea near the Liffey at Ringsend

City Weir
South Dublin Libraries

 The City Weir

The City Weir is situated on the Dodder at Firhouse . This was built in the 13th century to provide additional drinking water for Dublin. There were several watercourses flowing from the Dodder that provided water for mills in the area. At one time there were up to 45 mills that utilised the water from the river.