River Bush

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title: "River Bush" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rivers-of-county-antrim"] description: "River in County Antrim, Northern Ireland" topic_path: "general/rivers-of-county-antrim" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Bush" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary River in County Antrim, Northern Ireland ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox river"]

Field	Value
name	River Bush
native_name	ga
name_etymology	Old Irish búas, "stream, flow, gush" or "abounding in cattle"
image	River Bush - geograph.org.uk - 848083.jpg
subdivision_type1	Sovereign State
subdivision_name1	United Kingdom
subdivision_type2	Constituent Country
subdivision_name2	Northern Ireland
subdivision_type3	Counties
subdivision_name3	Antrim
subdivision_type4	District
subdivision_name4	Causeway Coast and Glens
subdivision_type5	Cities
subdivision_name5	Bushmills, Stranocum, Armoy
length_km	54
discharge1_location	Portballintrae
source1_location	Antrim Mountains, Northern Ireland
mouth_location	Portballintrae, Northern Ireland
basin_size_km2	340
::

| name = River Bush | native_name =ga | name_other = | name_etymology = Old Irish búas, "stream, flow, gush" or "abounding in cattle" | image = River Bush - geograph.org.uk - 848083.jpg | image_size = | image_caption = | map = | map_size = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = | pushpin_map_size = | pushpin_map_caption= | subdivision_type1 = Sovereign State | subdivision_name1 = United Kingdom | subdivision_type2 = Constituent Country | subdivision_name2 = Northern Ireland | subdivision_type3 = Counties | subdivision_name3 = Antrim | subdivision_type4 = District | subdivision_name4 = Causeway Coast and Glens | subdivision_type5 = Cities | subdivision_name5 = Bushmills, Stranocum, Armoy | length_km = 54 | width_min = | width_avg = | width_max = | depth_min = | depth_avg = | depth_max = | discharge1_location= Portballintrae | discharge1_min = | discharge1_avg = | discharge1_max = | source1 = | source1_location = Antrim Mountains, Northern Ireland | source1_coordinates= | source1_elevation = | mouth = | mouth_location = Portballintrae, Northern Ireland | mouth_coordinates = | mouth_elevation = | progression = | river_system = | basin_size_km2 = 340 | tributaries_left = | tributaries_right = | custom_label = | custom_data = | extra =

The River Bush (from the ) is a river in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The River Bush is 33.5 mi long. The river's source is in the Antrim Hills at 480m. From there the river flows northwest, with a bend at the town of Armoy. It then flows west, passing through Stranocum, and then bends north, passing through Bushmills before reaching the sea at Portballintrae on the North Antrim coast. It flows through a fertile valley devoted to grassland-based agriculture with limited arable cropping. The underlying geology is basalt and the water is slightly alkaline with magnesium making an unusually large contribution to total hardness. The river supports indigenous stocks of Atlantic salmon and brown trout. Saint Columb's Rill, which is a tributary of the river, is the source of water used for distilling Bushmills whiskey.

Angling

The River Bush has traditionally been a salmon-fishing river, though the numbers dwindled in the late 20th and early 21st century. The River Bush still offers excellent salmon fishing. It is managed as a premier salmon river by Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), Inland Fisheries Division.

References

References

1. "eDIL – Irish Language Dictionary".
2. "An Bhuais/Bush River".
3. "Bunachar Logainmneacha na hÉireann".
4. Ordnance Survey of Ireland: Rivers and their Catchment Basins 1958 (Table of Reference)
5. "River Bush, Northern Ireland". Environmental Change Network – Freshwater Sites.
6. [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/6326217.stm Winter Weather "Confuses" Salmon"]. [[BBC]], 3 February 2007.
7. [http://www.4ni.co.uk/northern_ireland_news.asp?id=7079 Minister Vows to Restore Salmon Runs]. 4NI, 4 October 2002.
8. "River Bush Salmon Station". DCAL – A Selection of Angling Waters in Northern Ireland.

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