Rivers, streams and lakes are important features of the landscape, draining parts and irrigating others. In early times, they offered food and afforded protection. They were both means of transport and obstacles to movement. Generally, their sizes and positions have altered very little over the centuries. They are ever changing and ever the same to passing generations. They are also important in defining land divisions. You will notice on the old maps in the Maps section that rivers and streams often separate townlands.
