There ya go me old son!
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The River Irwell flows through the Irwell Valley in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in England. The river's source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Bacup, in the parish of Cliviger, Lancashire. The Irwell flows through (and separates) the city centres of Manchester and Salford.......... before finally joining the River Mersey near Flixton.
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COURSE
The Irwell is approximately 39 miles (63 km) in length.[1] Rising on the moors above Cliviger,[2] the river flows south through Bacup, Rawtenstall, Ramsbottom and Bury before merging with the River Roch near Radcliffe. Turning west it is joined by the River Croal near Farnworth where it turns southeast through Kearsley, Clifton and Agecroft, meandering around Lower Broughton and Kersal, Salford Crescent and the centre of Manchester, joining the rivers Irk and Medlock. Again turning west, from Salford, it meets the Mersey south of Irlam, where the route was altered in the late 19th century to form part of the course of the Manchester Ship Canal.
Much of the river was adapted for use as a trading route and became known as the Mersey and Irwell Navigation, with locks and various changes made to its route upstream into Manchester. It is one of several rivers that helped facilitate the Industrial Revolution in North West England, as a result of which it became severely polluted with industrial waste. Large sections of the course of the river west of Manchester were changed during the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal, which opened in 1896. Changes were also made to prevent localised flooding through Manchester and Salford, particularly the Anaconda Cut in Salford.
