Mayflies
Stoneflies
Caddisflies
Gammarids
The Ow rises in the Lugnaquilla foothills and runs south through compact granite uplands to join the Derry Water at Aughrim village, where the two streams together become the Aughrim River. Small wild brown trout, fast response to rain, intimate water that fishes best the first day after a spate. The Aughrim & District Trout Angling Club holds the rights and tickets the Ow, the Derry Water and the lower Aughrim as three separately named waters — one connected system, three pieces of named water, one day ticket. Tourism copy that loosely refers to 'the Ow or Aughrim' is collapsing the names of the lower mainstem; the Ow proper is the upland tributary above the village confluence.
EPA kick-sample monitoring on the River Ow confirms mayflies, stoneflies and a decent caddis assemblage, alongside chironomids and freshwater shrimp, present in the river — a modest but genuine food base for a smaller Wicklow freestone.
- Granite