Geography
The town lies on the River Sullane. 1.5 km south of Macroom is the Gearagh, a national nature reserve which comprises an inland delta, made up of a series of small islands, separated by anastomosing river channels. The area is thought to have been wooded since the end of the last Ice Age (c. 10,000 years ago). The alluvial woodland had extended as far as the Lee Bridge, however in 1954 the Lee hydro-electric scheme was undertaken which led to extensive tree-felling and flooding in the area. The scheme resulted in the loss of sixty per-cent of the former oak woodland. Today, the Gearagh is of great natural importance due to its rich and rare diversity of wildlife, and represents the only extant extensive alluvial woodland in Western Europe.
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