River Irk

The Irk's name is of obscure etymology, but may be Brittonic in origin and related to the Welsh word iwrch, meaning roebuck. The Afon Iwrch, a river in Denbighshire, also takes its name from this word. A bridge over the Irk was recorded in 1381. The river was noted for destructive floods. In 1480, the burgesses of Manchester described the highway between Manchester and Collyhurst which "the water of Irk had worn out". In 1816, of seven bridges over the Irk, six were liable to be flooded after heavy rain but the seventh, the Ducie Bridge completed in 1814 was above flood levels. According to The New Gazetteer of Lancashire (1830) the Irk had "more mill seats upon it than any other stream of…