By Richard Mather
I On paper a thin blue scrawl originating north of Bacup before joining the Roch, Croal, Irk and Medlock. Then it turns towards Irlam, merges with the Ship Canal, then empties into the Mersey. That’s what the guide book says and it’s what the photographs show. And what else? The river Irwell no longer a deep stream of filth but rather a rich seam of freshwater shrimp, roach and brown trout. In other words, a river injected with life. II As I sketch my sweet Irwellian vision on Salford’s hectic Chapel Street, the rock-solid ground seems to shift and flow fast from my feet; yet the river gently dreams boats and willowy banks. And look: a male mallard stops, strums his feathers, then beats his wings, ready to fly over his stretch of blue-lined water.
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