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The Mersey is formed from three tributaries: the River Etherow, the River Goyt and the River Tame; becoming the Mersey near Stockport, Greater Manchester, and joined by the River Irwell near Flixton.
It then flows through Stockport, Didsbury, Stretford, Urmston , Flixton , Cadishead, Hollins Green , Warburton, Rixton , Woolston, Warrington, Great SankeyGreat Sankey is a Civil Parish and suburb in the west of Warrington Borough, in north-west England. It is about 2 miles to the West of Warrington town centre. History Great Sankey was originally part of Prescot parish but in the 18th century the present c, MooreMoore is the name of several places in the United States of America: Moore, Oklahoma Moore, South Carolina There are also places named Moorestown and Mooresville, as well as Moore Haven, Florida and Moores Hill, Indiana. People with the surname Moore incl, Norton , WidnesWidnes in the unitary authority of Halton, Cheshire, England owes its existence to the chemical industry. In 1800 it was a mere collection of houses but by 1900 had a population of 50,000. It was connected across the Mersey to Runcorn by (1) a railway bri & RuncornRuncorn is an industrial town in the unitary authority of Halton, Cheshire, England on the southern banks of the River Mersey at the site of the river's first bridge crossing. The name is said to derive from the Saxon, Rumcofan. Ruler of Mercia, Aethelfla (which are connected by the Runcorn Bridge spanning the river).
After being joined by the River Irwell, its course merges with that of the Manchester Ship CanalThe Manchester Ship Canal (MSC), affectionately known by locals as The Big Ditch was opened on 21 May 1894, and is a large canal in northern England. Running from Eastham Ferry, where Eastham Locks open out into the River Mersey, the canal runs for 36 mil until Warrington, after which point it becomes tidal. At Runcorn it is joined by the waters of the River WeaverThe River Weaver is a watercourse in Cheshire, England. It flows approximately south to north across the Cheshire Plain, and today empties into the Manchester Ship Canal at Weston Point Docks, near Runcorn. North of Winsford, the river is navigable (havin. It broadens into an estuaryAn estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water which has a free connection with the open sea and within which sea water mixes with fresh water. The key feature of an estuary is that it is an interface between sea water and fresh water and there is an at Ellesmere Port and proceeds via Liverpool and Birkenhead, flowing out into Liverpool Bay on the Irish Sea after a total course of around 70 miles. The conurbation on its banks near the coast is known as Merseyside.
Two road tunnels run under the Mersey at Liverpool: the older Queensway Tunnel (opened 1934) connecting with Birkenhead, and the Kingsway Tunnel (opened 1971) connecting with Wallasey. There is also a railway tunnel dating back to the 1880s, which carries passenger services on the Merseyrail franchise. Crossings are also possible via the Mersey Ferry, again at Liverpool.
The river is now internationally famous thanks to the music of the 1960s known as Merseybeat and its strong association with Liverpool, which produced songs such as "Ferry Across The Mersey".