County Fermanagh
| County Fermanagh Contae Fhear Manach |
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| Motto: Feor Magh Eanagh | ||
| Location | ||
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Ulster | |
| County seat: | Enniskillen | |
| Area: | 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) (25th) | |
| Population (est.) | 57,527 (29th) [1] | |
County Fermanagh (from Irish: Fear Manach meaning "men of Manach") is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north of the island of Ireland. The only county in Northern Ireland not adjoining Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 1,691 km², with a population of approximately 57,527, with Enniskillen its county town. It is also one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, lying within the historical province of Ulster.
As Fermanagh is situated mostly in the basin of the River Erne, it is often referred to as Ireland's Lake District, together with neighbouring County Cavan. The county is approximately 120 km (75 mi) from Belfast and 160 km (99 mi) from Dublin.
The county borders County Tyrone to the north-east, County Monaghan to the south-east, County Cavan to the south-west, County Leitrim to the west and County Donegal to the north-west.
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History
Fermanagh was made into a county by statute of Elizabeth I, but it was not until the time of the Plantation of Ulster that it was finally brought under civil government.
Fermanagh was a stronghold of the Maguire clan and Donn Carrach Maguire (died 1302) was the first of the chiefs of the Maguire dynasty. However on the confiscation of lands relating to Hugh Maguire, Fermanagh was divided in similar manner to the other five escheated counties among Scottish and English undertakers and native Irish. The baronies of Knockinny and Maghenaboy were allotted to Scottish undertakers, those of Clankelly, Magherastephana and Lurg to English undertakers and those of Clanawley, Coole, and Tyrkennedy, to servitors and natives. The chief families to benefit under the new settlement were the families of Cole, Blennerhasset, Butler, Hume, and Dunbar.
It is one of four counties of Northern Ireland presently to have a majority of the population from a Catholic background, according to the 2001 census.
The Annals of Ulster were written at Belle Isle on Lough Erne.
Administration
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | %± |
| 1659 | 7,102 | — |
| 1821 | 130,997 | 1744.5% |
| 1831 | 149,763 | 14.3% |
| 1841 | 156,481 | 4.5% |
| 1851 | 116,047 | −25.8% |
| 1861 | 105,768 | −8.9% |
| 1871 | 92,794 | −12.3% |
| 1881 | 84,879 | −8.5% |
| 1891 | 74,170 | −12.6% |
| 1901 | 65,430 | −11.8% |
| 1911 | 61,836 | −5.5% |
| 1926 | 57,984 | −6.2% |
| 1937 | 54,569 | −5.9% |
| 1951 | 53,044 | −2.8% |
| 1961 | 51,531 | −2.9% |
| 1966 | 49,886 | −3.2% |
| 1971 | 50,255 | 0.7% |
| 1981 | 51,594 | 2.7% |
| 1991 | 54,033 | 4.7% |
| 2001 | 57,527 | 6.5% |
| [2][3][4][5][6][7] | ||
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas.
Fermanagh is part of the Fermanagh and South Tyrone Parliamentary Constituency, renowned for high levels of voting and for electing Provisional IRA hunger-striker Bobby Sands as a Member of Parliament in the Fermanagh and South Tyrone by-election, April 1981, shortly before his death.
Industry and tourism
Agriculture and tourism are two of the most important industries in Fermanagh. The main types of farming in the area are beef, dairy, sheep, pigs and some poultry. Most of the agricultural land is used as grassland for grazing and silage or hay rather than for other crops.
The waterways are extensively used by cabin cruisers, other small pleasure craft and anglers. The main town of Fermanagh is Enniskillen (Inis Ceithleann, 'Ceithleann's island'). The island town hosts a range of attractions including the Castle Coole Estate and Enniskillen Castle, which is home to the museum of The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards.
Attractions outside Enniskillen include:
- Belleek Pottery
- Castle Archdale
- Crom Estate
- Devenish Island
- Florence Court
- Lough Navar Forest Park
- Marble Arch Caves
Settlements
Large towns
(population of 18,000 or more and under 75,000 at 2001 Census)[8]
- none
Medium towns
(population of 10,000 or more and under 18,000 at 2001 Census)[8]
- Enniskillen
Small towns
(population of 4,500 or more and under 10,000 at 2001 Census)[8]
- none
Intermediate settlements
(population of 2,250 or more and under 4,500 at 2001 Census)[8]
- Lisnaskea
Villages
(population of 1,000 or more and under 2,250 at 2001 Census)[8]
- Ballinamallard
- Irvinestown
- Lisbellaw
Small villages or hamlets
(population of less than 1,000 at 2001 Census)[8]
- Belcoo
- Bellanaleck
- Belleek
- Boho
- Brookeborough
- Corranny
- Derrygonnelly
- Derrylin
- Ederney
- Garrison
- Kesh
- Maguiresbridge
- Newtownbutler
- Roslea
- Tempo
Subdivisions
Baronies
- Clanawley
- Clankelly
- Coole
- Knockninny
- Lurg
- Magheraboy
- Magherastephana
- Tirkennedy
Parishes
Townlands
Media
Newspapers
- The Fermanagh Herald
- The Fermanagh News
- The Impartial Reporter
Radio
- Q101.2
New Media
- Fermanagh.tv
Sport
Notable people
Famous people born, raised in or living in Fermanagh.
- John Armstrong (1717–1795), born in Fermanagh, United States Congressman[9]
- Samuel Beckett (1906–1989), author and playwright (educated in Portora Royal School)
- Denis Parsons Burkitt (1911–1993), doctor - discoverer of Burkitt's lymphoma
- Roy Carroll (1977– ), association footballer
- Father Brian D'Arcy (1945– ), C.P. Passionist Priest and Media Personality
- Adrian Dunbar (1958– ), actor
- Neil Hannon (1970– ), musician
- Kyle Lafferty (1987– ), Northern Ireland International association footballer
- Bobby Kerr (1882–1963), athlete & Olympic Gold Medalist
- Sean Quinn (1947– ), entrepreneur
- Gordon Wilson (1927–1995), Peace campaigner and Irish senator
- Oscar Wilde (1854–1900), author and playwright (educated in Portora Royal School)
- Edward Cooney (1867–1960), evangelist and early leader of the Cooneyite and Go-Preacher
See also
- Abbeys and priories in Northern Ireland (County Fermanagh)
- People from County Fermanagh
- Castles in County Fermanagh
- Silver bands in Fermanagh
- List of places in County Fermanagh
- List of parishes of County Fermanagh
- List of townlands in County Fermanagh
Notes
- ↑ http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/ni/popul.htm Background Information on Northern Ireland Society - Population and Vital Statistics
- ↑ For 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy March 14, 1865.
- ↑ Census for post 1821 figures.
- ↑ http://www.histpop.org
- ↑ http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/census
- ↑ Lee, JJ (1981). "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses". In Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A.. Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
- ↑ Mokyr, Joel; O Grada, Cormac (November). "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850". The Economic History Review Volume 37 (Issue 4): 473–488. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120035880/abstract.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 "Statistical classification of settlements". NI Neighbourhood Information Service. http://www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk/mapxtreme_towns/statistical%20classification.htm. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
- ↑ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
References
- Clogher Record
- "Fermanagh" A Dictionary of British Place-Names. A. D. Mills. Oxford University Press, 2003. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Northern Ireland Public Libraries. 25 July 2007
- "Fermanagh" Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition. 25 July 2007 <http://library.eb.co.uk/eb/article-9034047>.
- Fermanagh: its special landscapes: a study of the Fermanagh countryside and its heritage /Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland. – Belfast: HMSO, 1991 ISBN 0-337-08276-6
- Livingstone, Peadar. – The Fermanagh story:a documented history of the County Fermanagh from the earliest times to the present day – Enniskillen: Cumann Seanchais Chlochair, 1969.
- Lowe, Henry N. – County Fermanagh 100 years ago: a guide and directory 1880. – Belfast: Friar's Bush Press, 1990. ISBN 0-946872-29-5
- Parke, William K. - A Fermanagh Childhood. Derrygonnelly, Co Fermanagh: Friar's Bush Press, 1988. ISBN 0-946872-12-0
- Impartial Reporter
- Fermanagh Herald
External links
- County Fermanagh at the Open Directory Project
- Clogherhistory.ie
- Fermanagh GAA
- A folk history of Fermanagh
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