County Fermanagh

"Fermanagh" redirects here. For other uses, see Fermanagh (disambiguation).
County Fermanagh
Contae Fhear Manach
Coontie Fermanagh

Coat of arms
Motto: Feor Magh Eanagh
Country United Kingdom
Region Northern Ireland
Province Ulster
County town Enniskillen
Area
 • Total 715 sq mi (1,851 km2)
 • Land 653 sq mi (1,691 km2)
Area rank 25th
Population (est. 2011) 61,805
 • Rank 28th[1]
Contae Fhear Manach is the Irish name; Countie Fermanagh,[2] Coontie Fermanagh[3] and Coontie Fermanay[4] are Ulster Scots spellings (the latter used only by Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council).

County Fermanagh (/fərˈmænə/ fər-MA-nə; from Irish: Fir Manach or Fear Manach, meaning "men of Manach") is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km² (653 sq mi) and has a population of about 61,805.[5] Enniskillen is the county town and largest in both size and population. Fermanagh is within the historic province of Ulster.

Fermanagh is one of four counties of Northern Ireland to have a majority of its population from a Catholic background, according to the 2011 census.

Geography

Fermanagh 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. The county town, Enniskillen, is the largest settlement in Fermanagh, situated in the middle of the county.

It is mainly rural and is situated largely in the basin of the River Erne. It is dominated by two connected lakes: Upper and Lower Lough Erne, and, including water, spans an area of 1,851 km² (715 sq; mi).[6] It is approximately 120 km (75 mi) from Belfast and 160 km (99 mi) from Dublin.

Fermanagh accounts for 13.2% of land mass of Northern Ireland and 30% of Fermanagh is covered with lakes and waterways.

History

The Annals of Ulster which cover medieval Ireland between AD 431 to AD 1540 were written at Belle Isle on Lough Erne near Lisbellaw.

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 Knockninny and Magheraboy 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.

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.

The closure of all the lines of Great Northern Railway (Ireland) within County Fermanagh in 1957 left the county as the first non-island county in the UK without a railway service.

Administration

Fermanagh District Council used to be the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contained all of the county it was named after. After the re-organisation of local government in 2015, Fermanagh was still the only county wholly within one council area, namely Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.

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:

Settlements

Large towns

(population of 18,000 or more and under 75,000 at 2001 Census)[13]

Medium towns

(population of 10,000 or more and under 18,000 at 2001 Census)[13]

Small towns

(population of 4,500 or more and under 10,000 at 2001 Census)[13]

Intermediate settlements

(population of 2,250 or more and under 4,500 at 2001 Census)[13]

Villages

(population of 1,000 or more and under 2,250 at 2001 Census)[13]

Small villages or hamlets

(population of less than 1,000 at 2001 Census)[13]

Subdivisions

Baronies

Baronies of County Fermanagh within Northern Ireland with civil parish boundaries
Main article: Baronies of Ireland

Parishes

Townlands

Media

Newspapers

Sport

Fermanagh born Goalkeeper Roy Carroll playing with Derby County.
Main article: Fermanagh GAA

Fermanagh GAA has never won a Senior Provincial or an All-Ireland title in any Gaelic games.

Only Ballinamallard United F.C. take part in the Northern Ireland football league system. All other Fermanagh clubs play in the Fermanagh & Western FA league systems. Fermanagh Mallards F.C. played in the Women's Premier League until 2013. Famous Football players from Fermanagh include Roy Carroll, Harry Chatton, Barry Owens and Kyle Lafferty.

Notable people

Famous people born, raised in or living in Fermanagh. (Please make additions in alphabetical order.)

Surnames

Most common surnames in County Fermanagh at the time of the United Kingdom Census of 1901:[15]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to County Fermanagh.

Notes

  1. ↑ "Background Information on Northern Ireland Society – Population and Vital Statistics". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  2. ↑ "North-South Ministerial Council: 2004 Annual Report in Ulster Scots" (PDF). Northsouthministerialcouncil.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  3. ↑ "Tourism Ireland: Yierly Report 2007". Tourismireland.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  4. ↑ "Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council". Dungannon.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 2015-07-06.
  6. ↑ "County Fermanagh - definition of County Fermanagh by The Free Dictionary". Thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
  7. ↑ For 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy 14 March 1865.
  8. ↑ "Central Statistics Office: 2011 Census". Cso.ie. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  9. ↑ "Histpop – The Online Historical Population Reports Website". Histpop.org. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  10. ↑ "NISRA – Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency". Nisranew.nisra.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ Mokyr, Joel; O Grada, Cormac (November 1984). "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700–1850". The Economic History Review. 37 (4): 473–488. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Statistical classification of settlements". NI Neighbourhood Information Service. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  14. ↑ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
  15. ↑ "Fermanagh Genealogy Resources & Parish Registers | Ulster". Forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-08-17.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to County Fermanagh.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for County Fermanagh.
 County Donegal County Tyrone
County Leitrim County Monaghan
  County Fermanagh  
County Cavan
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