Enniskillen

Located in the southwest corner of North Ireland, County Fermanagh is the Lakeland of Ireland, one third of the county is under the Upper and Lower Lough (Lake) Erne that divides the county at a diagonal. On the lakes borders are rolling farmland, with limestone mountains rising in the southwest. ENNISKILLEN, a borough and market town, and a parish, partly in the barony of MAGHERABOY, but chiefly in that of TYRKENNEDY, county of FERMANAGH, (of which it is the chief town) and province of ULSTER, 21½ miles (S.E.) from Ballyshannon (County Donegal), and 80½ (N.N.W.) from Dublin city; containing 14,563 inhabitants, of which number 13,777 are in the parish of Enniskillen, and the remainder in that part of the town which extends into the parish of Rossory. CENSUS 1659

(Annals of the Four Masters M1501.5) A war broke out among the people of Oriel themselves, i.e. between the descendants of Hugh Roe and the descendants of Redmond. Mac Mahon (Rossa) brought his creaghts with him into the Loughty, and drove the descendants of Redmond from the country to Ó Neill. Mac Mahon pursued the descendants of Redmond, and they came to an engagement with each other at Ath-an-choileir. Turlough (i.e. son of the Earl's daughter), the son of Con, son of Henry Ó Neill, assisted the descendants of Redmond; and this Turlough, who was the best son of a lord of the Irish of his time, was there slain by Mac Mahon, as was Mac Donnell Galloglagh (John, the son of Colla), with many others.

(Annals of the Four Masters M1506.7) Mac Quillin, i.e. Walter, the son of Cormac, son of Jenkin, was slain by O'Kane, i.e. Thomas, the son of Aibhne. There were slain along with him two sons of Tuathal O'Donnell, two sons of O'Hara, three sons of O'Boylan, two sons of O'Quin, and seventeen of the chief men of his tribe, in the territory of the Route.

(Annals of the Four Masters M1507.8) An army was led by O'Donnell (Hugh Oge, the son of Hugh Roe) into Tyrone; he pitched his camp around Ó Neill's castle of Dungannon, and slew numbers of the people of the town, besides Mac Gilroy, i.e. Brian. Ó Neill made peace with O'Donnell, and O'Donnell thence went to the Lord Justice. After O'Donnell's departure Ó Neill plundered Kinel-Moen, and slew Brian, the son of O'Gormly.

Enniskillen, its name from the island in Lough Erne, in which it is situated, was formerly called Inniskillen, and was, previously to the time of James I., merely a stronghold of Maguire, chieftain of Fermanagh, who had a castle heer, which was taken by the English forces under Sir Richard Bingham in 1594; but no sooner had that leaving in it a royal garrison, than it was besieged by the forces of O’Donnel and his confederates. A detachment sent to its assistance by the lord-deputy was totally defeated, and the garrison, after holding out to the last extremity, being compelled to surrender, were inhumanly slaughtered by the assailants, who pleaded the like cruelty on the part of Bingham, when he took the town as a justification for their revenge.

The town is situated on an island in the narrowest part of Lough Erne, or rather in a strait several miles in length, which connects the great northern and southern expanses of the lake, and in which are numerous inlets. It is remarkable for its respectable and thriving appearance, and for the advantages it possesses in the navigation of the lake and the facility afforded for excursions among the rich and beautiful scenery for which it is distinguished; it has increased considerably of late, and is still improving. The principal street takes an irregular course across the island, from the bridge which connects it with the main land, on the east, to that which crosses the opposite channel on the west, which two bridges form the only outlets.

Several smaller streets diverge from the main street; and contiguous to the eastern bridge, in the townland of Toneystick and parish of Enniskillen, is a suburb in which is an old redoubt, called the East Fort; and beyond the western bridge is another suburb, in the parish of Rossory in which is the West Fort. On the border of Lough Erne stands Bellisle, the beautiful and romantic seate of the late Earl of Rosse.

The town, though it holds a conspicuous place in Irish history and is now the capital of the county, is of no great antiquity. The island being considered an important spot for the establishment of a military force, a royal fort was erected there about the commencement of the 17th century; and the advantage of its situation for a town induced Jas. I., in 1612, to make a grant of one-third of it to William Cole, Esq., ancestor of the Earl of Enniskillen, on condition of his building a town upon it, settling in it twenty British families to be incorporated as burgesses, some of whose descendants still hold burgage tenement's; and assigning convenient places for a church and churchyard, a market-house, public school, 30 acres for a common, and a site for a prison to be built for the custody of prisoners and malefactors within the limits of the county of Fermanagh. This last condition seems to imply that it was intended to make this the assize town and capital of the county from the very date of its foundation.

AGHALURCHER, a parish, partly in the barony of CLOGHER, county of TYRONE, but chiefly in that of MAGHERASTEPHENA, county of FERMANAGH, and province of ULSTER, on the mail coach road from Cavan town to Enniskillen. This parish is situated on Lough Erne.

Within two miles of Lisnaskea are the venerable ruins of the ancient church of Aghalurcher, said to have been built towards the close of the 9th century, and dedicated to St. Ronan. There are some remains of an old castle on the townland of Aheter,within a mile of Five-mile-town. There are two old castles in Largy deer-park; and one in the town of Brookboro', in the parish of Aghaveagh, all of which belonged to the Maguire family; and on Naan, an island in Lough Erne, are the remains of a very extensive castle, which in remote times was a formidable strong hold, surrounded on all sides by water of tbe lake more than a mile in breadth. There are numerous sulphureous and chalybeate springs in the parish.