Irvinestown
Encyclopedia
Irvinestown is a village in County Fermanagh
, Northern Ireland
. The 2001 Census
recorded a population of 1,801 people. The most notable building is the ruined 18th century church.
, the area was known as Necarne or Nakerny. The village was founded during the Plantation in 1618 by Sir Gerald Lowther and named Lowtherstown. Ownership later passed to the Irvines
of Dumfries
and the name changed accordingly.
was opened on 13 June 1866 and closed on 1 October 1957.
As the national spirit of the time penetrated local areas, Irvinestown gaels wanted to express their nationality by playing Gaelic Football. The first recorded match was played at a sports day on 15 August against Fintona Pearses at Loughterash, Kilskeery and Fintona won by a 0-5 to 0-3 scoreline. The game was played in Kilskeery because of a ban on G.A.A. activities at the time meant that St. Molaise's home pitch, a field belonging to John Maguire at Drumharvey, was under the watchful eye of three hundred soldiers and R.I.C. who had cycled into the village from early morning suitably equipped for any ensuing trouble.
The troubles of the 1920s disrupted the playing of league games and it was not until 1924 that Tommy Maguire, Jimmy Thompson and Father Lappin made efforts to get the game going again. A hall committee was set up to organise building a hall as a focal point for meetings, fund raising, etc. and St.Molaise Hall was officially opened on 13 September 1925.
In 1924 the old football field at Drumharvey was no longer available so the club moved to a field on the Dromore Road for which they paid £10 a year rent. The cost of admission was 6d but nobody wanted to pay and spectators were content to stand on the road to view the game. Not to be out done the club made a large screen of meal bags sewn together forcing the spectators to come inside. St Molaise Park was officially opened on 11 May 1947. Eighteen months previously a group of men had travelled to see a game in Clones and were impressed with their new field and decided that Irvinestown should have one similar. They selected a site in Bridge Street costing £500 and after tender awarded the contract of preparing the field and surround to J.J. Scallon and Sons. Special trains and buses from all over the North ran into Irvinestown,for the opening which was performed by Mr Daniel O'Rourke T.D., President of the G.A.A. Tummery and Coa pipe bands were there to entertain the 10,000 crowd. The opening match was Lisnaskea vs. West Ulster selection, refereed by Johnny Monaghan, Ederney, followed by Roscommon (All-Ireland finalists 1946) and Antrim (All-Ireland semi finalists 1946) refereed by Jim Vallely, Armagh.
County Fermanagh
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....
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
recorded a population of 1,801 people. The most notable building is the ruined 18th century church.
History
Before the Plantation of UlsterPlantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster—a province of Ireland—by people from Great Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by King James I of England and VI of Scotland began in 1609...
, the area was known as Necarne or Nakerny. The village was founded during the Plantation in 1618 by Sir Gerald Lowther and named Lowtherstown. Ownership later passed to the Irvines
Clan Irvine
-Origins of the clan:As a surname Irvine is of territorial origins from one of two places of the same name. Firstly from Irving, an old parish in Dumfriesshire and from Irvine in Ayrshire....
of Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
and the name changed accordingly.
Places of interest
- Nearby is Necarne CastleNecarneNecarne Castle, formerly known as Castle Irvine, is situated within walking distance of Irvinestown in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is just a few miles from Lough Erne....
, formerly known as Castle Irvine, which is now an equestrian school – Necarne Castle Equestrian School. - The village also boasts the annual Lady of The Lake Festival, a large 10 day summer festival and carnival which begins on the first Friday following the 12th of July. It is the largest cross-community Festival to be held in Northern Ireland and is named after the mythical figure which is said to appear gliding over the waters of Lower Lough ErneLough ErneLough Erne, sometimes Loch Erne , is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River Erne. The river begins by flowing north, and then curves west into the Atlantic. The southern lake is further up the river and so is named Upper...
, wearing a flowing blue gown and carrying a bunch of flowers. The Lady is said to be an omen of good times to come. - The nearby Castle ArchdaleCastle ArchdaleCastle Archdale in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland is the home of Castle Archdale Country Park, situated near Irvinestown and owned and run by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.- History :...
Country Park on the shores of Lower Lough Erne was used as an RAF base for Catalina flying boats in WWII, and today provides lakeshore & woodland walking/cycling paths, gardens, caravan park, campsite, tea rooms and boating marina. Other features within the park include a red deer enclosure, wildfowl ponds, nature trail, butterfly garden and wildflower meadow.
Transport
Irvinestown railway station on the Enniskillen and Bundoran RailwayEnniskillen and Bundoran Railway
The Enniskillen and Bundoran Railway was an Irish gauge railway company in north-west Ireland. It linked Bundoran and Ballyshannon on the Atlantic coast of Donegal with the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway at in Fermanagh...
was opened on 13 June 1866 and closed on 1 October 1957.
People
- Mrs Delaney, wife of Patrick Delaney, Rector of Irvinestown in the 18th century and later Bishop of DownBishop of DownThe Bishop of Down was a separate episcopal title which took its name after County Down in Northern Ireland. The see was in the town of Downpatrick where the bishop's seat was located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity....
, was a key figure on the London literary scene prior to her marriage, mixing with Alexander PopeAlexander PopeAlexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
, Edmund BurkeEdmund BurkeEdmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
, Hugh WalpoleHugh WalpoleSir Hugh Seymour Walpole, CBE was an English novelist. A prolific writer, he published thirty-six novels, five volumes of short stories, two plays and three volumes of memoirs. His skill at scene-setting, his vivid plots, his high profile as a lecturer and his driving ambition brought him a large...
and Jonathan SwiftJonathan SwiftJonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
. Her biography provides a notable record of both the literary scene and life of the Anglo-IrishAnglo-IrishAnglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
gentry at the time. - Sinéad QuinnSinéad QuinnSinéad Quinn and graduate of the University of Hull was a contestant in the first series of the UK BBC TV series Fame Academy in 2002. She later went on to sign a recording contract, released an album, and had a #2 UK single. She is married to Paul Stewart, drummer with The Feeling...
, a singer/songwriter who came second in the first series of BBC's Fame AcademyFame AcademyFame Academy is a televised competition to search for and educate new musical talents. The winner received a chance to become a successful music artist. The prize consisted of a £1m recording contract with a major record company, plus the use of a luxury apartment in London and a sports car for one...
, and has since recorded an album entitled "Ready To Run".
Sport
The village also has a number of sporting organisations such as Irvinestown Wanderers Football Club, St. Molaise's GAA, Irvinestown Tennis Club and more. The Bawnacre leisure centre provides many sporting facilities including squash courts, tennis courts, indoor & outdoor football, indoor gymnasium and sauna / steam room. It is a rich haven of sport and recreation in the area a fact recognised when the long-serving manager George Beacom was given an OBE for services to sport in the local community.GAA
St. Molaise GAA Gaelic football team can trace its roots to 1918 when the team was represented at the county convention of that year by C. Browne, P. Rafferty and J. Maguire. Previously hurling was played with teams fielded by Tummery and Glassmullagh.As the national spirit of the time penetrated local areas, Irvinestown gaels wanted to express their nationality by playing Gaelic Football. The first recorded match was played at a sports day on 15 August against Fintona Pearses at Loughterash, Kilskeery and Fintona won by a 0-5 to 0-3 scoreline. The game was played in Kilskeery because of a ban on G.A.A. activities at the time meant that St. Molaise's home pitch, a field belonging to John Maguire at Drumharvey, was under the watchful eye of three hundred soldiers and R.I.C. who had cycled into the village from early morning suitably equipped for any ensuing trouble.
The troubles of the 1920s disrupted the playing of league games and it was not until 1924 that Tommy Maguire, Jimmy Thompson and Father Lappin made efforts to get the game going again. A hall committee was set up to organise building a hall as a focal point for meetings, fund raising, etc. and St.Molaise Hall was officially opened on 13 September 1925.
In 1924 the old football field at Drumharvey was no longer available so the club moved to a field on the Dromore Road for which they paid £10 a year rent. The cost of admission was 6d but nobody wanted to pay and spectators were content to stand on the road to view the game. Not to be out done the club made a large screen of meal bags sewn together forcing the spectators to come inside. St Molaise Park was officially opened on 11 May 1947. Eighteen months previously a group of men had travelled to see a game in Clones and were impressed with their new field and decided that Irvinestown should have one similar. They selected a site in Bridge Street costing £500 and after tender awarded the contract of preparing the field and surround to J.J. Scallon and Sons. Special trains and buses from all over the North ran into Irvinestown,for the opening which was performed by Mr Daniel O'Rourke T.D., President of the G.A.A. Tummery and Coa pipe bands were there to entertain the 10,000 crowd. The opening match was Lisnaskea vs. West Ulster selection, refereed by Johnny Monaghan, Ederney, followed by Roscommon (All-Ireland finalists 1946) and Antrim (All-Ireland semi finalists 1946) refereed by Jim Vallely, Armagh.
Annual Truck Festival
The Irvinestown Truck Festival was launched in 2000 and is celebrating 10 years in 2010. This is a 60 miles (96.6 km) drive around the Fermanagh lakes where the spectacle of trucks raises funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care. The 2010 event took place on the weekend of 23–25 July; the convoy taking place on the 25th. As many as 700 lorries have taken part in this event in the past (unofficially breaking the world record by quite a margin) and what a spectacle it is.2001 Census
Irvinestown is classified as a village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 1,000 and 2,250 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 1,801 people living in Irvinestown. Of these:- 23.0% were aged under 16 years and 20.7% were aged 60 and over
- 45.5% of the population were male and 54.5% were female
- 75.0% were from a CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
background and 23.9% were from a ProtestantProtestantismProtestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
background - 7.1% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.