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Enniskillen

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Cole's Monument

Enniskillen (Inis Ceithleann in Irish) is the county town (and largest town) of County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county on the natural island which separates the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne.

With a population of 13,599 people in the 2001 Census, it is by far the largest settlement in the county as well as the main retail centre. It is also the seat of local government for Fermanagh District Council.

Places of interest

The Island town of Enniskillen from the River Erne

People

The following are people born in or around Enniskillen. Locally, a person is only considered a true Enniskillen resident if they were born "between the bridges", ie on the island.

History

Early history

Originally the seat of the Maguire clan who were the first inhabitants of Enniskillen Castle, the island was captured by the English in 1607. This conflict was part of a wider campaign to bring the province of Ulster under English control. The Plantation of Ulster followed during which the lands of the native Irish were seized and handed over to English planters loyal to the Crown. The Maguires were supplanted by William Cole, originally from Devon, who was appointed by James I to build an English settlement there. In 1689 the town had grown significantly and was subjected to a siege that year by Jacobite troops, during the conflict which resulted from the ousting of King James II by his Protestant rival, William III. This siege was successfully resisted. As a direct result of this conflict Enniskillen developed not only as a market town but also as a garrison which became home to two regiments. These events also sowed the seeds for the conflict which engulfed Northern Ireland during the latter half of the 20th century, commonly referred to as The Troubles.

The Troubles

For more information see The Troubles in Enniskillen, which includes a list of incidents in Enniskillen during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities. The most notorious incident was the Remembrance Day Bombing in 1987 which left eleven people dead following the detonation of a Provisional Irish Republican Army time bomb.

2001 Census

Enniskillen is classified as a Medium Town by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 10,000 and 18,000 people). On census day (29 April 2001) there were 13,599 people living in Enniskillen.

  • 23.2% were aged under 16 years and 17.4% were aged 60 and over
  • 48.1% of the population were male and 51.9% were female
  • 61.5% were from a Roman Catholic background and 36.3% were from a Protestant background
  • 5.2% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

Education

There are numerous schools and colleges in and around the Enniskillen area, from primary level to secondary level, including some further education colleges such as the technical college.

Primary level

  • Erne Integrated Primary school
  • Model primary school
  • Holy Trinity Primary School

Secondary level

Colleges

References

See also

54°22′N 7°38′W / 54.367°N 7.633°W / 54.367; -7.633

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