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Ederney

Coordinates: 54°31′57″N 7°39′31″W / 54.5326°N 7.6586°W / 54.5326; -7.6586
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For the place in Turkey, see Edirne.

Ederney
Ederney is located in Northern Ireland
Ederney
Ederney
Location within Northern Ireland
Population1,207,554 (2001 Census)
Irish grid referenceH221649
• Belfast3 miles
District
County
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townENNISKILLEN
Postcode districtBT93
Dialling code028, +44 28
UK Parliament
NI Assembly
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
Fermanagh
54°31′57″N 7°39′31″W / 54.5326°N 7.6586°W / 54.5326; -7.6586

Ederney (from Irish Eadarnaidh, meaning 'middle place/place between')[1] is a village situated primarily in the townlands of Drumkeen[2] and of Ederny[3] in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

In the 2001 Census it had a population of 554. Ederney lies in the Glendarragh River Valley near Lower Lough Erne and Kesh. It is 83 miles (134 km) from Belfast, over 100 miles (160 km) from Dublin and about 16 miles from both Omagh and Enniskillen. The village and its hinterland (the Glendarragh Valley area) boast a population of several thousand.[4]

Due to Ederney’s position adjacent to Lough Erne the village is located on a popular tourist route. It is approximately 7 miles (11 km) from the border with the Republic of Ireland and 24 miles (39 km) from the west of Ireland tourism trail, the Wild Atlantic Way, in County Donegal, consequently adding to its popularity with holiday makers, day-trippers and weekend travellers.

Public transport

Ulsterbus route 194 serves Ederney with one daily journey in each direction except Sundays, linking it to Irvinestown, Enniskillen and Pettigo. Route 83A provides a link to Omagh on Mondays & Thursdays only.[5]

History

Local historian Leo Mulligan MBE details that at the time of the Plantation there was a settlement of significance at Ederny when the land grant (titled "Edernagh") was given to Captain Thomas Blennerhassett of Norfolk in 1610. He created the Manor of Edernagh on a 450 acres (1.8 km2) demesne and a court baron on the shores of Lough Erne, which he later named Castle Hassett. He established the new village of Ederny (Edernagh).[6][7]

By 1797, the settlement is recorded in the Topographia Hibernica as Ederny Bridge and "fair days" were held there.[4][8]

Local attractions

Glendarragh Valley Inn's location allows tourists to take advantage of the scenery of the Glendarragh River Valley and the Fermanagh Erne Lakelands with its lakes, tree covered landscapes and islands. The village has a GAA (Gaelic football) team which plays annually from February to August.[9][10]

One of the principal buildings in the village is the Townhall or Market House as it was first known, established about 1839. Originally, there were three bays on the ground floor which housed an open arcade. An upper floor was often used as a hall for social events as well as a school classroom. During a reconstruction in the late 1880s, the open arches were built-up and the building modernised into a two-storey three-bay building.[11]

Townhall, established circa 1839
Some of the standing stones at nearby Drumskinny

The main front has a single large arch flanked by small windows at the ground floor and three windows at the upper floor. There is a simple pediment with a circular plaque which now houses the village clock. The side elevation has a single large arch at the lower level and a fine Venetian window at the upper level. In the early part of the 20th century the ground floor was still in use as a market place before being leased to Gracey's of Enniskillen for an egg packaging depot.

The upper floor was used for various uses from the late 1880s to the middle of the 1990s as a school classroom and as theatre and entertainment venue and was the location for Ederney's first cinema. A separate first floor room was used for meetings by the Masonic lodge. By the late 1980s, the building had become an eyesore having been mostly derelict for several decades. It was taken over by the Fermanagh District Council and redeveloped for community use following some local lobbying. Today it is fully operational as a village community centre accommodating for and providing facilities and services for the community.[4]

Another interesting landmark is Drumskinny stone circle. Drumskinny (from Irish Droim Scine 'knife ridge') is the site of a stone circle in the nearby townland of Drumskinny.[12] The historic site is easily accessed and consists of 39 stones set in a circle. The arrangement is supposed to be related to the seasons, moon and sun. The site reportedly dates from the Bronze Age.[13][14]

Notable people

  • Michael Barrett (last man to be publicly hanged in Britain)[15]
  • John Maguire (Irish journalist), Director of International Relations and Cooperation of France Médias Monde.
  • Fr. Joe McVeigh (priest and civil rights activist)[16]
  • Martin McGrath who was an inter county player for Fermanagh winning an GAA All Star award in his career; he was one three Fermanagh players to do so.[17]
  • Paul and Declan McCusker play for the Fermanagh senior inter-county GAA team.

2001 Census

Ederney is classified as a small village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 500 and 1,000). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 554 people living in Ederney. Of these:

  • 25.3% were aged under 16 years and 16.8% were aged 60 and over
  • 51.8% of the population were male and 48.2% were female
  • 84.8% were from a Catholic background and 14.4% were from a Protestant background
  • 9.4% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

See also

References

  1. ^ "Place Names NI - Home". Placenamesni.org. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Drumkeen Townland, Co. Fermanagh". Townlands.ie. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Ederny Townland, Co. Fermanagh". Townlands.ie. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b c History of Ederney (Ederny) Archived 21 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine, ederney.com; accessed 3 February 2016.
  5. ^ "Ulsterbus - Translink". Translink.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  6. ^ Hill, George (1 February 2004). "Names in the Land Grants in Northern Ireland: From the Plantation of Ulster". Irish Roots Cafe. Retrieved 19 May 2018 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Thomas Blennerhassett profile[permanent dead link], cpedia.com; accessed 3 February 2016.
  8. ^ Topographia Hibernica 1797, google.co.uk; accessed 3 February 2016.
  9. ^ Glendarragh Valley Inn website, glendarraghvalleyinn.com; accessed 3 February 2016.
  10. ^ Ederney Community Development Limited website, northernireland.gov.uk; accessed 3 February 2016.
  11. ^ Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, libraryireland.com; accessed 3 February 2016.
  12. ^ Database - Drumskinny Archived 12 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Logainm.ie; accessed 3 February 2016.
  13. ^ History of Ederney, ederney.com; accessed 3 February 2016.
  14. ^ Environment and Heritage Service NI - State care Historic Monuments[permanent dead link], ni-environment.gov.uk; retrieved 16 September 2007.
  15. ^ Hickey, D.J. & Doherty, J.E., A Dictionary of Irish History, p. 26. Gill and Macmillan, Dublin, 1980; ISBN 0-7171-1567-4
  16. ^ McVeigh, Joe. Taking a Stand: Memoir of an Irish Priest, Mercier Press (2009); ISBN 1-85635-593-4
  17. ^ Martin McGrath
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