The Little Book of Fermanagh E-Book

Doreen McBride

• Herausgeber: THP Ireland
• Kategorie: Sachliteratur, Reportagen, Biografien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 191

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

Did You Know - Van Morrison wrote 'Brown Eyed Girl' on a piano in Derrygonnelly - Paddy Monaghan, from Ederney, befriended Mohammad Ali and became known as Paddy-Ali - St Molaise brought soil containing blood from early Christian martyrs from the Colosseum in Rome and placed it on Devonian Island - Natives of Fermanagh had boats called cots, which were shaped like spoons without handles. They are the only boats in the world to be preserved during winter by being scuttled The Little Book of Fermanagh is a compendium of fascinating, obscure, strange and entertaining facts about County Fermanagh. Here you will find out about the county's industrial past, its proud sporting heritage, its arts and culture and its famous (and occasionally infamous) men and women. Through quaint villages and bustling towns, this book takes the reader on a journey through County Fermanagh and its vibrant past. A reliable reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped into time and time again to reveal something new about this colourful county.

Leseprobe

This book is dedicated to a very dear friend, Kate Muldoon,who was an inspiration to all who knew her.

First published 2018

This paperback edition published 2024

The History Press

97 St George’s Place, Cheltenham,

Gloucestershire, GL50 3QB

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

© Doreen McBride, 2018, 2024

The right of Doreen McBride to be identified as the Authorof this work has been asserted in accordance with theCopyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprintedor reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented,including photocopying and recording, or in any informationstorage or retrieval system, without the permission in writingfrom the Publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 80399 668 4

Typesetting and origination by The History Press

Printed by T.J International

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1  Fascinating Facts About Fermanagh

2  The Lakeland

3  Saints, Scholars, Holy Wells and Ancient Stones

4  The Big Houses

5  Fermanagh Folk Tales

6  Conditions Before and After the Great Famine

7  The Garden of Celtic Saints, Belleek Pottery and the Geopark

8  Language and Nicknames

Bibliography

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks are due to my husband George, who, when I go on field trips, continues to do his best to keep me out of trouble and who often uncovers useful information. Thanks are also due to my cousin, Vernon Finlay, for constructive criticism on the manuscript and to my dear friend the late Kate Muldoon, who always provided a listening ear and encouragement. Thank you Florence Creighton, who gave me information about smuggling and the lace industry, the late John Reihill for providing information about island living, and Vicky Herbert, for information about Lisnaskea Workhouse, nicknames and vocabulary used in Fermanagh and who read the manuscript to ensure it reflected a Fermanagh perspective. I wish to acknowledge Fergus Cleary, chief designer of Belleek, for information about the pottery, Seamas McCanny, author and broadcaster, for quirky information and with whom I had great craic. Enniskillen Museum, Lisnaskea Library, and the Enniskillen Library staff were extremely helpful. Thanks are due to Ken McElroy, Margaret Gallagher, Pat Mahon and John McCollum for information. Fred Ternan from Lough Erne Heritage provided information about cots, and the late Angela Dillon, past President of Banbridge Historical Society told me about her grandmother’s recollections of being an inmate of a fever hospital. Maíréad O’Dolan provided information about the holy well at Belcoo. I spent a fascinating morning with Alan Heuton, the Head Gardener at Castle Coole, and Heather Hamilton, Education Officer, Florencecourt, Richard Watson and John Martin McGovern from the Geopark could not have been more helpful. The illustrations are my own and the cut-outs are by Tineke Kroes. A final thanks goes to the late Pat Cassidy for information about making poiteen.

INTRODUCTION

Fermanagh gets its name from the Fir Manach. Fir means men, so Fir Manach translates as Manach’s men. They were a small tribe from County Leinster, who settled along the River Erne during the second century.

County Fermanagh is known as ‘Ulster’s Lakeland’. It is a land of contrasts, containing some of the best-designed modern buildings in Europe such as the award-winning South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen, as well as some of the most ancient. There are standing stones and holy wells, remnants of pagan and Christian religions and monastic sites, such as the one on Devonish Island founded during the sixth century.

The county is a land of lakes surrounded by hills. A beautiful, peaceful place, inhabited by friendly, humorous people. It was one of the two of Ulster’s nine counties that were planted by James I when he inherited the British throne from Elizabeth I in 1601 and it has been affected by the recent troubles.

Most of the early planters intermarried with the local population, which explains why many well-known Nationalists have Ulster/Scots surnames. The majority population is Catholic, in common with four of the six counties in Ulster that make up the part of Ireland that has chosen to remain within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Recent troubles have resulted in a fall in the number of Protestants living in Fermanagh, although they are increasing again thanks to the peace process.

In spite of its sad history a recent survey showed that Fermanagh’s inhabitants are the happiest in Europe, if not the world. It has emerged from its troubled past a beautiful peaceful place, full of interest with prehistoric remains, Irish mythology, good craic, music, theatre, food, crafts and what has been described as the best boating and fishing in Europe.

1

FASCINATING FACTSABOUT FERMANAGH

Local historian Seamus McCanny says Van Morrison wrote ‘Brown Eyed Girl’on a piano in Derrygonnelly. A recording of it was released while he was 22 and his solo career was still in its infancy. The original title was ‘Brown Skinned Girl’, but Morrison said he made a mistake and changed the name when he’d finished recording in June 1967. It became his first American top ten single and has become a standard that gets frequent airplay, although Morrison is on record as saying, ‘I’ve got about 300 songs I think are better.’ It was listed at 109 on the Rolling Stone magazine list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in November 2004, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007.

I visited Derrygonnelly to see if I could find out more about the ‘Brown Eyed Girl’. I started by visiting the Leginn Cornmill and Miller’s Cottage; it’s a quaint place but nobody could give me any information. I began questioning people in the main street and drew blanks until a man with an English accent said: ‘I think you’ll find it was written in a bar.’ The main street in Derrygonnelly has several, with the Old Pal’s Bar a likely-looking place to start. It is full of character, not gentrified or updated, and it had a helpful barman, Stephen Donaldson.

When asked if Van Morrison had written ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ in Derrygonnelly, Stephen replied:

Yes, of course he did. I can’t remember the exact year. Early in his solo career Van spent several summer months living here. He stayed, with his friend, Gerald Flanagan, in an old unoccupied house near Derrygonnelly on the lower slopes of Knockmore Mountain.

Yon brown-eyed girl was dead on!

Van was very friendly with a local girl. She was a real beauty, so she was! He sorted out his song on our piano. There’s a framed photo of him on the wall in at the back. He said Gerald Flanaghan was his agent.

After showing me the photograph, Stephen added: ‘I believe that photo was taken by Gerald Flanagan and used on the dust cover of the original recording of “Brown Eyed Girl”.’

According to Stephen, shortly afterwards Van and Gerald went to America and struck up a deal with a record company. The rest is history. ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ topped the American hit parade. Unfortunately, Van and Gerald had some kind of serious disagreement and are no longer friends. As for the identity of the brown eyed girl? Natives of Derrygonnelly suspect they know who she is! She’s still alive and well and living there!

* * *

Local tradition states that the blind harper, Turlough O’Carolan (1688–1738), composed America’s national anthem, the ‘Star Spangled Banner’.

O’Carolan was born near Nobber in County Meath. He was the son of a local farmer and blacksmith who went to work with the MacDermott Roe family. Mrs MacDermott befriended the young lad and gave him an education. When he was 18 years old he contracted smallpox, which destroyed his sight so he couldn’t earn a living by farming. He had a gift for writing poetry and for music, so it was decided the best thing he could do was earn a living by using his talents.

MacDermott Roe taught him to play a harp. Mrs MacDermott gave him a horse, a harp and some money and he began a career as an itinerant musician. He quickly became well known and travelled the length and breadth of Ireland. He entertained guests in the ‘big houses’ because music was a way for the Anglo–Irish to keep connected with the Gaelic world after ‘the flight of the earls’ in 1607.

O’Carolan loved Fermanagh and spent many happy days there. It was there, while visiting Tempo Manor, he met Mary Maguire. The couple fell in love, married and produced six daughters and one son. O’Carolan was heartbroken when Mary died in 1733. He died in 1738.

O’Carolan was a gifted composer as well as a superb harper. He wrote variations on many old tunes, including Scottish songs such as ‘Cock up your Beaver’ and ‘When She Cam Ben’ as well as composing new tunes, such as ‘Planxty Maguire’, written for Cuchonnacht Maguire, the son of Brian Maguire who swore allegiance to James I of England after the ‘flight of the earls’ and was granted 2,000 acres of land around Tempo.

* * *

Australian author Andrew Barton ‘Banjo’ Patterson wrote the most recognisable of Australian songs, ‘Waltzing Matilda’. He was the great-grandson of General Barton from Pettigo.

* * *

Roslea Hero won the All-Ireland Donkey Derby three times. This achievement is remarkable because donkeys have a reputation for being stubborn and unpredictable. That fact is emphasised by a story a young girl once told me about entering a donkey derby. She was very excited; she loved horses and wanted to become a famous jockey so she entered her pet donkey into an old nags’ race to get experience. She and her donkey were doing well until disaster struck. She recalled:

A short distance from the finishing line a dirty auld nag caught up with my poor donkey and a big thing flew past my ear. The auld nag mounted my donkey, who stopped and lost the race while the crowd laughed and cheered. I didn’t know what to do. The organisers came and helped me down. They gave me a consolation prize, but I couldn’t keep from crying. My daddy said I should cheer up and learn to take the rough with the smooth. Bad things happen in any career so I should just get on with it, but I don’t think I want to be a jockey any more.

* * *

Meredith Frank Maguire, a Member of Parliament, changed the course of British history when his casting vote led to Margaret Thatcher coming to power in 1979.

Frank was an Irish Republican and an Independent Member of the British Parliament at Westminster. Born into a Republican family, he was interned during his youth for Irish Republican activities. In later life he opposed violence but remained close to the Republican movement. He ran a public house, called Frank’s Bar, in Lisnaskea and in October 1974 he was elected, as a unity candidate, to represent Fermanagh and Tyrone.

Sinn Fein Members of Parliament do not recognise the British Parliament and refuse to take up seats in Westminster. Frank was an independent and took up his seat but his attendances were infrequent. He never made a full speech but he did cast some crucial votes supporting the Labour government during the 1970s. However, he is famous for ‘abstaining in person’, which brought the Labour government of James Callaghan down. The government lost by a single vote (311 votes to 310). This forced a general election, which was won by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Party.

* * *

Paddy Monaghan from Ederney, Fermanagh, befriended Muhammad Ali and became known as Paddy-Ali.

At the time Paddylived in Saxton Road, (one of the worst streets) in Abingdon, near Oxford in England. Paddy was a bare-knuckle boxing champion. He thought the American Government’s action of stripping Ali of his world heavyweight boxing title in 1967 because he refused to fight in the Vietnam War was outrageous. He coined the phrase ‘people’s champion’ to describe Ali, organised a petition that eventually contained 22,024 signatures and wrote to President Nixon to object.

Ali was so grateful he visited Paddy at his home in Abingdon, which was a tiny terraced house. He caused a sensation; the police couldn’t hold the crowds back and the army had to be called in.

Ali entertained local children by doing magic tricks. He signed autographs, sparred with local boys, including Paddy-Ali’s 16-year-old son, and had tea with the Monaghans. The two men struck up a close friendship during which Ali suggested Paddy-Ali move to the US, but Paddy-Ali declined because of family ties. He eventually left England and moved back to Ireland.

* * *

Folklore says Noah had a grandson called Beith. After the great flood Beith landed on Carnmore Point in County Fermanagh in an ark filled with the world’s most beautiful women. Local tradition says the women fell in love with local men, resulting in the legendary beauty of Irish women.

* * *

Neil Armstrong (5 August 1930–12 August 2012), the first man to step on the moon, had ancestors who came from County Fermanagh. Robert Armstrong, from Lisnaskea, was Neil Armstrong’s grandfather’s brother. Neil Armstrong also had ancestors from Irvinestown. The Armstrongs were among the border reivers evicted from Scotland and planted in County Fermanagh during the early seventeenth century. (Reivers caused mayhem by conducting raids along the border between England and Scotland.)

Good luck Mr Jones!

Armstrong, when he took his first step on the moon, is supposed to have said, ‘That was one small step for a man and one giant leap for mankind.’ Years later he confessed his first words were ‘Good luck Mr Jones!’ because when he was a child he had an arrangement with his next-door neighbours, the Joneses, that if his ball landed in their garden he was allowed to go and collect it without asking for permission.

One evening he went to retrieve his ball and heard the Joneses shouting at each other through an open window. Mr Jones wanted sex and Mrs Jones didn’t! She yelled, ‘I won’t have sex with you until a man walks on the Moon!’ Armstrong didn’t want to embarrass his old neighbours so kept what he really said secret until they were dead.

* * *

Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole G.C.B. fought in the Napoleonic Wars but missed the Battle of Waterloo because he was on his honeymoon at the time. In 1845 it was decided to build a monument celebrating his life. The area chosen used to be called Commons Hill, Camomile Hill, or Cow Hill. A fort was built there in 1689 by the then governor of Enniskillen, Gustavus Hamilton. In1845 the area was enclosed, planted with trees, and transformed into a promenade and pleasure ground. Today Forthill Promenade and Play Park is a pleasant, 5¼-acre wooded park in central Enniskillen with shrub gardens, a children’s play area and walks.

The monument took twelve years to complete. It is open to the public and contains 108 spiral steps, which lead to a viewing platform giving a spectacular view of Enniskillen and the surrounding countryside. The monument dominates the town.

* * *

A Russian gun, captured during the Crimean War, was brought to Forthill Park. In 1857 it was used to fire a salute marking the arrival of the first train in Enniskillen. The gun’s reverberations broke the windows in Belmore Street.

* * *

A solicitor called Terence Gibson appeared at Enniskillen Crown Court to represent a man who crashed into the back of his car. His defence was unsuccessful and his client was ordered to pay him £130.

* * *

St Molaise is said to have brought soil containing blood from the early Christian martyrs from the Colosseum in Rome. He placed it on Devonish Island during the sixth century.

* * *

People living around Lough Erne preserved their cots during the winter months by scuttling them. Cots are the only boat in the world to be treated in this way.

* * *

Valentine Valentine came from Ballinamallard. He was born on St Valentine’s Day.

* * *

American President Bill Clinton’s ancestral home is said to be in Roslea.

* * *

Mahon’s Hotel in Irvinestown has been visited by a surprising number of famous people, including the footballer Jack Charlton, Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Philips, and two Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland, John Reid and Patrick Mayhew, the latter known for coming for the smoked eels! The hotel is the focus of the Lady of the Lake Festival and has been a family-run establishment for more than 125 years. Joe Mahon, the present owner, was born in what is now the residents’ lounge. It is said to be haunted by a friendly ‘presence’, possibly the spirit of his aunt, who died there.

There’s a presence in the room where I was born

2

THE LAKELAND

There’s an old saying:

Lisnaskea, for drinking tea,

Maguiresbridge for brandy,

Lisbellaw for wrapping straw,*

An’ Enniskillen the dandy.

(*making hay bales)

Things have changed since the above rhyme was written. Today Fermanagh caters for all tastes. There’s a choice of outdoor pursuits, including canoeing, horse riding, cycling and walking. The scenery is spectacular. The Ardhowen Theatre is beautifully situated on the shores of Upper Lough Erne in Enniskillen and travelling up the Erne in a boat is a delightful way to visit. Amateur productions are often advertised throughout Fermanagh; the standard can be surprisingly high and the enthusiasm of the participants is contagious.

LOUGH ERNE

Lough Erne is the major feature of County Fermanagh. It’s more than 40 miles in length and may be divided into two sections, Upper Lough Erne and Lower Lough Erne. The lough’s names can be confusing because if you look at a page of a map on County Fermanagh, Lower Lough Erne appears above Upper Lough Erne. The reason is simple. In the past the whole of Ireland was united under the British Crown with Dublin as the capital city, and places were referenced regarding their proximity to the capital. ‘Upper’ indicates closer to Dublin so Upper Lough Erne is closer to Dublin than Lower Lough Erne. That rule applies to all Irish place names, for instance, Upper Ballinderry is marginally closer to Dublin than Lower Ballinderry.

The River Erne flows through Fermanagh. It begins in the Irish Republic in Lough Gowna, County Longford, and enters County Fermanagh via Upper Lough Erne. It is 152ft above sea level at this point. It then flows past Lisgoole Abbey and the Killyhevlin Hotel before swinging west and dividing into two strands, which go around Castle Island and Enniskillen. The two strands come together again at the Narrows, flow past Portora and on to Lower Lough Erne, 150ft above sea level.

In the 1830s, in an ordnance survey a royal engineer wrote, ‘Lough Erne is navigable by barges and small craft throughout its whole extent, and presents by the magnitude of its waters, richly cultivated islands, sublime and diversified scenery, one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.’

That’s still true. The lakes have become a major tourist destination, although Fermanagh has a damp climate so it’s wise to bring stout shoes and good waterproofs.

I have had many enjoyable family holidays on Lough Erne, staying in one of the excellent hotels or bed and breakfasts. Hiring a cruiser also provides an excellent family break. Novices are welcomed and given a brief lesson on how to manage its vital equipment, such as the steering wheel and depth chargers. It’swise to follow advice given by instructors and insist everyone on board wears a life jacket at all times, except when bunked down for the night.

Navigation on Lough Erne is easy because painted, numbered markers have been placed near the water’s edge around the lakes. The numbers tell you where you are. Plotting a route is similar to filling in a dot-to dot drawing. You simply use a map to work out where you want to go and follow the numbers to your destination. The markers are painted white on one side, red on the other. Keep to the white side. The red one indicates danger of runningaground.

We loved breakfast on the lough with our cruiser surrounded by swans demanding to be fed. At night, after we had moored, we enjoyed craic in local pubs and/or with people tied up beside us. At the end of a week we were surprised to find we had only travelled a total distance of5 miles!

Some people flash up and down the lakes as if there was no tomorrow. That’s their choice and they undoubtedly enjoy the experience. Others simply want a restful holiday and savour every moment, walking, taking photographs, watching wildlife, fishing, visiting ancient monuments, doing rubbings of gravestones and other monuments as well as drawing and painting.

FISHING IN FERMANAGH

Upper Lough Erne is one of the best pike fishing lakes in Europe; it’s possible to catch a specimen fish of between 20 and 30lb. There’s no closed season for pike fishing but there is a bag limit. You must not catch more than one pike per day and all those weighing more than 4kg (approx. 8.8lb) must be returned to the water, alive and unharmed. Lures, spinners or dead bait trolled from a boat achieve the best results. Many fishermen, especially those from Germany, want to catch the biggest pike possible and so they come to the lough every year.

Lower Lough Erne is also famous for the mayfly fishing. The first mayfly is usually seen in early or mid-May and the season may continue on until late June. Dapping with a natural fly or dry fly fishing are the usual methods used.

Fishing begins in February with the arrival of the first salmon and grilse from May to July. There is wonderful trout fishing throughout the season.

Lough Melvin, at the western end of Fermanagh, has a run of grilse and spring salmon. It is home to three distinct species of trout, the gillaroo, the sonaghan and the ferox. The gillaroo is a particularly interesting fish because it tastes like chicken! An old folk tale says that when St Favor visited Lough Melvin she was immersed in a book and appeared distracted while seated at a table eating a meal. The local men thought: ‘She’s not concentrating on what she’s doing! According to the rules of the church she’s not allowed to eat meat on a Friday. She’s supposed to be very holy! Wouldn’t it be the quare joke to see her breaking church rules by eating chicken!’

They put a plate full of chicken in front of her. The saint continued reading, but realised what they’d done. She was furious! She stood up, walked over to Lough Melvin and threw her meal into the lough’s waters. The chicken turned into gillaroo trout and they thrived!