Garrison
| |
---|---|
Location within Northern Ireland | |
Population | 411 (2021 census) |
Irish grid reference | G941518 |
• Belfast | 109 miles |
District | |
County | |
Country | Northern Ireland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | ENNISKILLEN |
Postcode district | BT93 |
Dialling code | 028, +44 28 |
UK Parliament | |
NI Assembly | |
Garrison is a village near Lough Melvin in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The Roogagh River runs through the village. In the 2021 census it had a population of 411 people. [1] It is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district.
The village's name comes from a military barracks and its garrison of troops established in the village by William III of England, following the Battle of Aughrim in 1691. [2]
Garrison was one of several Catholic border villages in Fermanagh that would have been transferred to the Irish Free State had the recommendations of the Irish Boundary Commission been enacted in 1925. [3]
The Melvin Hotel, previously owned by the McGovern family, was blown up in January 1972 during the middle of a Catholic wedding reception, by the IRA, reportedly as retaliation for allowing members of the security forces to stay on the premises. [4]
The Police Service of Northern Ireland came under gun attack in the town on 21 November 2009. [5]
Visitors to Garrison can enjoy a wide range of activities including golfing, fishing, hill-walking, water sports, horse-riding, cycling, camping and caving. The Lough Melvin Holiday Centre [6] caters for large groups and there are many local guesthouses and chalets to let. Two local pubs – The Melvin Bar and The Riverside Bar – provide music and craic. The local restaurant, The Bilberry, is well known in the North-West region.
Ulsterbus route 64 serves Garrison on Thursday with two journeys to Belleek and Belcoo and one journey to Letterbreen and Enniskillen. [7] Belleek, approximately five miles away, is served by Bus Éireann route 30 every two hours each way for most of the day plus an overnight coach. This route operates to Donegal, Cavan, Dublin Airport and Dublin. [8]
Lough Melvin in Ireland is home to the Gillaroo or 'salmo stomachius', a species of trout which eats primarily snails. Gillaroo is derived from the Irish for 'red fellow' (Giolla Rua). This is due to the fish's distinctive colouring. It has a bright buttery golden colour on its flanks with bright crimson and vermillion spots. The gillaroo is also characterised by a "gizzard", which is used to aid the digestion of hard food items such as water snails. They feed almost exclusively on bottom-living animals (snails, sedge fly larvae and freshwater shrimp), except in late summer when they come to the surface to feed and may be caught on the dry fly. Other lakes reputed to contain the gillaroo are Lough Neagh, Lough Conn, Lough Mask and Lough Corrib. However, the unique gene found in the Lough Melvin trout has not been found in some 200 trout populations in Ireland or Britain and experiments carried out by Queen's University Belfast established that the Lough Melvin gillaroo species has not been found anywhere else in the world.
The sonaghan trout (Salmo nigripinnis) is a sub-species of trout unique to Lough Melvin. It can have a light brown or silvery hue with large, distinctive black spots. There are sometimes small, inconspicuous red spots located along its posterior region. Its fins are dark brown or black with elongated pectorals. Sonaghan are found in areas of open, deep water, where they feed on mid-water planktonic organisms.
County Fermanagh is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of six counties of Northern Ireland
The brown trout is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus Salmo, endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally as a game fish, even becoming one of the world's worst invasive species outside of its native range.
Lough Erne is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is the second-biggest lake system in Northern Ireland and Ulster, and the fourth biggest in Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River Erne, which flows north and then curves west into the Atlantic. The smaller southern lake is called the Upper Lough as it is higher up the river. The bigger northern lake is called the Lower Lough or Broad Lough. The town of Enniskillen lies on the short stretch of river between the lakes. The lake has more than 150 islands, along with many coves and inlets. The River Erne is 80 miles (129 km) long and drains an area of about 1,680 square miles (4,350 km2).
Belleek is a large village and civil parish in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. While the greater part of the village lies within County Fermanagh, part of it crosses the border and the River Erne into County Donegal. It lies in the historic barony of Lurg. It had a population of 904 people in the 2011 Census, and is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district, around 7 kilometres (4 mi) east of Ballyshannon.
Kinlough is a large village in north County Leitrim. It lies between the Dartry Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, and between the River Duff and the River Drowes, at the head of Lough Melvin. It borders County Donegal and County Fermanagh, both in Ulster, and is near Yeats Country in County Sligo. It lies 2.5 miles from Bundoran in County Donegal, and across Lough Melvin from the village of Garrison in County Fermanagh.
Pettigo, also spelt Pettigoe, is a small village and townland on the border of County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, and County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is bisected by the Termon River which is part of the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Blaney is a small village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It lies on the southern shore of Lower Lough Erne, 14 km (8.7 mi) west of Enniskillen. It is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district.
Ferox trout is a variety of trout found in oligotrophic lakes/lochs of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. Ferox trout is a traditional name for large, piscivorous trout, which in Scotland feed largely on Arctic char. It has been argued to be a distinct species, being reproductively isolated from "normal" brown trout of the same lakes, particularly in Ireland. However, it is uncertain whether the ferox of different lakes are all of a single origin. This fish grows to a length of 80 centimetres (31 in) SL.
Lough Melvin is a lake in the northwest of the island of Ireland on the border between County Leitrim and County Fermanagh. It is internationally renowned for its unique range of plants and animals.
The Roogagh River is one of the main tributaries for Lough Melvin. It flows through Garrison, a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, 5 miles south of Belleek, at the eastern end of Lough Melvin.
The gillaroo is a species of trout which eats primarily snails and is only proven to inhabit Lough Melvin in Ireland.
Dollaghan are a variety of brown trout native to Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland, and many of its tributaries. They are a potamodromous migratory trout spending much of the year in the lough, returning to the rivers in autumn to spawn. Dollaghan are much sought after by anglers in County Antrim, County Tyrone and County Londonderry due to their greater size in comparison to the non-migratory trout found in streams such as the Ballinderry River, Six Mile Water, Moyola River and River Main. They are often caught in the dark using methods very similar to that of fishing for sea trout. Many anglers regard them as an elusive species and call them 'sea trout of Lough Neagh'. Their weight varies greatly - from small fish of around 1/2 lb to large specimens of around 20 lb. There are four strains of brown trout in Ireland: Dollaghan, Gillaroo, Sonaghen and Ferox. The Dollaghan is thought to have evolved from sea trout which were land locked many years ago.
The Donegal Corridor was a narrow strip of Irish airspace linking Lough Erne to the international waters of the Atlantic Ocean through which the Irish Government permitted flights by British military aircraft during World War II. This was a contravention of Irish neutrality and was not publicised at the time.
The A46 is a road in County Fermanagh, in Northern Ireland. It forms part of the route from Dublin to Ballyshannon. It stretches 23.6 miles from Enniskillen to Belleek along the southwestern shoreline of Lower Lough Erne.
Knockmore is an upland area and townland situated in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland outside the village of Derrygonnelly, in the historical barony of Magheraboy. This area, together with the adjacent Barrs of Boho and most of the uplands in Boho parish, are described as the Knockmore Scarplands. The focal point of the area is Knockmore summit at 277 metres (909 ft).
Clogherbog is a townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is part of the civil parish of Boho, and contains the sub-townlands of Carrickrory, Lough Nacloyduff, Loughanquin, Loughnamanfin and Tullylaur. It is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district.
The Enniskillen and Bundoran Railway (E&BR) was an Irish gauge 5 ft 3 in railway company in north-west Ireland. It linked Bundoran and Ballyshannon on the Atlantic coast of Donegal with the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway (L&ER) at Bundoran Junction in Fermanagh. The line was opened in 1868 and closed in 1957.
Cashelnadrea or more usually, Cashel as it is known locally is a townland situated near Garrison, County Fermanagh. The area includes the subtownlands of Scribbagh, Kilcoo and Aghoo.
Salvelinus grayi, also called Gray's char[r], Lough Melvin char[r] or freshwater herring, is a species of lacustrine char in the family Salmonidae.
Salmo nigripinnis, also known as the sonaghen, is a species of fish within the family Salmoninae.