Irvinestown

Last updated

Irvinestown
Welcome to Irvinestown, County Fermanagh - geograph.org.uk - 356659.jpg
Entering Irvinestown on the A32 from Dromore
United Kingdom Northern Ireland adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Irvinestown
Location within Northern Ireland
Population2,325 (2021 Census)
Irish grid reference H235582
District
County
Country Northern Ireland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Enniskillen
Postcode district BT94
Dialling code 02868
UK Parliament
NI Assembly
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
Fermanagh
54°28′16″N7°38′02″W / 54.471°N 7.634°W / 54.471; -7.634

Irvinestown is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. At the 2021 Census it had a population of 2,325 people. [4] The most notable buildings are Necarne Castle, formerly known as Castle Irvine, and Castle Archdale. Irvinestown is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district.

Contents

History

Before the Plantation of Ulster, the area was known as Necarne or Nakerny; in Irish Na Caorthann (the rowans). [2] 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.

Places of interest

Lady of the Lake monument "Lady of the Lake", Irvinestown - geograph.org.uk - 365366.jpg
Lady of the Lake monument

Transport

Irvinestown railway station on the Enniskillen and Bundoran Railway was opened on 13 June 1866 and closed on 1 October 1957. [5] Ulsterbus routes 194 (Enniskillen to Pettigo), 83 (Irvinestown to Omagh) and 94A (Enniskillen to Omagh) stop in Irvinestown.

Annual truck festival

The Irvinestown Truck Festival was launched in 2000 and celebrated 10 years in 2010. [6] This is a 60-mile (100 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).

People

Main Street. Main Street, Irvinestown - geograph.org.uk - 1218893.jpg
Main Street.

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. The area is a rich haven of sport and recreation, a fact recognised when the long-serving manager George Beacom was appointed an O.B.E. for services to sport in the local community.

GAA football

St. Molaise's 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.

Demography

2021 Census

The town of Irvinestown encompasses the Erne_North_D Super Data Zone according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. [7] On Census Day (21 March 2021) there were 2,325 living in Irvinestown. [4] Of these:

2011 Census

On Census Day (27 March 2011) there were 2,267 living in Irvinestown. Of these, [12]

Language breakdown:

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:

2011 Census

On Census Day (27 March 2011) there were 2,267 living in Irvinestown. Of these, [12]

Language breakdown:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Fermanagh</span> County in Northern Ireland

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enniskillen</span> Town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Enniskillen is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 14,086 at the 2011 Census. Enniskillen Castle was built in the 15th century as a stronghold of the Maguires, before coming under English control in the early 17th century. The castle and town were expanded during the Plantation of Ulster. It was the seat of local government for the former Fermanagh District Council, and is the county town of Fermanagh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisnaskea</span> Town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Lisnaskea is the second-biggest settlement in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is situated mainly in the townland of Lisoneill, with some areas in the townland of Castle Balfour Demesne, both in the civil parish of Aghalurcher and the historic barony of Magherastephana. It had a population of 3,020 people at the 2021 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fermanagh District Council</span> Human settlement in Northern Ireland

Fermanagh District Council was a local council in Northern Ireland. It was created out of Fermanagh County Council and later merged with Omagh District Council in April 2015 under local government reorganisation to become Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dromore, County Tyrone</span> Human settlement in Northern Ireland

Dromore is a town, townland and civil parish in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is nine miles (14 km) south west of Omagh on the A32 and sixteen miles (26 km) from Enniskillen. The population of Dromore was 1,198 at the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derrygonnelly</span> Human settlement in Northern Ireland

Derrygonnelly is a small village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Near Lower Lough Erne, the village was home to 680 people at the 2011 Census and dates to the Plantation era. It is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fintona</span> Village in Northern Ireland

Fintona, is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Its population at the 2011 Census was 1,164.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derrylin</span> Village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Derrylin is a village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is on the A509 road between Enniskillen and the border with County Cavan. It had a population of 634 in the 2011 census and is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belleek, County Fermanagh</span> Village and civil parish in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballinamallard</span> Village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Ballinamallard or Bellanamallard is a small village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,364 people in the 2021 Census. It lies to the north of Enniskillen and is within Fermanagh and Omagh district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellanaleck</span> Small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Bellanaleck is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It lies just south of Enniskillen on the main A509 (N3) road towards Cavan and Dublin. In the 2011 Census it had a population of 532. It is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ederney</span> Human settlement in Northern Ireland

Ederney is a village situated primarily in the townlands of Drumkeen and of Ederny in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kesh, County Fermanagh</span> Human settlement in Northern Ireland

Kesh is a village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is on the Kesh River about 1 mile (1.6 km) from Lower Lough Erne. The 2011 Census recorded a population of 1,039 people. It is within Fermanagh and Omagh district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maguiresbridge</span> Village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Maguiresbridge is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The village is named after the bridge over the Colebrooke River, first built by the local Maguire family about 1760. The village is 8 miles from Enniskillen and 3 miles from Lisnaskea.

Newtownbutler or Newtown Butler is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the southeast corner of the county, near Lough Erne, the border with County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, and the town of Clones. It is surrounded by small lakes and bogland. In the 2011 Census it had a population of 989 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosslea</span> Village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Rosslea or Roslea is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, near the border with County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. It stands on the Finn River and is beset by small natural lakes. Roslea Forest, also known as Spring Grove Forest, is nearby. In the 2011 Census it had a population of 528 people.

Magheraveely is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census, it had a population of people 254. It is within the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area.

St. John's Business and Enterprise College is a Roman Catholic secondary school for boys and girls based in the village of Dromore, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is in the Western Education and Library Board area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A32 road (Northern Ireland)</span>

The A32 is a route in Northern Ireland connecting Omagh, County Tyrone and Swanlinbar, County Cavan. The road passes through Dromore in Tyrone and the Fermanagh towns of Irvinestown and Enniskillen.

The 2016 Fermanagh Senior Football Championship was the 110th edition of the Fermanagh GAA's premier club Gaelic football tournament for senior clubs in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The tournament consists of 8 teams, with the winner representing Fermanagh in the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship. The championship had a straight knock-out format.

References

  1. McKay, Patrick, A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names, p. 84. Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast, 1999.
  2. 1 2 "Baile an Irbhinigh/Irvinestown". logainm.ie. Archival records: Placenames Database of Ireland.
  3. Tully Castle (Ulster-Scots translation) Archived 2011-08-30 at the Wayback Machine Department of the Environment.
  4. 1 2 "Erne_North_D – Census 2021". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  5. "Irvinestown station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
  6. Irvinestown Truck Festival
  7. "Erne_North_D". NISRA. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  8. "Religion or religion brought up in". NISRA. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  9. "National Identity (British)". NISRA. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  10. "National Identity (Irish)". NISRA. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  11. "National Identity (Northern Irish)". NISRA. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  12. 1 2 "Census 2011 Population Statistics for Irvinestown Settlement". NINIS. Retrieved 21 December 2019.