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.
Ederney
| |
|---|---|
 Road junction in Ederney | |
  Ederney Location within Northern Ireland | |
| Population | 587 (2011 Census) |
| Irish grid reference | H221649 |
| • Belfast | 83 miles |
| District | |
| County | |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ENNISKILLEN |
| Postcode district | BT93 |
| Dialling code | 02868 |
| UK Parliament | |
| NI Assembly | |
At the 2011 census it had a population of 587.[4] 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) has a population of several thousand.[5]
Ederney is located on a tourist route adjacent to Lough Erne. 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.
Public transport
editUlsterbus 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.[6]
History
editLocal historian Leo Mulligan MBE details that at the time of the Plantation of Ulster 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).[7][8]
By 1797, the settlement is recorded in the Topographia Hibernica as Ederny Bridge and "fair days" were held there.[5][9]
Built heritage
edit
One of the principal buildings in the village is Ederney Town Hall, locally styled as the "Townhall", erected in 1839.[10] It remains in use as a village community centre.[5]
Another local 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.[11] The site consists of 39 stones set in a circle. The arrangement is reportedly related to the seasons, moon and sun, and dates from the Bronze Age.[12][13]
Sport
editThe village has a Gaelic football club, Ederney St Joseph's.
Demographics
editAs of the 2011 census, there were 587 people living in Ederney.[4] Of these:
- 17.21% were aged under 16 years and 18.91% were aged 65 and over
- 50.6% of the population were male and 49.4% were female
- 82.11% were from a Catholic background and 15.5% were from a Protestant background
At the 2021 census, 553 people were living in Ederney. According to the 2021 census, Ederney had the highest proportion of residents who spoke Irish daily in County Fermanagh with 3.99%, which was higher than the average across Northern Ireland (of 2.43%).[citation needed]
Notable people
edit- Michael Barrett (1841–1868), Fenian and last man to be publicly hanged in Britain.[14]
- Martin McGrath (b.1981), inter county Gaelic footballer who was one only three Fermanagh players to win a GAA All Star award.[15]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Place Names NI - Home". Placenamesni.org. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ "Drumkeen Townland, Co. Fermanagh". Townlands.ie. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ "Ederny Townland, Co. Fermanagh". Townlands.ie. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Census 2011 Population Statistics for Ederney Settlement". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). Retrieved 30 May 2022.
This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.
- ^ a b c History of Ederney (Ederny) Archived 21 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine, ederney.com; accessed 3 February 2016.
- ^ "Ulsterbus - Translink". Translink.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ Hill, George (1 February 2004). Names in the Land Grants in Northern Ireland: From the Plantation of Ulster. Irish Roots Cafe. ISBN 9780940134447.
- ^ Thomas Blennerhassett profile[permanent dead link], cpedia.com; accessed 3 February 2016.
- ^ Topographia Hibernica 1797, google.co.uk; accessed 3 February 2016.
- ^ Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, libraryireland.com; accessed 3 February 2016.
- ^ Database - Drumskinny Archived 12 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Logainm.ie; accessed 3 February 2016.
- ^ History of Ederney, ederney.com; accessed 3 February 2016.
- ^ Environment and Heritage Service NI - State care Historic Monuments[permanent dead link], ni-environment.gov.uk; retrieved 16 September 2007.
- ^ Hickey, D.J. & Doherty, J.E., A Dictionary of Irish History, p. 26. Gill and Macmillan, Dublin, 1980; ISBN 0-7171-1567-4
- ^ "Fermanagh great Marty McGrath calls time". Belfast Telegraph. 11 October 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
