Fermanagh

Devenish Island

Fermanagh, Irish Fear Manach (District of the Monks), former district (1973–2015), now part of Fermanagh and Omagh district, extreme southwestern Northern Ireland. Fermanagh also formerly was a county with the same boundaries it had as a district. It was bounded by the former districts of Dungannon and Omagh to the northeast and by the republic of Ireland to the west, south, and east. Fermanagh lies chiefly in the ruggedly scenic Erne basin, which divides it into two nearly equal sections. The surface is hilly, rising to 2,188 feet (667 metres) on the southern frontier at Cuilcagh. Upper and Lower Lough (lake) Erne stretch from southeast to northwest, being expansions of the River Erne, which enters the district from County Cavan in the republic of Ireland. Gneiss in the west and metamorphic rock from Omagh extend into northern Fermanagh, but limestone is the predominant formation.

Evidence of prehistoric settlement is indicated by the megaliths and cairns scattered throughout Fermanagh. Early Celtic Christian antiquities abound, particularly on the islands in the loughs. Devenish Island, in Lower Lough Erne, is the site of an ancient monastery that has a round tower 81 feet (25 metres) high and a standing cross. During the reign of James I (1603–25), king of Great Britain and Ireland, many English Anglicans were settled here as part of the Plantation of Ulster scheme. At Newtownbutler (now near the Irish republic’s border) in 1689, Enniskillen Protestants defeated the Roman Catholic army of James II and began the victorious tradition of the Inniskillings, now represented by two famous regiments in the British army.

Fermanagh is well known for its antiquities, extensive forests, fishing streams, and numerous limestone caves and is one of the most important tourist areas in Northern Ireland. Much of the local population either works in service industries or raises beef and dairy cattle. Knitwear is manufactured at Enniskillen and at Lisnaskea. The village of Belleek, at the Irish republic’s border to the west, has long been associated with fine porcelain; formerly made from locally quarried feldspar, the industry now depends on imported clay from Cornwall in England and feldspar from Norway. Agreement between the governments of the Irish republic and Northern Ireland led to the development in the mid-1950s of the hydroelectric capacity of the Erne. A large power station below Belleek generates electricity for the Irish republic and aids flood control and drainage in Northern Ireland. Area former district, 724 square miles (1,876 square km).