Enniskillen
Encyclopedia
Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....

, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne
Lough Erne
Lough Erne, sometimes Loch Erne , is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River Erne. The river begins by flowing north, and then curves west into the Atlantic. The southern lake is further up the river and so is named Upper...

. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....

. It is also the seat of local government for Fermanagh District Council
Fermanagh District Council
Fermanagh District Council is a local council in Northern Ireland. The borders of the district are very similar to those of the traditional County Fermanagh, containing all of that county plus a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore Road and Kilskeery Road areas. Council headquarters are...

, and is also the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...

 of Fermanagh as well as its largest town.

History

The town's name comes from the Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

: Inis Ceithleann. This refers to Cethlenn
Cethlenn
In Irish mythology, Cethlenn or Cethleann was the wife of Balor of the Fomorians and, by him, the mother of Ethniu. She was also a prophetess and warned Balor of his impending defeat by the Tuatha Dé Danann in the second battle of Magh Tuiredh...

, a figure in Irish mythology
Irish mythology
The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...

 who may have been a goddess. It has been anglicised
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...

 many ways over the centuries — Iniskellen, Iniskellin, Iniskillin, Iniskillen, Inishkellen, Inishkellin, Inishkillin, Inishkillen, and so on.

The town's oldest building is the Maguire's stone castle, built by Hugh the Hospitable who died in 1428. An earthwork, the Skonce on the lough shore, may be the remains of an earlier motte. The castle was the stronghold of the junior branch of the Maguire
Maguire
-Other uses:*Jerry Maguire, 1996 film starring Tom Cruise*Maguire Seven, Irish family accused in the 1970s for bomb-making; later exonerated*Maguire University, fictitious college invented in 1963 by a group of Chicago high school basketball coaches...

s. The first water-gate was built around 1580 by Cú Chonnacht Maguire, though subsequent lowering of the level of the lough has left it without water. The strategic position of the castle made it important for the English to capture it in 1593 for their plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...

 plans which was achieved by a Captain Dowdall. Maguire then laid siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...

 to it and defeated a relieving force at the Battle of the Ford of the Bicuits at Drumane Bridge. Although the defenders were relieved, Maguire was in possession of the castle from 1595–8 and it wasn't till 1607 that it was finally captured by the English.
This was part of a wider campaign to bring the province of Ulster under English control; there had been a major siege of Enniskillen Castle
Enniskillen Castle
Enniskillen Castle is situated in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It was originally built in the 16th century and now houses the Fermanagh County Museum and the regimental museum of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.-History:...

 in 1594.http://www.enniskillencastle.co.uk//page.cfm/area/information/page/Attacks/pkey/1227 The Plantation of Ulster
Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster—a province of Ireland—by people from Great Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by King James I of England and VI of Scotland began in 1609...

 followed during which the lands of the native Irish were seized and handed over to planters loyal to the English Crown. The Maguires were supplanted by William Cole, originally from Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

, who was appointed by James I to build an English settlement there.

Captain Cole
William Cole
William Cole may refer to:* William Cole, 3rd Earl of Enniskillen , known as Viscount Cole* William Cole , Dean of Lincoln Cathedral and President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford...

 was installed as Constable and strengthened the castle wall and built a "fair house" on the old foundation as the centrepoint of the county town. The first Protestant parish church was erected on the hilltop in 1627. The Royal Free School of Fermanagh
Portora Royal School
Portora Royal School for boys, and some 6th form girls, located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is one of a number of 'free schools' founded by Royal Charter in 1608, by James I...

 was moved onto the island in 1643. The first bridges were drawbridges and permanent bridges were not installed before 1688.

By 1689 the town had grown significantly. During the conflict which resulted from the ousting of King James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...

 by his Protestant rival, William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...

, Enniskillen and Derry
Siege of Derry
The Siege of Derry took place in Ireland from 18 April to 28 July 1689, during the Williamite War in Ireland. The city, a Williamite stronghold, was besieged by a Jacobite army until it was relieved by Royal Navy ships...

 were the focus of Williamite resistance in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, including the nearby Battle of Newtownbutler
Battle of Newtownbutler
The Battle of Newtownbutler took place near Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, Ireland, in 1689 and was part of the Williamite War in Ireland between the forces of William and Mary and those of King James II.-The war in western Ulster:...

.http://www.libraryireland.com/Derry1689/VI-1.php

As a direct result of this conflict Enniskillen developed not only as a market town but also as a garrison, which became home to two regiments.

Military history

Enniskillen is the site of the foundation of two British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

 regiments:
  • Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
    Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
    The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was a Irish infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment of Foot...

  • The Inniskillings (6th Dragoons)


The town's name (with the archaic spelling) continues to form part of the title to The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment).

The Troubles

The Remembrance Day Bombing
Remembrance Day Bombing
The Remembrance Day bombing took place on 8 November 1987 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland...

 (8 November 1987) was one of the most notable events of The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...

. Eleven people were killed and hundreds injured as a result of a Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...

 (IRA) bomb. One further person, Ronnie Hill, died after spending 13 years in a coma. The IRA later claimed that their target was a colour guard of British soldiers. At the same time as the Enniskillen bombing, the IRA also planted a bomb 20 miles away in Tullyhommon, near Pettigo, where the Boys' Brigade and the Girls' Brigade were due to participate in a Remembrance Day service. The bomb failed to detonate, preventing the further loss of innocent life. The Enniskillen bomb is acknowledged by some as a turning point in the Northern Ireland peace process.

For more information see The Troubles in Enniskillen
The Troubles in Enniskillen
The Troubles in Enniskillen recounts incidents during, and the effects of, The Troubles in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.The list includes all fatalities in the town during the Troubles:-1972:...

, which includes a list of incidents in Enniskillen during the Troubles resulting in fatalities.

Miscellaneous

The Irish singer/songwriter Tommy Makem
Tommy Makem
Thomas "Tommy" Makem was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string banjo, guitar, tin whistle, and bagpipes, and sang in a distinctive baritone...

 wrote a lighthearted song about the town, "Fare Thee Well, Enniskillen," covered by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem and The Dubliners
The Dubliners
The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962.-Formation and history:The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin...

.

The Chieftains
The Chieftains
The Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...

 sing a song that mentions Enniskillen titled "North Amerikay".

Jim Kerr
Jim Kerr
James "Jim" Kerr is a Scottish musician and singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Simple Minds who achieved five UK #1 albums and a #1 single "Ballad of the Streets EP". He released his first solo album, Lostboy! AKA Jim Kerr, on the 27 May 2010.- Simple Minds :Kerr attended...

 of Simple Minds
Simple Minds
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...

 was so moved by the results of the Enniskillen bombing in 1987 that he wrote new words to the traditional folk song "She Moved Through The Fair
She Moved Through the Fair
"She Moved Through the Fair" is a traditional Irish folk song, existing in a number of versions and which has been recorded many times.-Origins:...

" and the group recorded it with the name "Belfast Child
Belfast Child
"Belfast Child" is a 1989 Number 1 UK Charts hit single by Simple Minds from their album Street Fighting Years. The single is also known as the "Ballad of the Streets" EP, highlighting both "Belfast Child" and "Mandela Day" ....

". The recording reached #1 in the UK Charts
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

, Ireland and several other countries in 1989. The single was taken from the album "Street Fighting Years
Street Fighting Years
Street Fighting Years is the eighth studio album by Simple Minds, released in 1989.Produced by Trevor Horn and Stephen Lipson, the album was a major stylistic departure from the previous album, 1985's Once Upon A Time, While still maintaining the epic arena-rock sense of scale and drama which the...

" and the single version was also published with the title "Ballad Of The Streets". The video to the song was shot in black and white and displays poignant footage of children and the destruction of the bombing.

The Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

 novel Mo Dhá Mhicí by Séamus Mac Annaidh is set in Enniskillen.

In the concert film of U2's Rattle and Hum
Rattle and Hum
Rattle and Hum is the sixth studio album by rock band U2 and companion rockumentary directed by Phil Joanou, both released in 1988. The film and the album feature live recordings, covers, and new songs...

, the town is mentioned by name. On the same day that some of the concert footage was being filmed, an IRA bomb killed eleven people at a Remembrance Day ceremony in Enniskillen (see Remembrance Day Bombing
Remembrance Day Bombing
The Remembrance Day bombing took place on 8 November 1987 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland...

). During a performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday", which appears on the film, Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...

 condemned the violence in a furious mid-song rant in which he yelled, "Fuck the revolution." So powerful was the performance, that the band said they were not sure the song should have been used in the film, and after watching the film, they considered not playing it on future tours. After the film was released, the IRA were furious and threatened to kidnap Bono.

Demographics

Enniskillen is classified as a "medium town" by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 10,000 and 18,000 people). On census day (29 April 2001) there were 13,599 people living in Enniskillen.
  • 23.2% were aged under 16 years and 17.4% were aged 60 and over
  • 48.1% of the population were male and 51.9% were female
  • 61.5% were from a Catholic background and 36.3% were from a Protestant
    Protestantism
    Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...

     background
  • 5.2% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.


For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

Climate

As with the rest of the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...

, Enniskillen experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest official Met Office
Met Office
The Met Office , is the United Kingdom's national weather service, and a trading fund of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...

 weather station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...

 for which online records are available is at Lough Navar Forest, about 8.5 miles North West of Enniskillen. Data has also more recently been collected from Enniskillen Airport/ St Angelo, under 4 miles to the North of the town centre, which should, in time, give a more accurate representation of the climate of the Enniskillen area.

The absolute maximum temperature is 29.8 °C (85.6 °F), recorded during July 2006. In an 'average' year, the warmest day is 25.5 °C (77.9 °F) and only 2.4 days a year should rise to 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above. The respective absolute maximum for St Angelo is 29.4 °C (84.9 °F)

The absolute minimum temperature is -12.9 C, recorded during January 1984. In an 'average' year, the coldest night should fall to -8.2 C. Lough Navar is a frosty location, with some 76 air frosts recorded in a typical year. It is likely Enniskillen town centre is significantly less frosty than this. The absolute minimum at St Angelo is -14.5 C, reported during the record cold month of December 2010.

The warmest month on record at St Angelo was August 1995 with a mean temperature of 18.8 °C (65.8 °F) (mean maximum 23.3 °C (73.9 °F), mean minimum 12.9 °C (55.2 °F), while the coldest month was December 2010, with a mean temperature of -1.8 C (mean maximum 2.9 °C (37.2 °F), mean minimum -5.9 C.

Rainfall is high, averaging over 1500mm. 212 days of the year report at least 1mm of precipitation, ranging from 15 days during April, May and June, to 20 days in October, November, December, January and March.

Places of interest

  • Ardhowen Theatre
  • Castle Coole
    Castle Coole
    Castle Coole is a townland and a late-18th-century neo-classical mansion situated in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.Set in a 1200 acre wooded estate, it is one of three properties owned and managed by the National Trust in County Fermanagh, the others being Florence Court and the...

  • Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School
  • Cole's
    Earl of Enniskillen
    Earl of Enniskillen is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1789 for William Cole, 1st Viscount Enniskillen. He had already been created Viscount Enniskillen in the Peerage of Ireland in 1776 and had inherited the title Baron Mount Florence, of Florence Court in the County of...

     Monument
  • Enniskillen Castle
    Enniskillen Castle
    Enniskillen Castle is situated in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It was originally built in the 16th century and now houses the Fermanagh County Museum and the regimental museum of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.-History:...

  • Portora Royal School
    Portora Royal School
    Portora Royal School for boys, and some 6th form girls, located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is one of a number of 'free schools' founded by Royal Charter in 1608, by James I...

  • St Macartin's Cathedral
  • The Clinton Centre
    The Clinton Centre
    The Clinton Centre is situated on the site of the Remembrance Day bombing on 8 November 1987 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland when the Provisional Irish Republican Army killed 12 and injured 63 with a time bomb...

  • St. Michael's College (Enniskillen)
  • Fort Lodge Hotel
  • The Round O
  • The Lakeland Forum
  • The Amphibious Flying Club
  • Lakeland Seaplane Tours Ltd

The Diamond

"The Diamond" is the town square
Town square
A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...

. It is located directly beside the Town Hall.

International events

In recent years, Enniskillen has hosted an array of international events, most notably, stages of the World Waterski World Cup annually from 2005 to 2007, at the Broadmeadow. Despite its success, Enniskillen was not chosen as a World Cup Stop for 2008.

Also, a Pro wakeboard competition, 'Wakejam', took place between July 27 and July 29, 2007, where top riders from around the world, as well as local riders, took part in the event, hosted by Erne Wakeboard Club (EWC).

In January 2009, Enniskillen hosted the ceremonial start of Rally Ireland
Rally Ireland
Rally Ireland was a new addition to the FIA World Rally Championship calendar in 2007. It was not part of the 2008 schedule, but returned as the First round of the championship in 2009. The North-South event is the largest sporting occasion on the island of Ireland with over 250,000 spectators and...

 2009, the first stage of the WRC FIA World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...

 2009 Calendar.

Enniskillen Airport is the host venue for Heli Challenge: The Premier Helicopter Championship]. Heli Challenge is an international competition, which tests the skill of some of the best helicopter pilots from across the British Isles. Enniskillen Airport has hosted Heli Challenge in 2009 & 2010. Heli Challenge will return in August 2011.

May 2009 saw the first International Seaplane Festival take place at the Share Centre in Lisnakea, as part of the Fermanagh Seaplane Festival, 10 Seaplanes from across Europe arrived to celebrate the beauty of the Fermanagh Loughs. The day before the festival a number of planes landed in the town of Enniskillen (Dramatic footage of it can be seen on You Tube).

For the past two years, Enniskillen has played host to the Ireland Horizons Unlimited Travelers Meeting, an event that draws motorcyclists from across the country and across Europe. The 2010 HU Ireland meeting raised £506 for Motorcycle Outreach, through the sale of raffle tickets and the generous donation of prizes.

Notable people

The following are former or current residents of the town.
  • Samuel Beckett
    Samuel Beckett
    Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...

    , playwright, educated at Portora Royal School
  • Declan Burns
    Declan Burns
    Declan Burns is an Irish sprint canoer who competed from the mid 1970s to the late 1980s. At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, he was eliminated in the repechages of both the K-2 500 m and the K-4 1000 m events. Four years later in Moscow, Burns was eliminated in the repechages of the K-1 500...

    , Irish Kayaking legend, Three-time Irish Olympic representative and former World Superstars Runner-up
  • Roy Carroll
    Roy Carroll
    Roy Eric Carroll is a Northern Irish footballer who is currently playing for Greek Superleague club OFI Crete. He is a goalkeeper and is best known for his spells at Wigan Athletic and Manchester United, where he won the 2004 FA Cup...

    , goalkeeper who has been capped by Northern Ireland.
  • Harry Chatton
    Harry Chatton
    James Harold "Harry" Chatton , commonly referred to as Harry Chatton, was an Irish footballer who played for several clubs in the Scottish League, the American Soccer League and the League of Ireland. Chatton was a dual internationalist and played for both Ireland teams - the IFA XI and the FAI XI...

    , football player, from the 1920s and 1930s, who was a dual international for both the IFA and FAI Irish international teams.
  • Jim Cleary
    Jim Cleary (Northern Irish footballer)
    James "Jim" Cleary is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played for Enniskillen Rangers, Portadown and Glentoran....

    , former Glentoran footballer and member of Northern Ireland's 1982 World Cup squad.
  • Edward Cooney
    Edward Cooney
    Edward Cooney was an Irish evangelist from the 1890s to the 1950s. He became one of the early leaders of a church founded by William Irvine. Because of his colorful style and public preaching, his name came to be associated with the entire movement...

    , evangelist and early leader of the Cooneyite and Go-Preacher sects, educated at Portora Royal School
    Portora Royal School
    Portora Royal School for boys, and some 6th form girls, located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is one of a number of 'free schools' founded by Royal Charter in 1608, by James I...

  • Adrian Dunbar
    Adrian Dunbar
    Adrian Dunbar is an actor from Northern Ireland, best known for his television and theatre work. Dunbar co-wrote and starred in the 1991 film, Hear My Song, nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the BAFTA awards.-Personal life:...

    , actor, born and brought up in Enniskillen
  • William Emerson (footballer)
    William Emerson (footballer)
    William "Billy" Emerson was a former football player, for Burnley and Glentoran.-Club career:A talented right half, Billy Emerson sprang from the Owen O'Cork club on east Belfast's Beersbridge Road, a little club that reared many young players for its big league neighbours Glentoran.- Glentoran...

    , football player who won 11 caps for Ireland between 1919 and 1923.
  • Claire Falconer
    Claire Falconer
    Claire Falconer is an Irish actress and painter who currently works in Ireland, Italy and United States....

    , actress and painter
  • Nial Fulton
    Nial Fulton
    Nial Fulton is an Irish-born, Australian film and television producer.- Background :Fulton was born in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom and attended Portora Royal School and Queen's University Belfast...

    , film and television producer, educated at Portora Royal School
  • Neil Hannon
    Neil Hannon
    Neil Hannon is a Northern Irish singer and songwriter, best known as the creator and frontman of the chamber pop group The Divine Comedy. The band's official website even goes so far as to say, "The Divine Comedy is Neil Hannon," and Hannon is quoted in an interview as saying, "The Divine Comedy...

    , lead singer/composer of the pop band The Divine Comedy educated at Portora Royal School
    Portora Royal School
    Portora Royal School for boys, and some 6th form girls, located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is one of a number of 'free schools' founded by Royal Charter in 1608, by James I...

  • Frank Hoy
    Frank Hoy
    Frances "Frank" Patrick Hoy was a Scottish professional wrestler who wrestled variously as Wild Angus, Angus Campbell, Black Angus Campbell or Rasputin...

    , professional wrestler, was born in the town
  • Edward Kernan
    Edward Kernan
    The Most Reverend Dr Edward Kernan was a priest in the Diocese of Clogher ordained in 1795. He was appointed the Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Clogher on 18 August 1816 and was ordained on 12 April 1818. He became bishop of the diocese on 19 November 1824, following the death of his...

    , a Roman Catholic bishop
  • Kyle Lafferty
    Kyle Lafferty
    Kyle Lafferty is an Northern Irishassociation footballer who currently plays as a striker for Scottish Premier League side Rangers and the Northern Ireland national team...

    , striker, professional football player for Rangers
    Rangers F.C.
    Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...

     and Northern Ireland
    Northern Ireland
    Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

     international.
  • Charles Lawson
    Charles Lawson
    Charles Lawson is a Northern Irish film and television actor.-Early life and education:He was born Quintin Charles Devenish Lawson in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland,...

    , most notable for playing Jim McDonald
    Jim McDonald (Coronation Street)
    James "Jim" McDonald is a fictional character in the British television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Charles Lawson, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 27 October 1989...

     in Coronation Street
    Coronation Street
    Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...

  • Andrew Little
    Andrew Little (footballer)
    Andrew Little is a Northern Irish footballer who plays for Scottish Premier League club Rangers. He is also a Northern Ireland international....

    , professional football player for Rangers
    Rangers F.C.
    Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...

     and Northern Ireland
    Northern Ireland
    Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

     international.
  • Henry Francis Lyte
    Henry Francis Lyte
    Henry Francis Lyte was a Scottish Anglican divine and hymn-writer.-Youth and education:Henry Francis Lyte was born to Thomas and Anna Maria Lyte on a farm at Ednam, near Kelso, Scotland...

    , hymn composer, most notably Abide With Me
    Abide With Me
    The hymn tune most often used with this hymn is "Eventide" composed by William Henry Monk in 1861.Alternate tunes include:* "Abide with Me," Henry Lyte, 1847* "Morecambe", Frederick C...

    , educated at Portora Royal School
  • Robert Kerr, Olympic 100 m gold medalist in the 1908 Olympics for Canada
  • David McCann
    David McCann
    David McCann is an Irish professional road bicycle racer. He used to cycle for the Taiwan-based UCI Continental team Giant Asia Racing.McCann was the Irish national road race champion in 2000, 2001 and 2006...

    , author of children's books
  • Michael McGovern
    Michael McGovern
    Michael McGovern is a Northern Ireland footballer currently playing for Scottish First Division club Falkirk as a goalkeeper....

    , Northern Ireland
    Northern Ireland
    Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

     international goalkeeper, currently with Falkirk F.C.
    Falkirk F.C.
    Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...

  • Nigel McLoughlin
    Nigel McLoughlin
    Nigel McLoughlin . He is a poet, editor and teacher. He lives in Gloucestershire, England.- Education :He received his early education at St. Michael's College, Enniskillen. He holds a BA in English from the University of London and a Diploma in Irish Language from the University of Ulster...

    , poet, editor of Iota poetry journal and Reader in Creative Writing, University of Gloucestershire
  • Ciarán McMenamin
    Ciarán McMenamin
    Ciarán McMenamin is an Irish actor who is now living in South London. He is best known for playing Matt Anderson, replacing Jason Flemyng as lead on Primeval.- Early life :...

    , television actor
  • Gavin Noble
    Gavin Noble
    Gavin Noble is a Northern Irish professional triathlete.Gavin competes mostly in ITU sanctioned races. He represented Northern Ireland at the 2002 & 2006 Commonwealth Games and Ireland in the European Cup and World Cup campaigns.- Results :- External links :* - Gavin Noble official website...

    , Irish international triathlete
  • Frank Ormsby
    Frank Ormsby
    Francis Arthur Ormsby is a Northern Irish poet.He was educated at St Michael's College, Enniskillen and Queen's University Belfast. He was editor of The Honest Ulsterman from 1969 to 1989, and has also edited the Poetry Ireland Review. Since 1976 he has been Head of English at the Royal Belfast...

    , poet
  • Cathal Owens, Irish Kayaking Champion. Navigated The Erne Shannon Waterway in the 1960s.
  • David Robinson
    David Robinson (photographer)
    David Robinson is a British photographer and publisher.-Biography:Robinson was born in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland...

    , photographer and publisher, educated at Portora Royal School
  • Seán Quinn
    Seán Quinn
    Seán Quinn is an Irish businessman and conglomerateur, now bankrupt. In 2008 he was the richest person in Ireland, but he now has debts...

    , entrepreneur and formerly Ireland's richest man (originally from Derrylin
    Derrylin
    Derrylin is a small 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 423 in the 2001 Census.-History:...

    )
  • Mick Softley
    Mick Softley
    Michael 'Mick' Softley is a British singer/songwriter and guitarist. A figurehead during the British folk scene, Softley set up his own folk club, released three albums and has been known to work with Mac MacLeod , Donovan Leitch and Maddy Prior...

     singer and song writer for Bob Dylan
    Bob Dylan
    Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...

     and Donovan
    Donovan
    Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...

    , currently lives in the town
  • Duke of Westminster
    Duke of Westminster
    The title Duke of Westminster was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. The current holder of the title is Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster....

    , formerly the UK's richest man, brought up at the family's estate at Ely Lodge
  • Oscar Wilde
    Oscar Wilde
    Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...

    , satirist and playwright, educated at Portora Royal School
    Portora Royal School
    Portora Royal School for boys, and some 6th form girls, located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is one of a number of 'free schools' founded by Royal Charter in 1608, by James I...

  • Gordon Wilson
    Gordon Wilson (peace campaigner)
    Gordon Wilson was a draper in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. During The Troubles Wilson was injured and his daughter Marie was killed in the Enniskillen Remembrance Day Bombing on 8 November 1987....

    , peace campaigner and Irish senator
  • Ron Wilson
    Ron Wilson (newsreader)
    Ron Wilson is a news presenter with Network Ten. an Australian television network.WIlson is currently the presenter of Ten Early News and also Ten Morning News on Monday & Tuesday...

     is a news anchor with Network Ten in Australia

Education

There are numerous schools and colleges in and around the Enniskillen area, from primary level to secondary level, including some further education colleges such as the technical college.

Primary level

  • Erne Integrated Primary school
  • Model primary school
  • Holy Trinity Primary School
  • Jones Memorial Primary Schhol
  • Mullnaskea Primary School

Secondary level

  • Erne Integrated College
    Erne Integrated College
    Erne Integrated College is a co-educational integrated secondary school located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland; it lies within the Western Education and Library Board area...

  • Devenish College
    Devenish College
    Devenish College is a secondary school located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It lies within the Western Education and Library Board area. The College came about from the amalgamation of Enniskillen High School and Duke of Westminster High School and opened on a split campus in...

     (a collaboration of Enniskillen High School
    Devenish College
    Devenish College is a secondary school located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It lies within the Western Education and Library Board area. The College came about from the amalgamation of Enniskillen High School and Duke of Westminster High School and opened on a split campus in...

     and the Duke of Westminster College in Kesh
    Kesh, County Fermanagh
    Kesh is a village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is on the Kesh River about from Lower Lough Erne. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 972 people....

    )
  • Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School
    Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School
    The Collegiate Grammar School for girls, Enniskillen is a secondary school located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The school was originally founded under the name the Enniskillen Royal School for Girls. This name was changed when the school was taken over by the Fermanagh...

  • Portora Royal School
    Portora Royal School
    Portora Royal School for boys, and some 6th form girls, located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is one of a number of 'free schools' founded by Royal Charter in 1608, by James I...

  • Mount Lourdes Enniskillen
    Mount Lourdes Enniskillen
    Mount Lourdes Grammar School is a Roman Catholic girls' grammar school in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The school educates Catholic girls from County Fermanagh and surrounding areas. The school is located within the parish of Enniskillen, one of the largest parishes in the...

    ; convent girls grammar school
  • St Michael's College; boys grammar school
  • St Fanchea's College
  • St Joseph's College

Colleges

  • Enniskillen College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise
  • Enniskillen Campus South West College
    South West College
    The South West College operates in Northern Ireland on four campuses in Cookstown, Dungannon, Enniskillen and Omagh and, of the six new area based colleges, it is the smallest in size, but it covers the largest geographical area of counties Tyrone and Fermanagh.The South West College has 18,500...


Transport

Railway lines linked Enniskillen with Derry from 1854, Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...

 from 1861, Bundoran
Bundoran
Bundoran is a town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in the north of Ireland. The town is located on the N15 road near Ballyshannon, 3 hours drive from Dublin and around two and a quarter hours drive from Belfast...

 from 1868 and Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...

 from 1882. By 1883 the Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
The Great Northern Railway was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland.The Great Northern was formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway , Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. The Ulster Railway was the GNRI's oldest constituent, having opened between Belfast and...

 absorbed all the lines except the Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway
Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway
The Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway was an Irish gauge railway in counties Cavan, Fermanagh, Leitrim and Sligo in north-west Ireland.-History:...

, which remained independent throughout its existence. In October 1957 the Government of Northern Ireland
Government of Northern Ireland
The Government of Northern Ireland is, generally speaking, whatever political body exercises political authority over Northern Ireland. A number of separate systems of government exist or have existed in Northern Ireland....

 closed the GNR line, which made it impossible for the SL&NCR continue and forced it also to close.

Enniskillen has an extensive bus service; both Ulsterbus
Ulsterbus
Ulsterbus is a public transport operator in Northern Ireland and operates bus services outside Belfast. It is part of Translink , which also includes Northern Ireland Railways, Metro Belfast and Flexibus.-Services:Ulsterbus is responsible for most of the province-wide bus...

 and Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann provides bus services in Ireland with the exception of those operated entirely within the Dublin Region, which are provided by Dublin Bus. Bus Éireann, established as a separate company in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. The logo of Bus Éireann incorporates a red Irish...

 serve Fermanagh through the main bus station in Enniskillen.

Enniskillen has a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

-era airport, Enniskillen/St Angelo Airport
Enniskillen/St Angelo Airport
Enniskillen/St Angelo Airport is located north of Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Enniskillen/St Angelo Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee .First built and used...

. The airport had scheduled flights in the past, but now serves mainly private traffic. The town is on the main A4
A4 road (Northern Ireland)
The A4 is a major road in Northern Ireland. It travels through County Armagh, County Tyrone and County Fermanagh and continues to Sligo in the Republic of Ireland as the N16....

/N16 route linking Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

 and Sligo, and on the main Dublin to Ballyshannon
Ballyshannon
Ballyshannon is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located where the N3 and N15 cross the River Erne, and claims to be the oldest town in Ireland.-Location:...

 route, the N3/A46
A46 road (Ireland)
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....

/A509
A509 road (Northern Ireland)
The A509 is a road in Northern Ireland. It travels through County Fermanagh and continues to Dublin in the Republic of Ireland as the N3.The road is a single-carriageway primary route, and forms part of a road corridor from Dublin to Ballyshannon via the N3 route in the Republic of Ireland and the...

.

Twinning

Enniskillen is twinned with Bielefeld, Germany. Enniskillen was originally twinned with Brackwede – a Bielefeld suburb – where the Inniskillen Dragoon Guards
5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards
The 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1922 to 1992, when it was amalgmated into the Royal Dragoon Guards.-The beginning:...

 were stationed at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

; however, this suburb was incorporated into Stadt Bielefeld in 1973, the city with which Enniskillen is now officially twinned.
Bielefeld
Bielefeld
Bielefeld is an independent city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold...

, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...

 – Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...


External links

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