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Devenish Island, County Fermanagh
Photograph: Mole2k at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Province of Ulster

County Fermanagh

Fear Manach

“far MAN-akh” · men of Manach, from fear (man) + Manach

Known as The Lakeland County. For Lough Erne, upper and lower, which take up so much of the county that Fermanagh is often said to be half water. Devenish Island and its round tower sit in the middle of it.

Did you know? On Boa Island in Lough Erne stands a two-faced stone figure thought to date from the Iron Age, perhaps older than Christianity in Ireland. Nobody knows which god, or gods, it shows.
A fact like this for every county and every age →

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Fermanagh by the numbers
Ulster province 63,585 people · 2021 census 1,691 km² · 25th of 32 by size County town Enniskillen -26% in the Famine · 156,481 people in 1841, 116,047 in 1851 8 baronies · 2,305 townlands 27 surnames 3 towns on the site 6,020 Irish speakers · 2021 Highest point Cuilcagh, 665 m 0 senior All-Irelands 30 notable people born here Everything on the site about Fermanagh ↓
Carlow Cavan Cork Donegal Dublin Clare Galway Kerry Kildare Kilkenny Laois Leitrim Limerick Longford Louth Mayo Meath Monaghan Offaly Roscommon Sligo Tipperary Waterford Westmeath Wexford Wicklow Antrim Armagh Down Fermanagh Londonderry Tyrone

Open the atlas ↗

The history of Fermanagh

The Menapii are the only Celtic tribe on Ptolemy's map whose later home can be followed: they settled around Lough Erne as the Fir Manach, who gave their name to Fermanagh and Monaghan. The Annals of Ulster, covering the years 431 to 1540, were written on Belle Isle on Lough Erne. Fermanagh was the country of the Maguires, whose line of chiefs begins with Donn Carrach Maguire, who died in 1302.

The county was created under Elizabeth I but brought under English government only by the Plantation of Ulster, when Hugh Maguire's lands were confiscated and divided between Scottish and English undertakers, servitors and some native Irish. When the Great Northern Railway's lines closed in 1957, Fermanagh became the first county in the UK, other than islands, with no railway at all.

Drawn from the History section of the Wikipedia article on County Fermanagh ↗, rewritten here and adding nothing it does not say; licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. The chronology above is this site's own; where the two differ, the article is the one to check.

The land — from Wikipedia

Fermanagh spans an area of 1,851 km2 (715 sq; mi), accounting for 13.2% of the landmass of Northern Ireland. Nearly a third of the county is covered by lakes and waterways, including Upper and Lower Lough Erne and the River Erne. Forests cover 14% of the landmass (42,000 hectares). It is the only county in Northern Ireland that does not border Lough Neagh.

Fermanagh is by far the least populous of Northern Ireland's six counties, with just over one-third the population of Tyrone, the next least populous county.

It is approximately from Belfast and from Dublin. The county town, Enniskillen, is the largest settlement in Fermanagh, situated in the middle of the county.

Places of interest

Agriculture and tourism are two of the most important industries in Fermanagh. The main types of farming in the area are beef, dairy, sheep, pigs and some poultry. Most of the agricultural land is used as grassland for grazing and silage or hay rather than for other crops.

The waterways are extensively used by cabin cruisers, other small pleasure craft and anglers. The main town of Fermanagh is Enniskillen (, 'Ceithleann's island'). The island town hosts a range of attractions including the Castle Coole Estate and Enniskillen Castle, which is home to the museum of The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. Fermanagh is also home to The Boatyard Distillery, a distillery producing gin.

Read the full article ↗ · Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Clans & surnames of Fermanagh
Bannon Ó Banáin Gaelic septs (several) · “descendant of Banán, a diminutive of bán, ‘white’” Beattie Biadhtach (source) Ulster Scots / Gaelic · “from Bartholomew — or Irish biadhtach, 'public hospitaller'” Bell — Ulster Scots · “at the bell, or 'the handsome' (bel)” Breslin Ó Breisleáin Gaelic learned family · “descendant of Breasal — the meaning of the personal name is not securely known” Cassidy Ó Caiside Gaelic learned family · “descendant of Caiside, 'curly-haired'” Corcoran Ó Corcráin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Corcrán, 'purple-faced'” Corrigan Ó Corragáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Corragán” Devine Ó Daimhín Gaelic sept · “descendant of Daimhín” Flanagan Ó Flannagáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Flannagán, 'little red one'” Graham — Ulster Scots (Border) · “from Grantham, Lincolnshire — 'gravelly homestead'” Johnston Mac Seáin (sometimes) Ulster Scots (Border) · “John's town” Keaveney Mac Géibheannaigh Gaelic sept · “son of Géibheannach, 'fettered'” Keenan Ó Cianáin Gaelic learned family · “descendant of Cianán, a diminutive of Cian, 'ancient'” Kiernan Mac Tighearnáin Gaelic sept · “son of Tighearnán, 'little lord'” Lennon Ó Leannáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Leannán, 'lover' or 'sweetheart'” Lunney Ó Luinigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Luineach” Maguire Mag Uidhir Gaelic dynasty · “son of Odhar, 'the dun-coloured'” Mangan Ó Mongáin Gaelic septs (several) · “descendant of Mongán, a diminutive of mongach, ‘hairy’” McCaffrey Mac Gafraidh Gaelic sept · “son of Godfrey” McElroy Mac Giolla Rua Gaelic sept · “son of the red-haired youth” McGoldrick Mag Ualghairg Gaelic sept · “son of Ualgharg, ‘proud-fierce’” McGrath Mac Craith Gaelic learned family · “son of Mac Raith, 'son of grace'” McManus Mac Mághnais Gaelic sept · “son of Magnus — from Latin magnus, 'great'” Meehan Ó Miadhacháin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Miadhachán, 'the honourable'” Moroney Ó Maolruanaidh Gaelic septs (several) · “descendant of Maolruanaidh, ‘follower of Ruanaidh’” Muldoon Ó Maoldúin Gaelic septs (several) · “descendant of Maoldúin, ‘chief of the fort’” Rooney Ó Ruanaidh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Ruanadh, 'the champion'”

Tap a name for its full page — story, homeland map and neighbours. Or see all surnames from County Fermanagh, with the other counties each name is tied to.

Towns, saints and legends of Fermanagh

Towns. Enniskillen Inis Ceithleann (14,120, 2021), Lisnaskea Lios na Scéithe, Belleek Béal Leice. What every town name means →

Legends set here. Lough Erne — Érne’s flight. On the atlas →

Irish in Fermanagh today

At the 2021 census, 6,020 people in Fermanagh aged 3 and over said they could speak Irish, and 2,703 could speak, read, write and understand it. 1,216 speak it daily, and for 138 it is their main language.

NISRA, Census 2021, Flexible Table Builder (county geography, built by NISRA from Data Zones; Belfast is split between Antrim and Down). All six counties →

The top of Fermanagh

Cuilcagh (Binn Chuilceach), 665 metres, in the Breifne Mountains, on the county boundary and shared with a neighbouring county.

Rivers and loughs: River Erne, Lower Lough Erne, Upper Lough Erne, Lough Melvin.

MountainViews, via Wikipedia. Every county's highest point → · Rivers and loughs →

Fermanagh in the All-Ireland

Hurling: no senior title.
Football: no senior title.

Every county's All-Ireland titles →

Born in Fermanagh

From Wikidata: people whose recorded birthplace is in the county, who have a Wikipedia article and are no longer living, with dates shown only where the article confirms them, ordered by how many languages Wikipedia covers them in. Traditional birthplaces of early saints are as Wikidata records them. Dates are left off where the sources disagree.

People in Fermanagh, census by census

Fermanagh had 156,481 people in 1841 and has 63,585 now (-59%). Its peak was 156,481 in 1841; its low point 49,886 in 1966, -68% of 1841. It has never regained the population it had before the Famine.

18211831184118511861187118811891190119111926193719511961196619711981199120012011
130,997149,763156,481116,047105,76892,79484,87974,17065,43061,83657,98454,56953,04451,53149,88650,25551,59454,03357,52761,805

Census returns as tabulated in the county's Wikipedia article. All 32 counties, 1821 to today →

Hidden Fermanagh — the places the buses miss
  • Boa Island figures
    Two-faced 'Janus' idols in a Lough Erne graveyard, thought to date from the Iron Age, perhaps older than Christianity in Ireland. Which god they show, nobody knows.
On the ground in Fermanagh
  • Devenish I · round tower · complete · 25 m
  • Devenish II · round tower · incomplete · 0.5 m
  • Drumskinny · stone circle
  • 9 castles · Belle Isle Castle, Castle Balfour, Crevenish Castle, Crom Castle, Monea castle and more

Every pin is placed by its documented coordinates. All the monuments of Ireland →

Everything on the site about County Fermanagh

The county

History

Monuments and heritage

Coast and country

People and culture

Quick answers
What is the Irish name for County Fermanagh?

Fear Manach. Fermanagh is one of the 9 counties of Ulster (Cúige Uladh).

Who ruled County Fermanagh in the Middle Ages?

Around 1014 it was held by Airgíalla (Oriel); by 1450, Fermanagh (Maguire). The full era-by-era chronology is on this page.

What surnames come from County Fermanagh?

Names historically associated with Fermanagh include Bannon, Beattie, Bell, Breslin, Cassidy, Corcoran, Corrigan, Devine, among others.

What does Fear Manach mean?

Fear Manach, said “far MAN-akh”, means men of Manach — from fear (man) + Manach. A people, not a place: the Fir Manach who held the land around Lough Erne.

What is the population of County Fermanagh?

63,585 at the 2021 census, against 156,481 in 1841, before the Famine.

What is the county town of Fermanagh?

Enniskillen. County Fermanagh covers about 1,691 km², which makes it the 25th largest of the 32 counties.

Who are famous people from County Fermanagh?

Among the best-known people born in Fermanagh are Andrew Graham, John Armstrong, Basil Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough, Edward Daly, John Joseph Lynch, Hugo Hamilton of Hageby. The full list, with their birthplaces, is on this page.

What did the Famine do to County Fermanagh?

The census counted 156,481 people in Fermanagh in 1841 and 116,047 in 1851: a change of -26% in ten years, through death and emigration.

Sources for this page

A clean copy for school projects or the family file; collapsed sections print in full.

The chronology of who held the county is this site's own reading of the standard histories onto today's county borders, and says so where the fit is rough. Quoted passages are marked and licensed. Spotted an error? Say so — corrections are credited.

Trace your ancestors in Fermanagh

Free, from the holding institutions. How to begin: the six-step guide → · Spotted an error on this page? Suggest a correction.