Derrylin

Derrylin (from Irish: Doire Loinn or Floinn, meaning "Oakgrove of Floinn" or "Oakgrove of the blackbirds")[1][2] is a village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is on the A509 road between Enniskillen and the border with County Cavan (the N3 road to Dublin). It had a population of 624 in the 2011 census and is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district.

Derrylin
Derrylin
Location within Northern Ireland
Population634 (2011 Census)
Irish grid referenceH273282
District
County
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Postcode districtBT92
Dialling code028
UK Parliament
NI Assembly

History

The village has several historical features, including the Callowhill graveyard with headstones dating back to the 17th century. Upper Lough Erne is east of the village, and west is the peak of Slieve Rushen. To the northeast is the limestone hill known as Knockninny Rock (from which the Catholic parish and the Civil Barony takes its name).

Corratrasna Castle

On the southern slope of Knockninny Hill, about a mile north of Derrylin village, can be seen the ruins of Corratrasna Castle (or Corratrasna House), a relatively small fortified house that was probably built around 1611, at the start of the Plantation of Ulster.[3][4] The 'castle' was probably built for a branch of the Balfour family, a Scottish settler family who were based at Castle Balfour in nearby Lisnaskea.[5] However, there is a local tradition that claims the 'castle' was built around 1611 for Brian Maguire, a member of the Clan Mac Uidhir (or Maguire dynasty), Gaelic Lords of Fermanagh.[6]

Another local tradition, recorded by the Irish Office of the Ordnance Survey in the 1830s, states that the 'castle' may have been built for Dr William Bedell, who served as the Church of Ireland Bishop of Kilmore in the 1630s and early 1640s.[7] The ruins of the fortified house now sit in a small field, directly behind a modern farmhouse, just off a sideroad in the townland of Corratrasna, quite near Knockninny Methodist Church.[8]

The Troubles
Main article: The Troubles in Derrylin

Transport

Derrylin is a stop on the Donegal-Enniskillen-Cavan-Dublin Airport-Dublin Bus Éireann Expressway route 30 and 30X which run alternatively. There is a coach in each direction every ninety minutes during the day as well as an overnight journey making 13 in all. Recent changes to the route mean that only the 30 bus stops in the village so in effect there is a 3 hour gap in stops.[9][10] Services operate daily including Sundays. Ulsterbus route 58 from Enniskillen to Belturbet via Kinawley also serves Derrylin several times a day Mondays to Saturdays.[11]

Economy

Derrylin is the hometown of former billionaire Seán Quinn who headed up an industrial empire concentrating on building products, glass bottle manufacture and insurance. However a disastrous bet on a dodgy share option led to his downfall and the loss of his business. The building products enterprise is now run by a consortium of local businessmen and called Quinn Industrial Holdings. The glass plant is run by Encirc. Hotels and other assets were also lost although court proceedings are currently underway to sort out the tangle. The business is trading successfully and employs about 2000 people locally and putting substantial income into the area. Other local businesses include; McCaffrey Quarries, Ernecast (Precast conc. products), Crust'n'Crumb, Teemore Engineering, Steel Solutions, Ernco Signs, Erne Lifting, A1 Transport(Road Haulage), Eco Systems Direct (Solar Energy, Gilleece Crane Hire, Total IT Solutions, McCorry Agri Supplies, JP Corry Hardware, Blake's Pub and restaurant, The Mountview Pub, Knockninney Country House and Marina, JM Engineering (Pig Pens and Lorry Accessories), Drum Engineering, Barrett's Bathrooms & Tiles, Malone and Smyth Kitchens and Furniture, Lunneys Furniture Sales, Corraquil Cruising, and a full range of small family run businesses including shops, accountants, pharmacy, childcare, schools, churches and sheltered housing for senior citizens. .

Education

Derrylin is home to St Aidan's High School and St Ninnidh's Primary School and Kindertee Community Playgroup.

Sport

Historically Some of the First GAA clubs in Fermanagh/Cavan and Ulster were located in the Derrylin/Ballyconnell and surrounding Areas. At one stage before World War I(When Derrylin had a fairly high population) there were as many as 5 teams in the Derrylin area itself. "Knockninney Harps" A Team that existed in the 1920s and 1930s won 2 County Senior Championships with a team that included the great McDonnell Brothers. Some time later due to mainly immigration, there was no team in Derrylin and star players such as Paddy Maguire and Sonny Gunn instead played for Lisnaskea, who were a very successful team from the 1930 through to the 1950s. Derrylin is the current homeplace of Derrylin O'Connells GAA Club which fields teams at all age groups up to adult. Currently there are eight teams registered. The club crest features a Blackbird perched on an oak leaf (reflecting the village nomenclature). A ladies football team called Knockninny Gaels is also based there. The Erne Boxing Club has its training facility in the village and the recently organised Rock Runners athletic club currently uses the facilities of the GAA Club.

Demographics

2011 Census

On Census Day (27 March 2011) the usually resident population of Derrylin Settlement was 634 accounting for 0.04% of the NI total.[12] On Census Day 27 March 2011, in Derrylin Settlement, considering the resident population:

  • 98.90% were from the white (including Irish Traveller) ethnic group;
  • 87.85% belong to or were brought up in the Catholic religion and 10.41% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' religion; and
  • 12.62% indicated that they had a British national identity, 52.05% had an Irish national identity and 26.50% had a Northern Irish national identity.

Respondents could indicate more than one national identity

On Census Day 27 March 2011, in Derrylin Settlement, considering the population aged 3 years old and over:

  • 19.02% had some knowledge of Irish;
  • 3.06% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots; and
  • 11.38% did not have English as their first language.

References
  1. "Placenames Database of Ireland". Logainm.ie. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  2. Archived 2 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Rowan, Alistair, The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster (popularly known as the Pevsner Guide to North West Ulster), pps 226-227. Yale, London, 2003.
  4. Wilsdon, Bill, Plantation Castles on the Erne, pps 166-168. The History Press Ireland, Dublin, 2010.
  5. Rowan, Alistair, The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster, p. 226. Yale, London, 2003.
  6. Wilsdon, Bill, Plantation Castles on the Erne, p. 166. The History Press Ireland, Dublin, 2010.
  7. Wilsdon, Bill, Plantation Castles on the Erne, p. 166. The History Press Ireland, Dublin, 2010.
  8. Wilsdon, Bill, Plantation Castles on the Erne, p. 166. The History Press Ireland, Dublin, 2010.
  9. (Bus Eireann timetable)
  10. "Bus Éireann : Table No.30 : Dublin - Airport - Cavan - Dinegal" (PDF). buseireann.ie. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  11. "Timetables". Translink. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  12. "Census 2011 Population Statistics for Derrylin Settlement". NINIS. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
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