Enniskillen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Enniskillen Scots: Inniskillin Irish: Inis Ceithleann
Enniskillen castle
Enniskillen
Population	14,086 (2021 Census)
Irish grid reference	H240440
• Belfast	88 miles (142 km)
• Dublin	89 mi (143 km)
District	Fermanagh and Omagh
County	County Fermanagh
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ENNISKILLEN
Postcode district	BT74, BT92-94
Dialling code	028
Police	Northern Ireland
Fire	Northern Ireland
Ambulance	Northern Ireland
EU Parliament	Northern Ireland
UK Parliament	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
NI Assembly	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
Website	www.enniskillen.com
List of places UK Northern Ireland Fermanagh 54°20′41″N 07°38′20″W / 54.34472°N 7.63889°W / 54.34472; -7.63889

Enniskillen (pronounced EN-iss-KIL-ən) is the biggest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It sits right in the middle of the county, between the two parts of Lough Erne, a large lake. In 2011, about 14,086 people lived there.

Enniskillen Castle was built in the 1400s by the Maguire family. Later, in the early 1600s, the English took control of it. The town and castle grew bigger during a time called the Plantation of Ulster. Enniskillen is also the main town of Fermanagh and used to be where the local government met.

What's in a Name?

The name Enniskillen comes from the Irish words Inis Ceithleann. This means 'Cethlenn's island'. Cethlenn is a character from Irish mythology, possibly a goddess.

Local stories say that Cethlenn was hurt in a battle. She tried to swim across the River Erne, which goes around the island. But she didn't make it to the other side. So, the island was named after her. Over hundreds of years, the name has been spelled in many different ways.

A Look Back in Time

Early Days of Enniskillen

The oldest building in town is Enniskillen Castle. It was built by Hugh Maguire, who passed away in 1428. The castle was a strong base for a part of the Maguire family. Around 1580, the first watergate was built. This was a gate that opened onto the water.

The castle's location was very important. The English wanted to control Ulster, so they tried to capture the castle in 1593. They finally took it in 1607. This was part of a bigger plan to bring Ulster under English rule.

Building the Town

After the English took control, the lands of the native Irish were given to new settlers. A man named William Cole, from England, was put in charge. He was told to build an English settlement there.

Captain Cole made the castle stronger and built a nice house inside it. This became the center of the county town. The first Protestant church was built in 1627. A famous school, the Portora Royal School, moved to the island in 1643. At first, the bridges to the island were drawbridges, which could be pulled up. Permanent bridges were built after 1688.

Enniskillen's Role in History

By 1689, Enniskillen had grown a lot. During a conflict between King James II and William III, Enniskillen and Derry were important places for those who supported William III. This included the nearby Battle of Newtownbutler.

Because of this conflict, Enniskillen became not just a market town but also a military base. It was home to two army groups. The old Enniskillen Gaol (jail) is now part of the South West College.

Military Connections

Enniskillen Castle

Enniskillen is famous for being the starting place of two British Army regiments:

• Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
• The Inniskillings (6th Dragoons)

The town's name is still part of the name of The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment).

The Troubles

Enniskillen was affected by a period of conflict in Northern Ireland known as The Troubles. A very sad event happened on Remembrance Day when 11 people were killed.

Fun Facts and Culture

• The Irish singer Tommy Makem wrote a happy song about Enniskillen.
• The band The Chieftains also mention Enniskillen in their song "North Amerikay".
• An Irish language novel called Mo Dhá Mhicí by Séamus Mac Annaidh is set in Enniskillen.

Enniskillen Registry Office

Who Lives in Enniskillen?

2021 Census Information

In 2021, there were 14,086 people living in Enniskillen.

• About 61.5% were raised in the Catholic Christian faith.
• About 29.1% were raised in various Protestant and other Christian faiths.
• About 2.2% belonged to other religions, and 7.2% had no religious background.

When asked about their national identity:

• 22.8% said they had a British-only identity.
• 34.7% said they had an Irish-only identity.
• 26.4% said they had a Northern Irish-only identity. (People could choose more than one identity.)

2011 Census Information

In 2011, there were 13,823 people living in Enniskillen.

• Almost 20% were under 16 years old.
• About 15.6% were 65 years or older.
• More than half (51.8%) of the people were female.
• About 61.6% were Catholic, and 33.6% were Protestant or other Christian.
• About 35.6% felt British, 33.8% felt Irish, and 30.4% felt Northern Irish.
• The average age of people living there was 39 years.
• About 13% knew some Irish language (Gaelic).
• About 3.6% knew some Ulster-Scots.

Places to Visit

Churches to See

There are four churches in the town center:

• St. Macartin's Cathedral (Church of Ireland) was built in 1840.
• St. Michael's Church (Catholic) was built in 1875.
• Enniskillen Methodist Church opened in 1867.
• Enniskillen Presbyterian Church was built in 1897.

Historic Buildings and Sites

Many interesting old buildings are in or near Enniskillen:

• Castle Coole
• Cole's Monument
• Enniskillen Castle
• Enniskillen Town Hall
• Enniskillen Courthouse (built in 1785)
• Florence Court (an 18th-century house)
• Monea Castle
• Portora Castle
• The Regimental Museum of the Inniskilling Regiment

Natural Wonders

• The Marble Arch Caves are amazing underground caves.
• Cuilcagh Mountain Global Geo-Park is a special area with unique geology.
• Lough Navar and the Cliffs of Magho offer beautiful views.

Other Interesting Spots

• Ardhowen Theatre
• The Clinton Centre
• The Round O
• William Blake's pub (an old public house)

Sports in Enniskillen

Football Fun

Enniskillen has five association football (soccer) teams. Enniskillen Rangers is the oldest and most successful, started in 1953. They have won the Irish Junior Cup five times! Their home games are at The Ball Range.

Enniskillen Town United F.C. also plays in the local league. A famous player from their team is Michael McGovern, who played for Northern Ireland.

Rugby Excitement

Enniskillen Rugby Football Club started in 1925. They play their home games at Mullaghmeen. The club has many teams, including senior men's and ladies' teams, youth teams, and a special disability tag team called The Enniskillen Elks. In 2019, the Enniskillen XV team won the Ulster Towns Cup.

Gaelic Games

Enniskillen Gaels is a Gaelic Athletic Association club. It was founded in 1927 and is based at Brewster Park. The club has been successful in both Gaelic football and hurling competitions.

Big Events in Enniskillen

Enniskillen hosted the 39th G8 summit on June 17 and 18, 2013. This was a meeting of leaders from eight major countries. It took place at the Lough Erne Resort. It was the biggest international meeting ever held in Northern Ireland. Leaders like David Cameron (UK), Barack Obama (USA), Angela Merkel (Germany), and Vladimir Putin (Russia) attended.

In the past, Enniskillen also hosted parts of the World Waterski World Cup from 2005 to 2007. In 2009, it was the starting point for Rally Ireland, a big car rally. Since 2012, Enniskillen has held the Happy Days arts festival. This festival celebrates the work of writer Samuel Beckett, who won a Nobel Prize.

Famous People from Enniskillen

Many talented people have come from or lived in Enniskillen:

• Samuel Beckett, a famous writer, went to school here.
• Nathan Carter, a singer.
• Adrian Dunbar, an actor, grew up in Enniskillen.
• Neil Hannon, lead singer of The Divine Comedy band.
• Charles Lawson, an actor known for Coronation Street.
• Lisa McHugh, a country music singer.
• Oscar Wilde, a famous writer and satirist, went to school here.
• James Gamble, who helped start Procter & Gamble.
• Denis Burkitt, a well-known surgeon.
• Several Victoria Cross winners, like Eric Bell.
• Henry Francis Lyte, who wrote the hymn "Abide With Me".
• Robert Baloucoune, a rugby player for Ireland.
• Roy Carroll, a goalkeeper who played for Manchester United F. C. and Northern Ireland.
• Jim Cleary, a footballer who played in the 1982 World Cup.
• Robert Kerr, who won an Olympic gold medal in 1908.
• Kyle Lafferty, a professional football player for Rangers F. C. and Northern Ireland.
• Michael McGovern, a former Northern Ireland international goalkeeper.
• Kieran McKenna, a football manager.

Learning in Enniskillen

The old Enniskillen Model School, now used as the Fermanagh office of the Western Education and Library Board (WELB)

Enniskillen has many schools and colleges for all ages:

Primary Schools

• Enniskillen Integrated Primary School
• Model Primary School
• Holy Trinity Primary School
• Jones Memorial Primary School
• Mullnaskea Primary School

Secondary Schools

• Erne Integrated College
• Devenish College
• Enniskillen Royal Grammar School
• Mount Lourdes Enniskillen (girls' grammar school)
• St Michael's College (boys' grammar school)
• St Fanchea's College
• St Joseph's College

Colleges

• Enniskillen Campus of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE)
• Enniskillen Campus South West College

Getting Around Enniskillen

Past and Present Rail Travel

In the past, railway lines connected Enniskillen to places like Derry, Dundalk, Bundoran, and Sligo. These lines closed in 1957.

Today, the closest train station is Sligo station. From there, you can take a train to Dublin Connolly. A connecting bus service runs from Sligo to Enniskillen.

Bus Services

Buses are a main way to travel to and from Enniskillen. Ulsterbus and Bus Éireann provide services from Enniskillen bus station. You can take a bus from Belfast to Enniskillen. There's also a route from Donegal to Dublin Airport/Dublin City that stops in Enniskillen.

Air Travel

Enniskillen has a World War II-era airport, Enniskillen/St Angelo Airport. It used to have regular flights but now mostly serves private planes.

Roads

The town is on the main A4/N16 route, which connects Belfast and Sligo. It's also on the main route from Dublin to Ballyshannon.

Twin Town Connections

Enniskillen used to be twinned with Brackwede, a suburb of Bielefeld in Germany. This started in the 1950s. Now, Enniskillen is officially twinned with the city of Bielefeld.

Even though there were talks about ending the twinning in 2018, the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council still plans to send people to Brackwede for the 60th-anniversary celebrations. So, the future of this partnership is a bit unclear.

Enniskillen's Weather

Enniskillen has a maritime climate, like most of Britain and Ireland. This means it has cool summers and mild winters. The nearest weather station is at Lough Navar Forest, about 8.5 miles northwest of the town.

The hottest temperature ever recorded was 29.8°C (85.6°F) in July 2006. The coldest was -12.9°C (8.8°F) in January 1984. It rains quite a lot, with over 1500 mm (59 inches) of rain each year. On average, it rains at least 1 mm on 212 days a year.

Images for kids

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  Enniskillen's main street in 2004

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  Enniskillen Castle

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  Enniskillen in the late 19th century

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  Enniskillen Town Hall

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  St. Michael's Church, Enniskillen

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  Methodist Church, Enniskillen

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  Cole's Monument, Enniskillen

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  Enniskillen Courthouse

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  Portora Castle

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  ArdhowenTheatre, Enniskillen

• 

  William Blake Pub, Enniskillen

See also

In Spanish: Enniskillen para niños