Lisnaskea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lisnaskea Irish: Lios na Scéithe
Lisnaskea
Population	3,020 (2021 Census)
Irish grid reference	H3634
District	Fermanagh and Omagh
County	County Fermanagh
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ENNISKILLEN
Postcode district	BT92
Dialling code	028
EU Parliament	Northern Ireland
UK Parliament	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
NI Assembly	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
List of places UK Northern Ireland Fermanagh 54°15′00″N 7°26′31″W / 54.25°N 7.442°W / 54.25; -7.442

Lisnaskea (which means "fort of the shield" in Irish) is the second-largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is mostly located in the area called Lisoneill, with some parts in Castle Balfour Demesne. Both are in the civil parish of Aghalurcher and the historic barony of Magherastephana. In the 2021 Census, 3,020 people lived there.

Near Lisnaskea is a special monument called Sciath Ghabhra. This was where the Maguire family were crowned as kings and chiefs of Fermanagh long ago. The town grew after the Plantation of Ulster, and it is built around a long main street. In the middle of the town, there is an old market place, once called The Diamond. It has a high cross from an early monastery. Buildings from the 1800s include the old market house, corn market, and butter market. The Castle Park Leisure Centre is also close to the main street.

History of Lisnaskea

Lisnaskea was once the main home of the Maguire Clan. Because of its important location, the town was often taken over by different groups throughout history. The remains of Castle Balfour are just off the Main Street. This castle was built around 1618 by James, Lord Balfour. It was changed in 1652 and damaged in 1689, but people lived in it until the 1800s. The castle was repaired and looked after in the 1960s and 1990s.

In 1821, the Earls of Erne took control of the village. They started the market in the town and helped control how the high street developed. There is also proof of a much older ringfort (a circular fort) in the Castle Balfour Demesne area. Scientists used radiocarbon dating and found it was built between 359 and 428 AD. This shows that people lived in the area a very long time ago. The ruins of an old monastery, linked to St Ronan who died before 635 AD, are to the west of the town.

The Workhouse

The Lisnaskea Poor Law Union was officially started on 27 June 1840. In August, Sir Arthur Brooke became its Chairman. A workhouse was built for over £6,400 on a six-acre piece of land south of Lisnaskea. This land was bought from Lord Erne. The workhouse could hold 500 people. The first people arrived on 25 February 1843.

During 1846, the number of people living there grew from 263 to 817 by the end of the year. In 1847, more space was added for 130 people. In the early 1920s, the workhouse was used to house soldiers. It then went back to being a workhouse until 1940. After that, it was used for soldiers again. The people living in the workhouse were moved to other towns. Later, part of the workhouse became the headquarters for the Lisnaskea Fire Brigade. Today, the buildings are used for homes and businesses. In July 2011, a fire damaged part of the top floor of the building.

Sports in Lisnaskea

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is very popular in Fermanagh. The Lisnaskea Emmetts team has always been strong in Gaelic football. They have won 20 Fermanagh Senior Football Championship titles. They also have successful ladies' football and hurling teams.

The Emmetts have won many awards in the sport. This includes the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Football Championship in 2011. Their ladies' team won the same award later that year. The team colors are red and green. Many players from Lisnaskea Emmetts have also played for the Fermanagh GAA and Ulster Railway Cup team.

Climate

Just like the rest of the British Isles, Lisnaskea has a maritime climate. This means it has cool summers and mild winters.

Education

Lisnaskea has several schools for different age groups.

Primary Schools

• St Eugene's Knocks Primary School
• The Moat Primary School
• St Ronan's Primary School

Secondary Schools

• St Kevin's Secondary School

St Comghalls Secondary School

St Comghalls Secondary School was a Roman Catholic school that operated from 1970 to 2017. It closed because it merged with another school. The land where it stood is now used for the new merged school, St Kevin's. The last Principal of St Comghalls, Gary Kelly, is now the current Principal of St Kevins College Lisnakea.

Lisnaskea High School

Lisnaskea High School was the town's only non-Catholic high school. In 2013, the Northern Ireland Education Minister, John O'Dowd (from Sinn Féin), ordered it to merge with Devenish College. This happened even though people connected to the high school did not agree. After the merger, most of the students (75%) moved to Devenish College. The rest of the students went to Erne Integrated College and Fivemiletown High School.

Libraries

A new public library opened on Main Street on 8 April 2015. It was built by Libraries NI and cost £1.28 million. The library has two floors, a special children's library, meeting rooms, and Wi-Fi access.

Population Information

2021 Census Data

On Census Day in 2021, the population of Lisnaskea was 3,020 people.

• About 76% of people were raised in the Catholic religion.
• About 19% of people were raised in a Protestant or other Christian religion.
• When asked about their national identity:
  • About 16.6% said they had only a British identity.
  • About 47.2% said they had only an Irish identity.
  • About 22.9% said they had only a Northern Irish identity.

2011 Census Data

On Census Day in 2011, Lisnaskea had 2,956 residents.

• Almost all (98.5%) were from the white ethnic group.
• About 75.6% were raised in the Catholic religion.
• About 22.4% were raised in a Protestant or other Christian religion.
• When asked about their national identity (people could choose more than one):
  • About 23.7% chose British national identity.
  • About 43.3% chose Irish national identity.
  • About 30.8% chose Northern Irish national identity.

Also, in 2011, for people aged 3 and over:

• About 16.2% knew some Irish.
• About 2.5% knew some Ulster-Scots.
• About 4.7% did not have English as their first language.

2001 Census Data

In 2001, 2,739 people lived in Lisnaskea.

• About 23.5% were under 16 years old.
• About 18.9% were 60 years old or older.
• About 46.8% of the population were male, and 53.2% were female.
• About 74.1% were from a Catholic background.
• About 24.5% were from a Protestant background.
• About 7% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.

Famous People from Lisnaskea

• The Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (born 1970): She was the former First Minister of Northern Ireland and a leader of the DUP. She moved to Lisnaskea when she was 9 and spent her childhood and teenage years there.
• Rachel Horne (born 1979): A journalist and newsreader for Virgin Radio UK. She used to work for BBC News. She grew up near Lisnaskea and is married to comedian Alex Horne.
• Seán Lynch (born 1954): A Sinn Féin politician who was a member of the Assembly for Fermanagh and South Tyrone from 2011 to 2021. He grew up on the edge of Lisnaskea and still lives in the town.
• Áine Murphy: A Sinn Féin politician who has been a member of the Assembly for Fermanagh and South Tyrone since 2011. She is from Lisnaskea.
• Johnny Patterson (1840-1889): A circus showman and songwriter who lived in the village for a time. He wrote many popular songs like The garden where the praties grow.

Transport

The Lisnaskea railway station opened on 26 August 1858. It closed on 1 October 1957. The station was first opened by the Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway. This company later became the Irish North Western Railway. In 1876, it became part of the Great Northern Railway (Ireland).

See also

A friendly robot for kids!

In Spanish: Lisnaskea para niños