Lisnaskea is the second-biggest settlement in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is situated mainly in the townland of Lisoneill, with some areas in the townland of Castle Balfour Demesne, both in the civil parish of Aghalurcher and the historic barony of Magherastephana. It had a population of 2,960 people at the 2011 Census. The nearby monument of Sciath Ghabhra is where the Maguires were crowned as kings and chiefs of Fermanagh. The town developed after the Plantation of Ulster and is built around the long main street. At the middle, the old market place contains a high cross from an early monastery. 19th century buildings include the former market house, corn market and butter market. The Castle Park Leisure Centre is situated just off the main street.
History
The name Lisnaskea comes from Lios na Scéithe meaning "fort of the shield". North of the village, in the townland of Cornashee, is a large burial mound within a round enclosure, which is a scheduled monument. This is believed to be Sciath Ghabhra, the coronation place of the Maguires, who were kings and chiefs of Fermanagh. Nearby is another ringfort known as Lios Uí Néill. The name Lisnaskea may be a combination of the 'lis' element of Lisoneill and 'skea' from Skeagoura. There is also evidence of a much earlier ringfort in the townland of Castle Balfour Demesne, suggesting the area was inhabited from a very early date. The ruins of the old monastery, associated with St Ronan, who died some time before 635 AD, are to the west of the town. In 1618, during the Plantation of Ulster, Castle Balfour was built by Scotsman James, Lord Balfour, and its remains are just off the Main Street of Lisnaskea. In the Irish Rebellion of 1641, it was noted that: "At Lissenskeah they hanged, or otherwise killed, above 100 persons, most of them of the Scottish nation". The castle was altered in 1652 and damaged in 1689, but remained inhabited into the 19th century. It was restored and conserved in the 1960s and 1990s. The village came under the control of the Earls of Erne in 1821. They established the market in the town while bolstering and controlling development around the high street.
Lisnaskea Poor Law Union was formally declared on 27 June 1840, and in August Sir Arthur Brooke was elected Chairman. The workhouse was built on a six-acre site to the south of Lisnaskea purchased from Lord Erne to accommodate 500 inmates, the first of whom were received on 25 February 1843. During 1846, the number of inmates rose from 263 to 817 by the end of the year. In 1847, additional accommodation was erected for 130 inmates. In the early 1920s, during the Troubles of that time, the workhouse was used to house soldiers of the Royal Hampshire Regiment. The workhouse later resumed its operation until 1940 when it was used for men of the 8th Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters. The inmates were transferred to Enniskillen, and in 1948 to Armagh. Eventually, part of the workhouse was used for a time as the headquarters of Lisnaskea Fire Brigade. Later, the buildings were adapted for a mixture of residential and commercial use. A large iron pot, said to have held 300 gallons of gruel, rested at one time in its gardens. In July 2011, part of the upper floor of the building was completely gutted in a fire, believed to be malicious.
Roman Catholic School, closed due to a merge with another school. The site of the school is now used for the newly merged school St Kevin's. The last Principal of St Comghalls secondary school, Gary Kelly is now the current Principal Of St Kevins College Lisnakea
Lisnaskea High School
Lisnaskea High School, the town's only non-Catholic high school, was ordered amalgamated with nearby Devenish College in 2013 by then-Northern Ireland Education Minister John O'Dowd, despite the objections of those associated with the high school. Since then, 75% of the school's students transferred to Devenish College, with the majority of the remaining students transferring equally between Erne Integrated College and Fivemiletown High School.
Libraries
Lisnaskea Library - A new public library was opened in Main Street on 8 April 2015 by Libraries NI at a cost of £1.28m. It is spread over two floors with a special children's library, conference rooms and Wifi access.
Demographics
2001 Census
Lisnaskea is classified as an intermediate settlement by the . On Census day there were 2,739 people living in Lisnaskea. Of these:
23.5% were aged under 16 years and 18.9% were aged 60 and over
46.8% of the population were male and 53.2% were female
74.1% were from a Catholic background and 24.5% were from a Protestant background
7.0% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.
For more details see:
2011 Census
On Census Day the usually resident population of Lisnaskea Settlement was 2,956 accounting for 0.16% of the NI total.
98.51% were from the white ethnic group;
75.61% belong to or were brought up in the Catholic religion and 22.43% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian ' religion; and
23.65% indicated that they had a British national identity, 43.27% had an Irish national identity and 30.82% had a Northern Irish national identity. Respondents could indicate more than one national identity
On Census Day 27 March 2011, in Lisnaskea Settlement, considering the population aged 3 years old and over:
16.21% had some knowledge of Irish;
2.48% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots; and
4.68% did not have English as their first language.
People
Johnny Patterson, circus showman and songwriter lived for a time in the village. He wrote many popular songs including The garden where the praties grow and The stone outside Dan Murphy's door.
