Irvinestown
| Irvinestown | |
| Fermanagh, Tyrone | |
|---|---|
 Irvinestown | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | H235582 |
| Location: | 54°28’16"N, 7°38’2"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 1,801 (2001) |
| Post town: | Enniskillen |
| Postcode: | BT94 |
| Dialling code: | 028 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Fermanagh and Omagh |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Fermanagh and South Tyrone |
Irvinestown is a village in Fermanagh, on the border with Tyrone. It had a population of 1,801 people in the 2001 Census. The most notable building is a ruined 18th-century church.
History
The village was founded during the Plantation in 1618 by Sir Gerald Lowther and named Lowtherstown. Ownership later passed to the Irvines of Dumfries and the new name was adopted accordingly after them.
Places of interest
- Nearby is Necarne Castle, which is now an equestrian school – Necarne Castle Equestrian School.
- The village also boasts the annual Lady of The Lake Festival, a large 10 day summer festival and carnival which begins on the first Friday following the 12th of July. It is the largest cross-community Festival to be held in Northern Ireland and is named after the mythical figure which is said to appear gliding over the waters of Lower Lough Erne, wearing a flowing blue gown and carrying a bunch of flowers. The Lady is said to be an omen of good times to come.
The nearby Castle Archdale Country Park on the shores of Lower Lough Erne was used as an RAF base for Catalina flying boats in the Second World War, and today provides lakeshore & woodland walking/cycling paths, gardens, caravan park, campsite, tea rooms and boating marina. Other features within the park include a red deer enclosure, wildfowl ponds, nature trail, butterfly garden and wildflower meadow.
Transport
- Irvinestown railway station opened on 13 June 1866 and finally closed on 1 October 1957.[1]
Annual Truck Festival
The Irvinestown Truck Festival was launched in 2000 and is celebrating 10 years in 2010. This is a 60-mile drive around the Fermanagh lakes where the spectacle of trucks raises funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care. The 2010 event took place on the weekend of 23–25 July; the convoy taking place on the 25th. As many as 700 lorries have taken part in this event in the past (unofficially breaking the world record by quite a margin) and what a spectacle it is.
References
- ↑ "Irvinestown station". Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 2007-10-16.