Newtownbutler

Coordinates: 54°10′55″N 7°21′40″W / 54.182°N 7.361°W / 54.182; -7.361

Newtownbutler
Irish: an Baile Nua[1]
Newtownbutler  Newtownbutler shown within Northern Ireland
Population	943 (2001 Census)
District	Fermanagh
County	County Fermanagh
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Postcode district	BT
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

Newtownbutler or Newtown Butler is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the southeast corner of the County, close to the border with County Monaghan and the town of Clones. It is surrounded by small lakes and bogland and close to Lough Erne. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 943 people.

History

Newtownbutler began to be built as a Plantation village in the early 18th century. It was built within the townland of Aghagay.^[1][2] Originally known as Newtown, it was renamed Newtownbutler when Theophilus Butler was created Baron of the area in 1715.

The local terrain was the undoing of some of the Jacobite forces in 1689 in the Battle of Newtownbutler. A Williamite force of less than 1000 Enniskillen troops captured and killed 3000 of James II’s troops here after they had got lost in the anonymous and unmarked bog.^{[citation needed]}

The Troubles

Main article: The Troubles in Newtownbutler

There were thirteen fatalities in and around Newtownbutler during The Troubles.

Places of interest

Crom Estate, Newtownbutler, owned by the National Trust, covers over 1,900 acres (8 km²) of woods, parkland and wetland and is one of Ireland's most important nature conservation areas with the largest surviving area of oak woodland in Northern Ireland. There are also many attractive buildings on the estate, including Crom Old Castle and the romantic folly, Gad Island Tower. The wealth of wildlife at Crom is highlighted by the presence of two rare butterflies - the purple hair-streak and the wood white, as well as the pine marten and the largest herony in Ireland. The 19th century castle is private and not open to the public.

People

• Charles Irwin (1824-April 8, 1873) was born in Manorhamilton, County Leitrim and was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross. On 16 November 1857 at Lucknow, India, Private Irwin showed conspicuous bravery at the assault on the Secundra Bagh when, although severely wounded through the right shoulder, he was one of the first to enter the building under heavy fire. He died on 29 March 1873 at Newtownbutler and is buried in Saint Mark's Churchyard, Magheraveely, County Fermanagh.

Transport

Newtownbutler railway station opened on 26 June 1858 and finally closed on 1 October 1957.^[3]

2001 Census

Newtownbutler is classified as a small village or hamlet by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 500 and 1,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 943 people living in Newtownbutler. Of these:

• 27.9% were aged under 16 years and 12.9% were aged 60 and over
• 47.8% of the population were male and 52.2% were female
• 90.8% were from a Catholic background and 8.9% were from a Protestant background
• 10.7% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

See also

• Market Houses in Northern Ireland

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Placenames Database of Ireland (see archival records)
2. ^ Ordnance Survey Ireland - Online map viewer
3. ^ "Newtownbutler station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 2007-11-22. 

External links

• BBC - Williamite Wars^{[dead link]}
• Newtownbutler Market House
• Newtownbutler First Fermanaghs GFC
• Enniskillen.com
• Culture Northern Ireland