Cleenish Civil Parish, Fermanagh county, Ireland, Lewis, 1837 description ©Jane Lyons

This page is part of an Irish genealogy web site 'From Ireland' ©Dr. Jane Lyons, Dublin, Ireland.

County Fermanagh, Ireland

Civil Parishes

Cleenish

description from Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 1837

CLEENISH, a parish partly in the baronies of MAGHERASTEPHENA and TYRKENNEDY, but chiefly in the barony of CLANAWLEY, county of FERMANAGH, and province of ULSTER, containing with the post town of Lisbellaw, 10,557 inhabitants.

This place derived its name, originally ‘Cluan Innis’ from an island in Lough Erne, where was a monastery, of which St. Synell was abbot about the middle of the 6th century, and with whom St. Fintan resided for more than 18 years. The parish which is situated on the shores of Lough Erne, and on the road from Dublin to Enniskillen, comprises according to the Ordnance Survey, 36,531 statute acres (including islands), of which 996¼ are in the barony of Magherastephena, 4898¼ in that of Tyrkennedy, and 30, 636½ in the barony of Clanawley: 3804¼ acres are under water, including 1051 in Upper and 492½ in Lower Lough Mac Mean, 1448½ in Upper Lough Erne, and 811¼ in the river Erne and small loughs. In Upper Lough Erne are several smaller islands, of which those of Bellisle, Killygowan and several smaller ones are within the limits of this parish. There is little wood, except on gentlemen’s demesnes, and there are several bogs and a large tract of mountain. The land is of good quality, and the system of agriculture is improving; a large portion is in meadow and pasture, and that which is under tillage produces good crops. Limestone and freestone are abundant and are quarried for agricultural and for building purposes: and in the mountainous parts of the parish, good flags are obtained.

The gentlemen’s seats are Fairwood Park, the residence of J. Denham, Esq.; Skea of J. Hassard, Esq.; Garden Hill, of W. Hassard, Esq.; Bellisle of the Rev. J. G. Porter; Snow Hill of J. D. Johnstone, Esq.; Russian of Captain Jones ; Ballanaleck of A. Nixon, Esq.; Lisbofin House, of C. Fausset, Esq.; Corrard House, the property of Sir. A. B. King, Bart.; and Cliniharnon Cottage, the residence of the Rev. J. O’Reilly, commanding fine lake and mountain views. Near it is a holy well, overspread with branches of a large thorn.

Fairs are held at Holywell and Lisbellaw, for cattle and pigs. A manorial court is held on the estate of General Archdall; and petty sessions are held at Shanmullagh and Lisbellaw every fortnight.

The living is a rectory and vicarage in the diocese of Clogher, and in the patronage of the Provost and Fellows of Trinity College, Dublin: the tithes amount to £568. 15s. 4d. The church is a neat edifice, built in 1818 by aid of a gift of £900 from the late Board of First Fruits, and is surrounded by plantations. There are also chapels of ease at Lisbellaw and Mullaghdan, both neat buildings, to the latter of which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently made a grant of £134 9s 11d., for repairs. The glebe house is a good residence, built in 1825; the glebe comprises 840 statute acres.

In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Enniskillen, and is partly a parish of itself; there are four chapels, one of which at Lisbellaw belongs to the union of Enniskillen, and the other three to this parish; the latter are situated respectively at Mullaghdan, Mullymeisker and Holywell, and are all neat edifiecs; that at Holywell was built in 1829, at an expense of £400.

There are two places of worship for Presbyterians of the Seceding Synod, one of the second class at Lisbellaw, and the other at Corrard. There is also at Lisbellaw a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists.

There are two schools aided by subscription, and a national school at Mullymeisker, in which together are about 560 boys and 300 girls, and seven Sunday schools.

Several mineral springs exist in different parts of the parish, but they are not used medicinally.