THE PEOPLE of Fermanagh are being urged to play their part in helping preserve local history by using townlands when sending their cards this Christmas.
A decade ago a new postal address system was introduced across the North, removing the need for townlands on addresses and focusing instead on road names. This faced fierce opposition from local councillors at the time.
Now, the Council is asking people to include townlands in their address again this Christmas. Noting there were over 3,000 townlands in the Fermanagh and Omagh area, a Council spokesman pointed to the fact most can tell you much about the area they refer to.
“Townlands are historical land units between 100-300 acres, most of which are named for physical elements or historical events linked to that area,” they said.
For example, Enniskillen is named after Queen Cethlenn, who passed away on the town’s island following the First Battle of Moytura, which was fought between the Fir Bolg and the god race the Tuatha De Dannan.
The spokesman added, “Fermanagh and Omagh District Council are committed to preserving Townland and other placenames in our area, and as part of this encourages everyone to add Townlands to their Christmas Card addresses.
“The Townland should be added to the address after the road name and before the village or town. If the Townland name is the same as the village or town then it should only be used once.”
The Council hosts a ‘Townland Tuesday’ every week on its social media channels, including the ‘Fermanagh and Omagh Gaeilge’ Facebook page.
Videos showing the townland in English, the original Irish and the meaning of the name as well as a map of the Townland are posted on Tuesdays to highlight the rich heritage we have in the district.
The Council urged anyone interested in further research of their townlands to visit www.placenamesni.org to find out the history of the townland names.
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