Lisnaskea Irish:Lios na Scéithe
Lisnaskea's main street, looking northwest
Lisnaskea Location withinNorthern Ireland
Population	3,020 (2021 census)
Irish grid reference	H3634
District	Fermanagh and Omagh
County	County Fermanagh
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ENNISKILLEN
Postcode district	BT92
Dialling code	028
UK Parliament	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
NI Assembly	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
List of places UK Northern Ireland Fermanagh 54°15′00″N7°26′31″W / 54.25°N 7.442°W /54.25; -7.442

Lisnaskea (fromIrishLios na Scéithe, meaning 'fort of the shield')^[1] is the second-biggest settlement inCounty Fermanagh,Northern Ireland. It is situated mainly in thetownland ofLisoneill, with some areas in the townland ofCastle Balfour Demesne, both in thecivil parish ofAghalurcher and the historicbarony ofMagherastephana.^[1] It had a population of 3,020 people at the2021 census.^[2]

The nearby monument ofSciath Ghabhra is where theMaguires were crowned as kings and chiefs ofFermanagh. The town developed after thePlantation of Ulster and is built around the long main street. At the middle, the old market place, formerly known as The Diamond, contains ahigh cross (grid ref:H364340)^[3] from an early monastery. 19th century buildings include the former market house, corn market and butter market.^[4] The Castle Park Leisure Centre is situated just off the main street.^[5]

The name Lisnaskea comes fromLios na Scéithe meaning "fort of the shield". North of the village, in the townland of Cornashee,^[1] is a largeburial mound within a round enclosure, which is ascheduled monument.^[6] This is believed to beSciath Ghabhra (Skeagoura), thecoronation place of theMaguires, who were kings and chiefs ofFermanagh.^[7] Nearby is anotherringfort known asLios Uí Néill (Lisoneill). The name Lisnaskea may be a combination of the 'lis' element of Lisoneill and 'skea' from Skeagoura.^[1] There is also evidence of a much earlier ringfort (withradiocarbon dates of 359–428 AD) in the townland of Castle Balfour Demesne,^[8] suggesting the area was inhabited from a very early date. The ruins of the old monastery, associated with St Ronan, who died sometime before 635 AD, are to the west of the town.^[9]

In 1618, during thePlantation of Ulster,Castle Balfour was built by Scotsman James, Lord Balfour, and its remains are just off the Main Street of Lisnaskea.^[10]

In theIrish Rebellion of 1641, it was noted that:"At Lissenskeah they hanged, or otherwise killed, above 100 persons, most of them of the Scottish nation".^[11] 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.^[12]

The village came under the control of theEarls of Erne in 1821. They established the market in the town while bolstering and controlling development around the high street.^[13]

In December 2013, suspecteddissident republicans fired shots at LisnaskeaPSNI station. There were no casualties.^[14]

Lisnaskea Poor Law Union was formally declared on 27 June 1840, and in AugustSir Arthur Brooke was elected chairman. The workhouse was built (at a total cost of over £6,400) 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.^{[citation needed]}

In 1847, additional accommodation was erected for 130 inmates. During'The Troubles' in the early 1920s, the workhouse was used to house soldiers of theRoyal Hampshire Regiment. The workhouse later resumed its operation until 1940 when it was used for men of the 8th Battalion of theSherwood Foresters. The inmates were transferred toEnniskillen, and in 1948 toArmagh. 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.^[15][16]

A large iron pot, said to have held 300 gallons ofgruel, rested at one time in its gardens.^[4] In July 2011, part of the upper floor of the building was completely gutted in a fire, believed to be malicious.^[17]

The localGaelic Athletic Association (GAA) team,Lisnaskea Emmetts, have won 20Fermanagh Senior Football Championship titles. In addition toGaelic football, they also field teams in ladies football andhurling.^{[citation needed]} They won theAll-Ireland Intermediate Club Football Championship in 2011,^[18] and also won the ladies' equivalent later that year.^[19]

Lisnaskea experiences amaritime climate with cool summers and mild winters.^[20]

Primary schools in the area in St Eugene's Knocks Primary School, The Moat Primary School and St Ronan's Primary School.^{[citation needed]}

At second level,St Kevin's College (also known as St Kevin's Secondary School) is located at Derryree in Lisnaskea.^[23] It was formed, in 2017, following the merger of St Comhghall's College (a Roman Catholic school in Lisnaskea which operated from 1970 until 2017) and St Eugene's College in Rosslea.^[24]

Another school, Lisnaskea High School (Castle Balfour Demesne), was the town's only non-Catholic high school. It was amalgamated with nearbyDevenish College in 2013. Since then, 75% of the school's students transferred toDevenish College, with other students transferring toErne Integrated College andFivemiletown High School.^[25][26]

A new public library was opened in Main Street on 8 April 2015 byLibraries NI at a cost of £1.28m. It is spread over two floors with a special children's library and conference rooms.^[27][28]

Lisnaskea railway station opened on 26 August 1858 and was shut on 1 October 1957.^[29] The station was opened by theDundalk and Enniskillen Railway, later named the Irish North Western Railway. In 1876 it became part of theGreat Northern Railway (Ireland).

On census day in 2021, the usually resident population of Lisnaskea Settlement was 3,020.^[33] Of these:

• 76.09% belong to or were brought up in the Catholic religion and 18.97% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' religion.^[34]
• 16.59% indicated that they had a British only identity, 47.21% had an Irish only identity and 22.88% had a Northern Irish only identity.^[35]

On census day 2011 (27 March 2011), the usually resident population of Lisnaskea Settlement was 2,956, accounting for 0.16% of the NI total.^[36]

• 98.51% were from the white (including Irish Traveller) 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 (including Christian related)' 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
• 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.

Lisnaskea is classified as an intermediate settlement by theNI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 2,250 and 4,500 people).On census day 2001 (29 April 2001), 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 aCatholic background and 24.5% were from aProtestant background
• 7.0% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.^[37]

• The Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (born 1970), formerFirst Minister of Northern Ireland and former Leader of theDUP. Lady Foster of Aghadrumsee was initially raised in thehamlet ofAghadrumsee, nearRoslea, before she moved with her family to Castlebalfour in Lisnaskea when she was aged 9. She spent the rest of her childhood and teenage years in Lisnaskea.
• Rachel Horne (born 1979), journalist and newsreader withVirgin Radio UK. She previously worked forBBC News. She was raised near Lisnaskea, and is married to the comedian and television presenterAlex Horne.
• Seán Lynch (born 1954),Sinn Féin politician who was anMLA forFermanagh and South Tyrone from 2011 until 2021. He was formerly a member of theProvisional IRA. Lynch was raised on the outskirts of Lisnaskea, and he continues to live in the town.
• Áine Murphy, aSinn Féin politician who has served as anMLA forFermanagh and South Tyrone since 2011. She is from Lisnaskea.
• Johnny Patterson (1840-1889), circus showman and songwriter lived for a time in the village. He wrote many popular songs includingThe garden where the praties grow andThe stone outside Dan Murphy's door.^[4]

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