The most frequent family names with roots in County Fermanagh — names that spread through Ireland and the Irish diaspora:
County Fermanagh is almost equally divided by Lough Erne — the upper and lower lough sections that cover approximately a third of the county's total area. The lough system contains over 150 islands, many of them inhabited in early Christian times by monastic communities.
Devenish Island in Lower Lough Erne has one of the finest round towers in Ireland — 30 metres tall and almost perfectly preserved — alongside the remains of a monastic settlement dating from the sixth century. Saint Molaise founded the monastery here and it became one of the most important early Christian sites in Ulster.
The Maguires were the ruling dynasty of Fermanagh — Lords of Fermanagh — from the thirteenth century until the Flight of the Earls in 1607. Their departure from Ireland marked the end of the Gaelic order in Ulster and opened the way for the Plantation. Maguire is the definitive Fermanagh surname.
Fermanagh's emigration, like that of other Ulster border counties, was significant both before and after partition. The county's Catholic majority emigrated to America and Britain while its Protestant community maintained stronger ties to Scotland. Maguire families in America are concentrated in New York and the northeast.
Love Ireland covers Devenish Island's monastic heritage, Lough Erne's island-dotted landscape, Florence Court, and Marble Arch Caves. Fermanagh is one of Ireland's most beautiful and least-visited counties.
Subscribe to Love Ireland — FreeIf your family came from County Fermanagh, here's where to start your research:
Common County Fermanagh surnames with dedicated pages on this site: