Council encourages residents to “Use your Townland” this Christmas

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is encouraging residents to use Townlands in addresses when sending cards this Christmas.

There are nearly 3000 Townlands in the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area. Townlands are historical land units varying in size between 100-300 acres, most of which are named after physical elements or historical events linked to that area. For example: Omagh is derived from the Irish “the untouched plain” and Enniskillen is named after the mythological Queen Cethlenn who passed away on a small island after the first Battle of Moytura.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is committed to preserving and promoting townland and other placenames in the district, and each Tuesday showcases a different townland on the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and Fermanagh and Omagh Gaeilge social media pages. 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 in the district.

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.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council encourage 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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