Use your Townland this Christmas

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council are encouraging everyone to use Townlands when sending cards this Christmas.

There are nearly 3,000 Townlands in the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area. Townlands are historical land units between 100-300 acres, most of which are named for physical elements or historical events linked to that area, for example: Omagh comes 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 have a Townland Tuesday every week on the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and Fermanagh and Omagh Gaeilge Facebook 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 we have in the district.

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.

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.