At the 2011 census it had a population of 587.[4] Ederney lies in the Glendarragh River Valley near Lower Lough Erne and Kesh. It is 83 miles (134 km) from Belfast, over 100 miles (160 km) from Dublin and about 16 miles from both Omagh and Enniskillen. The village and its hinterland (the Glendarragh Valley area) has a population of several thousand.[5]
Ederney is located on a tourist route adjacent to Lough Erne. It is approximately 7 miles (11 km) from the border with the Republic of Ireland and 24 miles (39 km) from the west of Ireland tourism trail, the Wild Atlantic Way, in County Donegal.
Ulsterbus route 194 serves Ederney with one daily journey in each direction except Sundays, linking it to Irvinestown, Enniskillen and Pettigo. Route 83A provides a link to Omagh on Mondays & Thursdays only.[6]
Local historian Leo Mulligan MBE details that at the time of the Plantation of Ulster there was a settlement of significance at Ederny when the land grant (titled "Edernagh") was given to Captain Thomas Blennerhassett of Norfolk in 1610. He created the Manor of Edernagh on a 450 acres (1.8 km2) demesne and a court baron on the shores of Lough Erne, which he later named Castle Hassett. He established the new village of Ederny (Edernagh).[7][8]
By 1797, the settlement is recorded in the Topographia Hibernica as Ederny Bridge and "fair days" were held there.[5][9]
Ederney Town Hall, built circa 1839Some of the standing stones at nearby Drumskinny
One of the principal buildings in the village is Ederney Town Hall, locally styled as the "Townhall", erected in 1839.[10] It remains in use as a village community centre.[5]
Another local landmark is Drumskinny stone circle. Drumskinny (from Irish Droim Scine 'knife ridge') is the site of a stone circle in the nearby townland of Drumskinny.[11] The site consists of 39 stones set in a circle. The arrangement is reportedly related to the seasons, moon and sun, and dates from the Bronze Age.[12][13]
As of the 2011 census, there were 587 people living in Ederney.[4] Of these:
17.21% were aged under 16 years and 18.91% were aged 65 and over
50.6% of the population were male and 49.4% were female
82.11% were from a Catholic background and 15.5% were from a Protestant background
At the 2021 census, 553 people were living in Ederney. According to the 2021 census, Ederney had the highest proportion of residents who spoke Irish daily in County Fermanagh with 3.99%, which was higher than the average across Northern Ireland (of 2.43%).[citation needed]
This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.
