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A Cruising Guide and Anthology of the Ballinamore
- Ballyconnell Canal
Published by the Erne-Ballinamore-Ballyconnell Rally Committee
1994
for the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland
Erne Region Belturbet
Belturbet is the present head of navigation on the Erne. The Erne rises
in Lough Gowna and passes through Belturbet, Enniskillen, Belleek and enters the sea at Ballyshannon. We understand
that navigation may shortly be a reality all the way to Killeshandra which at present is only possible in an open
boat and provided the water levels are high.
According to the census of 1871, Belturbet had a population of 554 people. The 1992 census reveals Belturbet had
a population of 1586.
Approaching Belturbet by water down stream, one can see from the contours of the banks that thw water level was
very much higher in past years. In fact the water would have been some twelve feet higher at full flood than it
now reaches. In this century there have been three drainage schemes carried out and in 1993 much needed drainage
was carried out by the O.P.W. between Belturbet and Folias cut ensuring trouble free navigation to Belturbet regardless
of the water level.
On entering Belturbet, the old ruins one sees on the town bank are all that remains of a cavalry barracks constructed
in cut stone in 1690. The first gate that the visitor from the water sees is in fact the gate through which the
cavalry brought their horses out to the river bank to give them water twice a day. The gun turrets are still clearly
visible and these would have been availed of by soldiers with muskets to keep the hostile natives at bay during
the "drinking" of the horses. The groom with the horses would not have to come out past the end of the
wall on either side to reach the waters edge. This gives a very clear indication of how high the water would have
been. There were cavalry officers and men in the barracks up until the 1920's. The cavalry barracks was constructed
in the reign of William of Orange in 1690(a date which is famous for another reason). In fact if the visitor would
take the trouble to walk inside the wall they will quite clearly see the foundation stone embedded in the wall
roughly have way across.
The military barracks fell into disrepair and disuse over the years and was first of all used as a furniture factory
in the 30's. The company ceased trading and it was then used for various other functions over the years and in
fact in the early 1960's was used for the production of chickens. The company ceased production and then the premises
were demolished in the 1980's and the park was laid and dedicated to the memory of the late Sgt. P.J.Morrisey.
If one takes a leisurely stroll along the waterfront up to the Lawn jetty and views the houses in the lawn ,these
houses were built to accommodate the officers stationed in the military barracks. Interestingly enough, each of
the houses had internally a connecting door from one house to the another so "that an officer could move from
the end of the row to the last house in the row internally". From the last house it is said that there is
a tunnel running along Willow Ave. to the barracks, a distance of some 600 yards. The commanding officers house
was situated across the river from the last house of the Lawn and is now a private residence and commands a beautiful
view of the Erne. The house is surrounded by a 14ft wall and is known as Riversdale House.The old quay wall is
also clearly visible just past the house.
Belturbet being a market town depended on the river for transportation of goods to and from the town. It is now
difficult to imagine boats actually moored to the old quay which is now some 16ft above the high water line.
Belturbet was a very strategic town in the days succeeding the plantation of Ulster. It was one of the few fording
places on the river Erne. The Diamond was the site of another military post or castle. Old photographs of the town
show a water well in the middle of the Diamond. The street running parallel to Bridge St. from the Diamond to the
Lawn is to this day known as castle hill. During the 1960's when a new sewage scheme was being installed in the
town a tunnel was located running parallel to Castle Hill towards the river. It is believed that this tunnel also
goes under the river to Riversdale House and emerges in the walled garden of the house.
At the commencement of this century, Belturbet was renowned as a trading
town. It served a very large hinterland, all of west County Cavan, South Fermanagh and over to Garadice Lake on
the Leitrim border. The main Post Office of west Cavan is still Belturbet and the visitor should inspect the building
which was constructed in 1904. The town was second in importance only to the administrative capital of the county,
Cavan town. Market day was Wednesday of each week and farmers and traders would bring their produce and goods to
town on Wednesday for bartering or for sale.
The fair day was held once a month on the first Thursday and was conducted on the Fair Green,The Diamond,Holborn
hill and Main Street. The fair continued to thrive up until the ealy 1960's. The farmers ,jobbers and dealers would
bring in their cattle,pigs,sheep,calves and horses for sale.
The fair was established by charter from Charles 1 and it was from the chater that the title "Market Town"
came. The charter bestowed on the Alderman and Burgess the right to enact Bye-Laws for the town without reference
to any county or national authority.
One of the peculiar laws was that no Roman Catholic could be inside the confines of the town after sunset. All
Roman Catholics had to be outside the "Common Gate" on the Cavan Road or across the Kilconny Bridge before
sunset. It is the popular belief of some of the residents that if a catholic was found in the town precincts after
sunset that they were brought to the "Ducking Stool" (which is situated where the slipway now is at the
Lawn Jetty) and they were ducked repeatedly until they purged their contempt and assured the duckers that they
would never again transgress this Bye-Law. This is a folk tale that has been handed down,however the ducking stool
was constructed for a different purpose altogether. The railway station was opened in the 1870's. A unique feature
of the railway station was that both the narrow gauge and standard gauge tracks commenced in Belturbet. Coal came
into the town from the Leitrim village of Arigna,was loaded on to horse carts and brought to the ducking stool.
Coal barges were moored to the side of the ducking stool to where the cart loads were brought and "tipped"
into the barges without need to reshovel the coal. The coal was then transported by boat down stream to the different
big houses and towns.
Belturbet was one of the few towns where the narrow gauge met the standard gauge railway lines. The narrow gauge
went out over the railway bridge to Ballyconnell and Leitrim and the North west whereas the standard gauge was
to Cavan,Clones and the rest of the country. All goods being transported by rail to or from the North West had
to pass through Belturbet station. The station buildings are now in a poor state of repair but still stand and
are a monument to the Victorian masons and engineers who constructed them. The railway station closed in 1957.
Belturbet at the beginning of the twentieth century had a point to point course,the most important football pitch
in Ulster and also was renowned as a market town. Today Belturbet can be described as a slumbering relaxed hamlets.
Any industry in the town today would not employ more than twenty people and the industries include manufacturers
of computer components,agricultural feed bins and circular fans,the construction and installation of UPVC windows,car
garages,repair shops and engineering works. At the commencement of the 20th century, Belturbet had two mills owned
by the Barham family,a mill owned by the Stewart family,trap manufacturers, watch makers and jewellers,engineering
works, boat building and furniture manufacturing as well as ancillary businesses such as harnessmakers,saddlers
,boot and shoe manufacturers. The tradition of furniture making and the traditional means of furniture making and
marquetry is still carried on by the Robinson brothers in Milltown who produce the most magnificant furniture and
clocks by traditional maens which necessitate many man hours In construction. The Robinson brothers who carry on
this tradition in their premises in Milltown have been featured in television documentaries many times displaying
their fine skills.
Stewarts mills,besides being a saw mill,a corn mill where the local farmers
brought their oats,barley etc. to be dried and ground for the making of flour and wheaten meal etc. also was the
producer of electricity for the town. The town electricity was produced from the gas which was taken from anthracite
coal and burned in turbines which in turn generated the necessary electricity. As well as producing electricity
for Belturbet the Stewart family also produced electricity by similar means for Lisnaskea,Newtonbutler and other
surrounding towns. T is interesting to note that when Belturbet had electricity,Cavan the administrative capital
of the county did not have electric light produced and at the time of the installation of the E.S.B. Stewarts did
have palns to "light up" Cavan town.
The Reverend William Henry in 1739 wrote a book entitled "Upper Lough
Erne" which contained many interesting facts and descriptions of locations along the Erne of the time. In
his book Reverend Henry described Belturbet as being inhabited exclusively by Protestants and this accounted for
the church always being crowded and went on to explain that the parsonage house was in fact not at its present
location but on a street that is now known locally as "Deanery Street". It also describes the cavalry
barracks and having two troops of Dragoons and being a particularly large barracks and goes on to point out "this
town lies very convenient to trade ,having the advantage of the carraige through the whole length of the Erne".
It has considerable fairs for cattle and is the principal mart for the linen manufactures of Counties Fermanagh
and Cavan.
Down in the Quivvy water may be found the ruins of Lanesborough Lodge,burned
down in the 1920's by the local I.R.A. to ensure the black and Tans could not be billeted in the house which was
the summer residence of Lord Lanesborough.Castlesaunderson,the seat of the Saunderson family, a magnificant Elizabethan
castle was restored in the 50's by the Saunderson family but never lived in. It fell into decay and was futher
restored by Mr.Jim Maguire of Castle Services in the 1980's. Shortly after the restoration work was completed ,the
castle was completely destroyed by fire,however the ruins are available for inspection by permission of Mr.Maguire
of Castle Filling Station.
Belturbet also has a beautiful 9 hole golf course and visitors are welcome. The course completely surrounds what
was the house and home of the Vernon family and the walled garden is still intact.
Belturbet welcomes all its visitors and they will find that the residents will do anything they can to make the
stay of any visitor pleasurable and will extend a "Cead Mile Failte to All".
A visit to the moate and bailey on Tairbert Island is worthwhile. The town takes its name from this island in that
the gaelic name for the town is Beal Tairbert literally translated meaning "the mouth of Tairbert Island"
Compiled By Denis Mc Dwyer
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