Earth:Finn River (County Fermanagh and County Monaghan)

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The Finn River (Irish: An Fhinn or Abhainn na Finne), also known as the River Finn, is a small river that flows through parts of County Fermanagh and County Monaghan in the south of Ulster, the northern province in Ireland.[1][2][3][4] Part of the river forms the boundary between County Fermanagh and County Monaghan, thus forming a short part of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Two very short stretches of the river, just north of Redhills and at Castle Saunderson, near Belturbet, also form part of the boundary between County Fermanagh and County Cavan. Parts of the river flow entirely within County Fermanagh, while other parts of the river flow entirely within County Monaghan. The Finn River should not be confused with the better known and much longer River Finn in County Donegal in the west of Ulster.[5] The Finn River rises on the slopes of Slieve Beagh in the south-east of County Fermanagh, rising to the north of Roslea, a village also located in south-east Fermanagh.[3][4][6] It initially flows in a southerly direction, meandering around both Rough Hill and Gola, two neighbouring townlands in the north-west of County Monaghan that are a short distance north-east of Roslea.[3][4] The river then flows back into Fermanagh, skirting around the north-western, western and southern edges of Roslea and along the western edge of Spring Grove Forest, crossing back into County Monaghan beside New Bridge. At a place between New Bridge and Aghafin House,[7][8] the river meanders around a sharp bend, flowing in a south-easterly direction for almost two miles, entirely within County Monaghan, between the townland of Aghafin,[9] just north-east of Clones, and the townland of Nook,[10] just south-east of Stonebridge.[3] Thereafter, the river mainly flows in a south-westerly direction, all the way to its mouth on Upper Lough Erne.[3]

The river flows through Stonebridge and Analore, two hamlets in West Monaghan. It flows very close to Ballynure House, a now ruined Late Georgian residence just outside Analore.[11][12][13] The Finn flows to the east, and then to the south, of Clones, the main town in West Monaghan.[3][4] The river flows just to the north and north-west of the Hilton Park Demesne, near the village of Scotshouse, also in West Monaghan. The Finn flows through Wattlebridge, a hamlet in the south-east of County Fermanagh,[3][14] then enters Upper Lough Erne nearby, entering the lough directly opposite Derrykerrib (Irish: Doire Ceirbe), an island and townland also in the south-east of County Fermanagh. The river flows into a narrow channel of the lough at this place, where the townland of Edergool in County Fermanagh meets the townland of Castlesaunderson Demesne,[15] where Castle Saunderson is located, in County Cavan. Thus, half of the river's mouth is in County Fermanagh, while the other half is in County Cavan.[3]

The river's mouth, which is at the edge of the Castle Saunderson Demesne, is also very near the Lanesborough Demesne, a former demesne in the townland of Quivvy on the County Cavan shore of Upper Lough Erne.[16] The Lanesborough Demesne, near Belturbet, is directly opposite the north-western shore of Derrykerrib Island.[3] Traditionally, the Finn River was considered navigable for most of the year by certain types of river boat, from its mouth upstream as far as Cumber Bridge in the townland of Coolnalong (Irish: Cúil na Long), a bridge located between Scotshouse and Clones.[17][18][19] The river meanders significantly throughout most of its course.[3]

Drummully ('the Sixteen Townlands')

The south-western part of the Finn River cuts Drummully off from the rest of County Monaghan. Drummully, also known as 'the Sixteen Townlands' or 'Coleman's Island', is a small district that is a pene-enclave of County Monaghan (part of the Republic of Ireland) almost entirely surrounded by County Fermanagh (part of Northern Ireland). Only a tiny stretch of the Finn River flows through Drummully, the river flowing along the southern edge of Annaghraw, a townland in the far south of the district. All roads leading into the district of Drummully go via County Fermanagh. The Cavan Road, also known locally as 'the Concession Road'[20] (part of the N54 / A3), the main Cavan Town to Clones road, also runs through Drummully.

The Civil Parish of Drummully (Dartree Portion) is co-extensive with the district of Drummully, this civil parish being entirely within County Monaghan.[21][22] However, the Parish of Drummully in the Church of Ireland Diocese of Clogher covers a much larger area than the district of Drummully, as did the former Parish of Drummully in the Catholic Diocese of Clogher.[20][23] The Catholic Parish of Drummully was absorbed into the Parish of Clones in the twentieth-century.[24] The district and the various types of parish (both civil and ecclesiastical) are named after the Drummully Monastic Site.[22] This monastic site and ruined former parish church are on a hilltop in the townland of Drummully, just inside County Fermanagh, very near Wattlebridge. The townland of Drummully is on the south-western edge of the district of Drummully.

Map showing the district of Drummully, also known as 'the Sixteen Townlands'. The boundaries of the district are outlined in red, with the rest of the County Fermanagh-County Monaghan border being outlined in purple. The district is almost entirely surrounded by County Fermanagh. The Finn River cuts the district off from the rest of County Monaghan.

Bridges

The Finn River passes under a number of bridges on its way to Upper Lough Erne. Most of these bridges were built in the mid- to late eighteenth-century or sometime in the nineteenth-century. A number of these bridges span the river in and around Roslea, a village which is surrounded on three sides by the Finn. These bridges include Lisnawesnagh Bridge, constructed of stone and located on a sideroad just north-east of Roslea. They also include three bridges on the edge of Roslea itself, including the old bridge on the southern edge of Roslea, which carries the sideroad to Clones across the Finn.[3] New Bridge, a small concrete bridge built in the twentieth-century, is located just over a mile south-south-west of Roslea, carrying the Clogh Road, a sideroad, across the Finn on the south-western edge of Spring Grove Forest. The Clogh Road joins the Roslea to Clones road beside this bridge.

A small sideroad known locally as 'the Gorry Lane' is beside New Bridge, part of the 'lane' being on the edge of Spring Grove Forest.[25] This 'lane' runs up over the drumlins overlooking the Finn River, running from New Bridge to a junction on the sideroad between Clogh and Stonebridge, 'the Gorry Lane' crossing from County Fermanagh into County Monaghan. The 'lane' runs just to the west and south of Rathkeevan Lough.

Other bridges over the Finn include: Stone Bridge, built in the early nineteenth-century and located in the hamlet of Stonebridge, between Clones and Smithborough, which carries the N54 across the Finn;[26] Analore Bridge, parts of which date from c. 1720 and which carries the R183 across the river, located in the hamlet of Analore, between Clones and Newbliss;[27] The now ruined Ballynure Railway Bridge, which formerly carried the railway across the river just outside Analore; Cumber Bridge, constructed c. 1800, between Scotshouse and Clones, which carries the R212 across the river;[28] Annies Bridge, which crosses from County Fermanagh to County Monaghan very near the Hilton Park Demesne, just outside Scotshouse;[29] Ballyhoe Bridge, on a sideroad between Redhills and Clones, which crosses the river just inside Fermanagh, not far from Clogher Market; Finn Bridge, also known as Annaghmullin Bridge, built in the late 1850s,[30][31] which links County Monaghan to County Fermanagh, but is located very near Redhills; Gortnacarrow Bridge, which was built in the mid-eighteenth-century[32] and carries the Cavan Road (part of the A3) over the Finn near Wattlebridge; and the bridge at Wattlebridge itself, near the mouth of the river.[33] All these bridges are built of stone.

There are two bridges at Derrykerrib, both of which are modern, concrete structures, located slightly to the north of the Finn River's mouth. These bridges are right beside each other, the older of the two dating from the late twentieth-century, while the newer bridge was completed in 2018.[34][35] These bridges carry a sideroad from the Fermanagh mainland across a narrow channel of Upper Lough Erne and onto Derrykerrib Island. A new navigation channel was also cut in 2017 and 2018, when the new Derrykerrib Bridge was being built. The new bridge spans this channel, which was cut on the Derrykerrib shore of Upper Lough Erne. This new channel allows boats to sail, via the Finn River, as far as the jetty at Castle Saunderson in County Cavan. The entrance to the now derelict Ulster Canal is beside the Derrykerrib Bridges, being just north of them.[3][16]

Ballynure Viaduct is located immediately south of Analore.[13][36] This small former railway viaduct, now derelict, is on the edge of the Ballynure Demesne, a former demesne that surrounds Ballynure House, which is also derelict.[11][12] The current viaduct was built in the 1920s, largely replacing a Victorian viaduct that had been built in the 1850s.[36] The viaduct carried the railway across a small ornamental lake beside the main entrance into the demesne.[36] While the viaduct does not cross the Finn River, it is located very close to the river. What remains of Ballynure Railway Bridge is a short distance from the viaduct. This now ruined bridge formerly carried the railway across the Finn.

Annaghraw Railway Bridge is a now ruined bridge right beside Annaghmullin Bridge. It formerly carried the main railway line from Cavan Town to Clones, via Ballyhaise and Redhills, across the Finn, taking the railway across from both County Monaghan and County Cavan into County Fermanagh. This railway line closed in the late 1950s.[37] Not far from both Annaghmullin Bridge and Annaghraw Railway Bridge is Nancy's Bridge, a road bridge in the townland of Annaghraw in the district of Drummully, County Monaghan. Nancy's Bridge was built in the late 1850s or early 1860s and carried a sideroad over the Cavan Town to Clones railway line, very near the Finn River.[38]

The former Annaghraw Railway Bridge, as photographed from Annaghmullin Bridge. The Finn River can be seen flowing under the ruined bridge, with County Fermanagh on the left and County Monaghan on the right. Parts of the river now form a tiny part of the external border of the European Union.

Ulster Canal

The most south-western stretch of the Ulster Canal runs very close to the Finn River, from just south of Stonebridge in West Monaghan all the way to near Wattlebridge in south-east Fermanagh.[3] The canal was largely built between 1830 and 1841.[39][40] In places, the now derelict and disused canal runs right alongside the river, being carried across the river on an aqueduct at one location.[41] The Upper Lough Erne entrance to the canal is on a narrow channel of the lough at Edergool, a townland in County Fermanagh that is directly opposite Derrykerrib Island.[16] The canal entrance is right beside the Derrykerrib Bridges, being just to the north of the bridges, only a short distance to the north of the Finn River's mouth. The Ulster Canal was closed in 1931.[42][43][44][45]

Drummully Church, Graveyard and Monastic Site

On a small hilltop overlooking the south-western end of the Finn River, very near Wattlebridge, is Drummully Monastic Site.[3][46] The site, which is in the townland of Drummully and is just inside County Fermanagh, is right beside Clogher Market, being very close to Gortnacarrow Bridge. The church here was probably dedicated to Saint Mochomma originally, and was later under the authority of the Ó Gabhann (O'Gowan or Goan) dynasty, who held the hereditary position of airchinnech (erenagh) of this area in later Gaelic times.[46][47] An Early Christian site, Drummully later developed into a small monastery and parish church in the Medieval Era. The church on the site was ruined by the early 1620s.[46] The site has been used as a graveyard for several centuries, while what remains of the medieval church on this site has long been in ruins.[32] The Parish of Drummully and the district of Drummully are named after this monastic site.[22]

Nearby are the two 'successor churches' of the original Drummully Church. Both these Victorian churches were completed in 1844 and are just inside County Monaghan. St. Alphonsus's Church is in an area known as the Connons, and was built in the early 1840s,[48][49] just before the outbreak of the Great Famine. This church, often known locally as Connons Chapel, was built in a version of the Gothic Revival style and is the modern-day local Catholic church. Built as a parish church, Connons Chapel ceased to have this status when the Catholic Parish of Drummully was absorbed into the Parish of Clones in the twentieth-century.[24][49] The Parish of Clones is part of the Catholic Diocese of Clogher, just like the former Parish of Drummully was.

A short distance away, in the townland of Clonooney in County Monaghan, is St. Mary's Church, the modern-day parish church for the Parish of Drummully in the Church of Ireland Diocese of Clogher. This Gothic Revival church was also built in the early 1840s,[50][51] and is located right alongside the N54. St. Mary's is also known as Drummully Church of Ireland Church or Drummully Parish Church. Connons Chapel and St. Mary's Church are both within the Drummully pene-enclave.[20]

References

  1. ↑ McNally, Frank. "Exploring the Border: A frontier marked by myriad crossings". https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/exploring-the-border-a-frontier-marked-by-myriad-crossings-1.3614342. 
  2. ↑ Monaghan Tourism: Coarse Fishing - Clones. https://www.monaghantourism.com/listing/coarse-fishing-clones
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 Discoverer Series Sheet 27 (E Edition). Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland (O.S.N.I.), Land and Property Services, Belfast, 2011.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Discovery Series Sheet 28A (2nd Edition). Ordnance Survey of Ireland (O.S.I.), Dublin, 2005.
  5. ↑ Patrick McKay, A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names, p. 69. The Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, 1999.
  6. ↑ Discoverer Series Sheet 18 (D Edition). Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland (O.S.N.I.), Land and Property Services, Belfast, 2008.
  7. ↑ Kevin V. Mulligan, The Buildings of Ireland: South Ulster (better known as the Pevsner Guide to South Ulster), pp. 280-281. Yale University Press, London, 2013.
  8. ↑ N.I.A.H.: Aghafin House, Aghafin, County Monaghan. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/41401201/aghafin-house-aghafin-county-monaghan
  9. ↑ Aghafin Townland, Co. Monaghan. https://www.townlands.ie/monaghan/dartree/clones/clones-rural/aghafin/
  10. ↑ Nook Townland, Co. Monaghan. https://www.townlands.ie/monaghan/dartree/clones/st-tierney/nook/
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 N.I.A.H.: Ballynure House, Ballynure, Monaghan. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/41401248/ballynure-house-ballynure-monaghan
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Kevin V. Mulligan, The Buildings of Ireland: South Ulster (better known as the Pevsner Guide to South Ulster), p. 372. Yale University Press, London, 2013.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Ballynure Townland, Co. Monaghan. https://www.townlands.ie/monaghan/dartree/killeevan/killeevan/ballynure/
  14. ↑ Patrick McKay, A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names, p. 146. The Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, 1999.
  15. ↑ Castlesaunderson Demesne Townland, Co Cavan. https://www.townlands.ie/cavan/tullygarvey/annagh/castlesaunderson/castlesaunderson-demesne/
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Brian Cassells, The Ulster Canal, pp. 87-88. Cottage Publications, Donaghadee, County Down, 2015.
  17. ↑ Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, London, 1837 (taken from the Library Ireland website). https://www.libraryireland.com/topog/F/Fermanagh-Rivers.php
  18. ↑ Coolnalong Townland, Co. Monaghan. https://www.townlands.ie/monaghan/dartree/killeevan/newbliss/coolnalong/
  19. ↑ Logainm.ie: Cúil na Long / Coolnalong. https://www.logainm.ie/en/40225
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 'Sectarianism on the Border' ('Letters to the Editor', The Irish Times, Thursday, 2 September 1999). https://www.irishtimes.com/1.222882
  21. ↑ Civil Parish of Drummully (Dartree Portion), Co. Monaghan. https://www.townlands.ie/monaghan/drummully-dartree-portion/
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Brian G. Scott (General Editor), Claire Foley and Ronan McHugh, An Archaeological Survey of County Fermanagh: Volume 1 - Part 1: The Prehistoric Period, pp. 32-33. N.I.E.A., Belfast, and Colourpoint Books, Newtownards, 2014.
  23. ↑ National Library of Ireland - Catholic Parish Registers at the N.L.I.: Drummully, Diocese of Clogher. https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0300
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Parish of Clones, Clogher Diocese, Co. Monaghan, Ireland. http://www.clonesparish.com
  25. ↑ Border Roads to Memories and Reconciliation: Family life on the Fermanagh-Monaghan Border (Paragraph 6). http://www.borderroadmemories.com/search-border-crossings/memories/family-life-on-the-fermanagh-monaghan-border/
  26. ↑ N.I.A.H.: Stone Bridge, Monaghan. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/41401219/stone-bridge-gransha-more-county-monaghan
  27. ↑ N.I.A.H.: Anlore Bridge, Annaghkilly, Anlore, Monaghan. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/41401238/anlore-bridge-anlore-county-monaghan
  28. ↑ N.I.A.H.: Cumber Bridge, Coolnalong / Lisabuck, Monaghan. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/41401608/cumber-bridge-coolnalong-lisabuck-monaghan
  29. ↑ N.I.A.H.: Annies Bridge, Annies, Monaghan. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/41401611/annies-bridge-annies-monaghan
  30. ↑ N.I.A.H.: Annaghmullin Bridge, County Monaghan. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/41401623/annaghmullin-tullymurphy-county-monaghan
  31. ↑ Border Roads to Memories and Reconciliation: Annaghmullin (or Finn) Bridge. http://www.borderroadmemories.com/search-border-crossings/individual-crossing/?id=bc155
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Alistair Rowan, The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster (popularly known as the Pevsner Guide to North West Ulster), p. 252. Yale University Press, London, 2003 (originally published by Penguin Books, London, 1979).
  33. ↑ Angling Ireland: Clones pike angling centre. https://fishinginireland.info/pike/north/clones/
  34. ↑ Fox Contracts: Derrykerrib Bridge Replacement Scheme. https://www.fox-contracts.com/portfolio/derrykerrib-bridge-replacement-scheme/
  35. ↑ Derrykerrib Bridge work to be complete by this time next year (The Anglo-Celt, 5/4/2017). https://www.anglocelt.ie/2017/04/05/derrykerrib-bridge-work-to-be-complete-by-this-time-next-year/
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 N.I.A.H.: Ballynure Viaduct, Ballynure, County Monaghan. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/41401703/ballynure-viaduct-ballynure-county-monaghan
  37. ↑ N.I.A.H.: Building 41401624, Monaghan (known locally as Annaghraw Railway Bridge). https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/41401624/tullyhumphry-county-monaghan
  38. ↑ N.I.A.H.: Nancy's Bridge, Annaghraw, Monaghan. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/41401616/nancys-bridge-annaghraw-monaghan
  39. ↑ Kevin V. Mulligan, The Buildings of Ireland: South Ulster (better known as the Pevsner Guide to South Ulster), pp. 56-57. Yale University Press, London, 2013.
  40. ↑ Barry O'Reilly and William Cummings (Editors), An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Monaghan, pp. 41-42. N.I.A.H., Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin, 2013.
  41. ↑ Brian Cassells, The Ulster Canal, p. 53. Cottage Publications, Donaghadee, County Down, 2015.
  42. ↑ Kevin V. Mulligan, The Buildings of Ireland: South Ulster (better known as the Pevsner Guide to South Ulster), p. 535. Yale University Press, London, 2013.
  43. ↑ O Neill Country Historical Society: The Ulster Canal. https://oneillcountryhistoricalsociety.com/the-ulster-canal/
  44. ↑ N.I.A.H.: Ulster Canal, Monaghan. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/41401005/ulster-canal-monaghan
  45. ↑ Brian Cassells, The Ulster Canal, p. 10. Cottage Publications, Donaghadee, County Down, 2015.
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 46.2 Brian G. Scott (General Editor), Claire Foley and Ronan McHugh, An Archaeological Survey of County Fermanagh: Volume 1 - Part 2: The Early Christian and Medieval Periods, pp. 741-743. N.I.E.A., Belfast, and Colourpoint Books, Newtownards, 2014.
  47. ↑ Robert Bell, The Book of Ulster Surnames, pp. 161-162. The Blackstaff Press, Belfast, 2003 (originally published in 1988).
  48. ↑ Kevin V. Mulligan, The Buildings of Ireland: South Ulster (better known as the Pevsner Guide to South Ulster), p. 529. Yale University Press, London, 2013.
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 Rededication of Connons Church (The Anglo-Celt, 12 August 2009). https://www.anglocelt.ie/2009/08/12/rededication-of-connons-church/
  50. ↑ Kevin V. Mulligan, The Buildings of Ireland: South Ulster (better known as the Pevsner Guide to South Ulster), p. 530. Yale University Press, London, 2013.
  51. ↑ Church on the border celebrates 175th anniversary (Diocesan News, 20 November 2019). https://www.ireland.anglican.org/news/9191/church-on-the-border-celebrates




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