AN OVERVIEW OF CULMAINE PARISH HISTORY
The Parish Beginnings - The parish of Culmaine encompasses the communities of Ederney, Lack, Kesh and Boa Island. The ancient parish of Magherculmoney (meaning ‘Plain of the Peaty Apple’) housed one of Ireland’s earliest Christian settlements known as Kiltierney Monastery which is also referred to as the Deerpark. Saint Tighernagh (St Tierney) was credited with establishing the monastic site in 550AD. The Parish of Culmaine, comprising of the civil parishes of Magheraculmoney and Drumkeeran, has therefore been recorded to have been born in the 6th century of our Lord.
Ederney’s Origins - The core of the parish is centred around the village of Ederney whose name is said to come from Gaelic word eadarnaidh based on the eader meaning between or middle. Other theories suggest its meaning is ‘ambush’. However, on the first ever known map of Ireland, drawn up by Greek geographer Ptolemy more than 2,000 years ago, there is a tribe recorded just north of the Erne as the Erdini. Ederney has had various spelling arrangements down through the centuries with versions such as Eadarnaidh, Edernagh and Ederny.
The best documented story of Ederney’s birth begins with the project started by King James I in the early 1600’s known as the Plantation of Ulster. Small private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while the official plantation began in 1609. An estimated half a million acres were confiscated from Gaelic chiefs, most of whom had fled Ireland in the 1607 (Flight of the Earls). King James wanted the Plantation to be "a civilising enterprise" that would settle Protestants in Ulster, a land that was mainly Gaelic-speaking and of the Catholic faith. In return for grants of lands the protestant land owners and minor gentry from England and Scotland to settle in Ulster were enticed to bring British workers with them to build strong houses and to create towns and villages and associated infrastructure.
By 1610, Charles I was in control when Estate of Edernagh was established with the strong house and bawn being built on the westerly end on the estate beside Lower Lough Erne near where Crevenish Castle was later erected. Shortly, after that village of Ederney was established to include six wicker-constructed houses beside the bridge over the Glendarragh River to accommodate some of the landed English workers. Later the village of Kesh was developed.
The Chapels - Early records detail that worship, weddings, births and burials were carried out at the Church of St Mary at Ardess later to become under the control of the reformed faith. In the intervening years Catholic worship was prohibited by the civil authorities resulting in religious services being carried out in secret at what has become known as Mass Rocks. However, in 1750, a small stoned built chapel was erected in the townland of Edeniticromman followed by the first Blackbog Chapel (a small wood and thatched building) in the townland of Aghagrefin serving the parishioners in the last decade the 1700s. By the start of the 1800s, Blackbog Chapel had moved to a new location at Monavreece (Moneyvriece) a site also provided by the Johnston landlords. Other parish chapels at Bannagh and Montiagh were established by Fr O’Reilly around 1840. By 1957, Blackbog Chapel had had closed and the new St Joseph’s Chapel was opened at Ederney village to serve a growing population of parishioners.
The Schools - In the early years of the nineteenth century, there were numerous schools in the parish of Culmaine but many were in poor condition and were badly conducted. The Province of
Ulster had 3,449 schools in 1821 but they were fragmented in structure with numerous types of schools, including ‘charter’ schools, schools of the London Hibernian Society – to which Roman Catholics did want to send their children because they were all of a proselytising character – and ‘pay’ or ‘hedge’ schools. It was against this background of haphazard educational provision that the Irish system of National Education was founded in 1831 under the direction of the Chief Secretary, E.G. Stanley. Some 2,500 national schools were established in the province of Ulster in the period 1832-1870, built with the aid of the Commissioners of National Education and local trustees.
Locally, Moneyvriece National School was a one-room building and construction started in 1849 by voluntary labour of Culmaine parish under the direction of Fr Michael Smollen, PP. First evidence of the school being recorded as an educational establishment was in September, 1852. Ederney’s first school, at the rear of Maguire’s Shop at Main Street, was referred to in an 1826 report. There were many rural schools charged with educating children in the parish including Bannagh and Montiagh schools.
Origins of GAA in the Parish - The Gaelic Athletic Association (Cumann Lúthchleas Gael) was long in existence (founded in 1884) before a branch was established in Culmaine Parish. The association promoted the Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders. The GAA really established itself high in the Irish national consciousness after the Croke Park massacre of 21st November 1920.
Anyway, one fine afternoon, on the first Sunday in May 1929, under an ash tree in Maguire’s meadow at Cahore, behind Moneyvriece School, one of the parish’s curates Fr Ned O’Flanagan, sowed the first seeds of Gaelic football in Ederney by establishing a branch of the GAA and selecting a football team that would later be affiliated to the Fermanagh Junior League. A committee was elected and included Fr Ned O’Flanagan (President), Joe Doherty (Secretary), Jay Mclaughlin (Treasurer), Johnny Monaghan (Team Captain). Other committee members elected were Eddie Monagan, Dinny Reid, John McPhelimy, Master McElholm, Tommy Reid and Frank McGee.
Club membership was one shilling and a total of £1 17s 6d was collected. The initial football team squad included Pat Maguire, Francis Brannagh, Willie Stanford, Hugh Rolston, Jim Cassidy, Tom Turner, Dinny Reid, Johnny Trainor, Johnny McFarland, Manus Maguire, John McGrath, Eddie Monaghan, Charles McQuaid, James McDonagh, John Lunny, P McGrath, T Monaghan, P Gileece, M Doherty, Joe Daly, Joseph Maguire, Jim Eves, R J McDonagh, Patsy Cassidy, Sonny McLaughlin, John Eves, E Maguire, F Maguire, Jay Rushe, Hugh Rushe and Francie Murphy. In subsequent years a playing field was developed at Moneyvriece which was the home of Ederney Gaelic football teams (rebranded to Lack and later St Joseph’s) until 1987 when they transferred to new premises at St Joseph’s Park, Drumkeen on the edge of Ederney village.
Ederney GFC through the Years – Coming soon.
