Enniskillen, NIR - Postcode - BT93 3FQ

Description of Enniskillen

Enniskillen is the county seat and largest settlement in Northern Ireland's Fermanagh County. Located in the center of the county, it serves as a transition point between the Upper and Lower Lough Erne. As of the 2011 Census, its population was 13,823. The Maguires constructed Enniskillen Castle in the 15th century as a fortress, and it remained in their possession until the early 17th. During the time of the Plantation of Ulster, both the castle and town grew in size. It is the county town of Fermanagh and the previous site of the Fermanagh District Council.

Hugh (Maguire) the Hospitable, the founder of Enniskillen, erected the castle that bears his name before his death in 1428. The Skonce, an earthwork on the edge of Lough Erne, may be all that's left of a much older motte. The younger Maguire family lived at the castle. C Chonnacht Maguire constructed the original watergate in 1580, but it is now dry because the lough's water level has dropped. The castle's strategic location in 1593 made its capture crucial to the English intentions for the subjugation of Ulster. In 1594 and 1595, the castle was besieged three times. In February of 1594, under the command of Captain Dowdall, the English conquered it. Maguire then besieged it, eventually winning the Battle of the Ford of the Biscuits at Drumane Bridge on the Arney River against a relieving army. Although the defenders were temporarily calmed, Maguire took control of the castle from 1595 to 1598, and the English didn't take it until 1607.

The eventual capture of Enniskillen Castle in 1607 was part of a larger campaign to bring the province of Ulster under English rule; the Plantation of Ulster, in which the lands of the local Irish were seized and given over to planters loyal to the English Crown, followed. To replace the Maguires and establish an English colony, James I sent Devonshire-born William Cole.

With his appointment as Constable, Captain Cole fortified the castle wall and constructed a "fair house" on the site, making it the focal point of the county seat. In 1627, the hilltop was the site of the first Protestant parish church. The island has been home to the Royal Free School of Fermanagh since 1643. There were only temporary drawbridges at first; it wasn't until 1688 that permanent bridges were built.

When 1689 rolled around, the population of the town had skyrocketed. Williamite resistance in Ireland, including the nearby Battle of Newtownbutler, centered in and around Enniskillen and Derry during the war that followed King James II's overthrow by his Protestant rival, William III.

Climate of Enniskillen

Due to its proximity to the ocean, Enniskillen experiences a temperate maritime climate with relatively consistent temperatures and precipitation throughout the year.In July 2006, the temperature reached an all-time high of 29.8 degrees Celsius (85.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Maximum annual temperatures of 25.5 °C (77.9 °F) and 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) should be reached on no more than 2.4 days per year, respectively. The highest recorded temperature in St. Angelo is 29.4 degrees Celsius (84.9 degrees Fahrenheit).

It was 12.9 °C (8.8 °F) in January 1984, making that month the coldest ever recorded. The annual minimum temperature is predicted to drop to 8.2 °C (17.2 °F) on the coldest night. Annually, there are around 76 air frosts reported in Lough Navar. Most certainly, the main part of Enniskillen is a lot warmer than this. A record low of 14.5 degrees Celsius (5.9 degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded at St. Angelo in December 2010.December 2010 saw the lowest average temperature at St. Angelo, at 1.8 °C (28.8 °F)(mean maximum 2.9 °C (37.2 °F), mean minimum 5.9 °C (21.4 °F)), whereas August 1995 was the warmest month on record, with a mean temperature of 18.8 °C (65.8 °F).