Enniscrone

Enniscrone – also spelt Inniscrone and officially named Inishcrone (Irish: Inis Crabhann)[2] – is a small seaside town in County Sligo, Ireland. Its sandy beach, tourist campsite, and golf course all attract visitors. As of the 2016 census, the town had a population of 1,156 people.[1]

Enniscrone

Inis Crabhann

Inishcrone
Town
Bathing terrace at Enniscrone
Enniscrone
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 54°12′47″N 9°05′36″W
CountryIreland
ProvinceConnacht
CountyCounty Sligo
Population
 (2016)[1]
1,156
Time zoneUTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid ReferenceG286298

Name

The majority of the local population know this village as Enniscrone, though some local school teachers and historians use the official name of "Inishcrone". Sligo County Council has neglected the official version in favour of "Enniscrone" which appears on their website,[3] and at least one local newspaper does not use the official name. Locally, the road signs are one of the few places "Inniscrone" can be seen.

Up until the late 1970s the name "Enniscrone" was used by local teachers. It was taught as being a derivative of the Irish Inis Eascar Abhann, meaning "the island on the sandbank in the river". An entry in the Placenames Database of Ireland suggests that there is no evidence for this derivation, and notes that the name may derive from Eiscir Abhann, meaning "esker of the river".[2]

Geography

Enniscrone is in County Sligo on Ireland's Atlantic coast, overlooking Killala Bay. The R297 regional road passes through the town.

The area around Enniscrone includes the townlands of Muckduff, Lacken, Lacknaslevia, Frankford, Carrowhubbock North and Carrowhubbock South.[4] Carrowhubbock South townland (from Irish: Ceathrú Hobac, meaning "Hobuck's Quarter")[5] is approximately 2.3 square kilometres (0.9 sq mi) in area and spans much of the centre and north of the town.[4] Residential development plans in this part of Enniscrone met community opposition in 2007.[6]

History

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of ringfort sites in the townlands of Muckduff, Frankford, and Carrowhubbock North and South.[7] The ruins of a fortified house, known as Inishcrone Castle and built c.1650, lie just north of the town centre.[8] The local Church of Ireland church was built c.1829,[9] and a Roman Catholic church followed in 1892.[10] The latter remained in use by the local Catholic congregation until a new church was built in 1965.[11]

The "cliff baths", built c. 1890

In A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, published by Samuel Lewis in 1837, Enniscrone is described as having "a coast-guard station [..and..] constabulary police station".[12] This coast-guard station was destroyed in August 1920 following an IRA attack during the Irish War of Independence.[13] There were no casualties in the attack, in which a small garrison of British Royal Marines were forced to surrender the building, arms and ammunition.[14]

Reflecting the town's development as a seaside resort, a number of bathhouses were built in the town in the late 19th century and early 20th century.[15][16]

Amenities

Amenities in the area include a number of shops, pubs, restaurants, holiday accommodation and a pitch and putt course.[17] The local primary school is a co-educational Catholic national school, which had an enrollment of over 120 pupils as of 2020.[18] The local Kilglass/Enniscrone Soccer Club play their home games at Michael McGowan Park.[19]

As of 2018, local man David McGowan had begun construction of a "glamping" village, with the main focus being the Boeing 767 he bought to convert into accommodation.[20][21][22]

Beach
The beach at Enniscrone strand

Enniscrone's public sandy beach stretches over a long area of shoreline, and is split near the lower part of the village by a small crossable river. Part of the beach is overseen by lifeguards in the summer period.[23]

The "Valley of Diamonds" is one of the hidden features along the beach, and is the largest of the "volcano-like" compositions among the long-grassed sand dunes. Sligo County Council fenced off the sand dunes as part of their "Dune Restoration Works Programme".[24] Other county council restrictions include limiting road access to the beach, a measure taken to maintain Enniscrone's Blue Flag beach status.

See also

References
  1. "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements Inniscrone". Central Statistics Office (Ireland). Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  2. "Inishcrone/Inis Crabhann". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 4 August 2019. Inis Crabhann [..] This place-name seems to be the result of the re-segmentation of Eiscir Abhann ‘esker of the river’ in speech to Eis C(i)rabhann, which resultantly underwent re-analysis to Inis (S)Cr(e)abhann [..] There is no evidence to suggest that the form Inis Eiscir Abhann was ever the Irish form
  3. "Enniscrone Local Area Plan 2014–2020" (PDF). sligococo.ie. Sligo County Council. October 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  4. "Carrowhubbuck South Townland, Co. Sligo - Bordering townlands". townlands.ie. Townlands Ireland. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  5. "Ceathrú Hobac Theas / Carrowhubbuck South". logainm.ie. Irish Placenames Commission. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  6. "Green light for major Enniscrone development". Western People. 15 August 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2021 – via friendsoftheirishenvironment.org. Plans for a major housing development in the West Sligo seaside resort of Enniscrone [..include..] 200 housing units, three retail units and a creche at Carrowhubbock South
  7. "Record of Monuments and Places as established under Section 12 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994" (PDF). archaeology.ie. National Monuments and Historic Properties Service. 1995. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  8. "Inishcrone Castle, Carrowhubbock South, Sligo". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  9. "Kilglass Church of Ireland, Kilglass, Sligo". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  10. "Carrowhubbuck South, Inishcrone, Sligo". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  11. "Church of the Assumption". enniscrone.ie. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  12. Lewis, Samuel (1837). "Kilglass". A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. Dublin: Lewis.
  13. "Recalling a forgotten attack a century ago". Sligo Champion. Independent News & Media. 15 August 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  14. "IRA capture of Inishcrone Coastguard Station". militaryarchives.ie. Irish Defence Forces - Military Archives. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  15. "Cliff Baths, Carrowhubbuck South, Inishcrone, Sligo". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  16. "Kilcullen's Seaweed Baths, Carrowhubbuck South, Inishcrone, Sligo". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  17. "Enniscrone County Sligo". enniscrone.ie. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  18. "Enniscrone National School (Scoil Chríost Rí, Enniscrone)". education.ie. Department of Education. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021.
  19. "Local Notes - Enniscrone". The Sligo Champion. 9 August 2006. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Kilglass/ Enniscrone Soccer Club will hold the FAI Summer Camp [..] The camp takes place at Michael McGowan Park, Carrowhubbock South
  20. "Quirky Glamping Village - Unique glamping experience". quirkyglamping.town.ie. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  21. "A year after hauling a 767 up the Shannon, Sligo's glamping project has hit a funding snag". fora.ie. Journal Media Limited. 7 May 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  22. "Happy Glamper: You'll find planes, trains and even a tank in Enniscrone's new glamping village". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  23. "Enniscrone Beach". enniscrone.ie. Retrieved 4 August 2019. A portion of the beach is lifeguarded from June to August, Monday to Sunday from 11am to 7pm
  24. "Bathing Water Profile: Enniscrone". swimproject.eu. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
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