Wattlebridge (),[
]
/ref> sometimes written as Wattle Bridge, is a hamlet in the south-southeast of County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland.[ Discoverer Series Sheet 27 (Edition F). O.S.N.I., Land and Property Services, Belfast, 2019.][ Patrick McKay, A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names, p. 146. The Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, 1999.] It is located almost 3½ miles (5.5 kilometres) south of Newtownbutler.
Wattlebridge is close to Fermanagh's boundary with both County Cavan and County Monaghan, being just north of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.[
/ref> The Wattlebridge Road (the B533), part of the main road between Cavan Town and Lisnaskea, runs via Wattlebridge. This road joins the Cavan Road (often known locally as 'the Concession Road'), part of the A3, at a junction on the southern edge of the hamlet.]
Immediately to the east and northeast of Wattlebridge is Drummully, a small district also known as 'the Sixteen Townlands' or 'Coleman's Island'.[ 'Rededication of Connons church' ( The Anglo-Celt
/ref> Drummully is a 'pene-enclave' of County Monaghan, being almost completely surrounded by County Fermanagh.]
About a third of a mile to the west of Wattlebridge is Castle Saunderson, a now ruined country house in County Cavan.[ Barbara Chapman, A History of Newtownbutler, p. 30. Nonsuch Publishing, Lower Leeson Street, Dublin, 2005.] The 'castle' is located on the Castle Saunderson Demesne and is separated from County Fermanagh by the Finn River.[ Kevin V. Mulligan, The Buildings of Ireland: South Ulster - The Counties of Armagh, Cavan and Monaghan (often known as the Pevsner Guide to South Ulster), pp. 227-228. Yale University Press, London, 2013.]
The hamlet of Wattlebridge straddles two townlands: Edergool, which lies on the northern bank of the Finn River, and Annaghmore Glebe, which lies on the southern bank of the Finn River.[ Barbara Chapman, A History of Newtownbutler
/ref> Edergool is usually known locally as Wattlebridge.]
Name
Wattlebridge gets its name from the original bridge that spanned the Finn River at this point. This bridge may have been built in the sixteenth century, and was made of wattle, the bridge being supported by stakes called 'gads'.[ Dúchas.ie: 'Battle of Wattlebridge' (account recorded at the Fairgreen School, Belturbet, for the National Folklore Collection; in this account, Wattlebridge has been misspelled as 'Watterbridge'
/ref> The current bridge, which is known as Wattle Bridge or Wattlebridge Bridge, is built from stone and probably stands on or very near the site of the original bridge. The Wattlebridge Road, the B533, runs over this bridge.]
Notable people
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Ray McAdam (b. 1984), the current Lord Mayor of Dublin.
[ 'Fermanagh man elected Lord Mayor of Dublin' ( Fermanagh Herald
/ref> Councillor McAdam has been an elected member of Dublin City Council since 2009, representing Fine Gael.]
See also
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Death of Samuel Donegan
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The Troubles in Newtownbutler
