Maguiresbridge (original) (raw)

Village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Human settlement in Northern Ireland

MaguiresbridgeIrish: Droichead Mhig Uidhir[1]
Maguiresbridge from the Lisnaskea Road
Maguiresbridge is located in Northern IrelandMaguiresbridgeMaguiresbridgeLocation within Northern Ireland
Population 1,020 (2011 Census)
Irish grid reference H347383
District Fermanagh and Omagh
County County Fermanagh
Country Northern Ireland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town ENNISKILLEN
Postcode district BT94
Dialling code 028
UK Parliament Fermanagh and South Tyrone
NI Assembly Fermanagh and South Tyrone
List of places UK Northern Ireland Fermanagh 54°17′42″N 7°27′54″W / 54.295°N 7.465°W / 54.295; -7.465

Maguiresbridge is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The village is named after the bridge over the Colebrooke River, first built by the local Maguire family about 1760.[2] The nearest town is Lisnaskea, 3 miles (5 km) to the south. Enniskillen is 8 miles (13 km) to the west.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Maguiresbridge was served by four railways which stretched throughout Ulster. At that time, Maguiresbridge and Clones were two of the major junctions from Derry, Omagh, and Belfast into north Leinster, in particular, the major market towns of Athlone, Cavan, and Mullingar via the Inney junction. This back-bone rail infrastructure was administered by the Midland Great Western Railway which also linked to other major towns: namely, Sligo, Tullamore, via Clara, cities such as Dublin, Limerick, and other market towns on the south coast.[_citation needed_]

Maguiresbridge railway station on the Great Northern Railway opened on 1 March 1859 and was shut on 1 October 1957. The station serving as the western terminus of the narrow gauge Clogher Valley Railway opened on 2 May 1887 and was shut on 1 January 1942.[3]

On 17 November 1981 Albert Beacom, a Corporal in the Ulster Defence Regiment, was shot dead by the Provisional Irish Republican Army while working on his farm outside Maguiresbridge.[4]

On 11 February 1986 an off-duty member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, Derek Breen (29), was shot dead by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in the Talk of the Town Bar (now the Coach Inn). During the same incident John McCabe (25), who was working as a barman there, was caught in the gunfire and died on scene.[5]

Maguiresbridge grew considerably during the 2010s, with the building of five new housing developments comprising 350 houses. New shops were also built during this time.[6][7][_failed verification_]

In July 2025, Maguiresbridge was the site of a suspected murder-suicide shooting in which three members of a local family were killed.[8]

Residents could identify as more than one nationality.

National Identity of Maguiresbridge residents (2021)[9][10][11]

Nationality Per cent
British 44.13%
Irish 29.93%
Northern Irish 31.34%

On census day in 2021, the resident population of Maguiresbridge village was 940. This incorporates NISRA Census areas Erne East C2 and C3.[12] Of these:

On the day of the 2011 census, 27 March 2011, there were 1,020 people living in Maguiresbridge.[15] Of these:

Local primary schools include St. Mary's Roman Catholic Primary and Maguiresbridge Controlled Primary.[16][17]

The Colebrooke River which runs through the village

The local Roman Catholic church is Saint Mary's Church, and the local Church of Ireland church is Christchurch.[18] There are also Methodist and Presbyterian churches.[19][20]

Maguiresbridge is home to both a soccer and Gaelic football club. Saint Mary's GFC is a Gaelic football club with its grounds on the Drumgoon Road, whilst the soccer club plays its games in Lisnaskea.

Bernadette Collins, who worked as head of race strategy for the Aston Martin Formula One Team from 2020 to 2022, was born and raised in the town.[21]

  1. ^ "Droichead Mhig Uidhir / Maguiresbridge". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland.
  2. ^ "Railway Park - Maguiresbridge". Patclarkesales.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  3. ^ "Maguiresbridge station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 25 November 2007.
  4. ^ johnston, Victoria (18 November 2021). "Fermanagh family reflect on 40th anniversary of father's murder". The Impartial Reporter. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Derek George Breen". Police Remembrance Trust. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Hamilton SPAR Maguiresbridge in Coa". Shopping-time.co.uk. 25 June 2012. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  7. ^ "Hamilton's Spar, Enniskillen | Supermarkets". yell.com. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  8. ^ "Maguiresbridge murder victims will be buried together in County Clare". ITV News. 29 July 2025. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  9. ^ "National Identity (Irish)". Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  10. ^ "National Identity (Northern Irish)". NISRA. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  11. ^ "National Identity (British)". NISRA. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  12. ^ "Maguiresbridge village census 2021". NISRA. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  13. ^ "Religion". NISRA. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  14. ^ "National identity (person based)". NISRA. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Census 2011 Population Statistics for Maguiresbridge Settlement". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  16. ^ "St Mary's Primary School, Maguiresbridge". Education Authority Northern Ireland. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  17. ^ "Maguiresbridge Controlled Primary School". Education Authority Northern Ireland. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  18. ^ "Maguiresbridge Parish". Diocese of Clogher. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  19. ^ "Find a Church". Methodist Church in Ireland. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  20. ^ "Maguiresbridge Presbyterian Church". Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  21. ^ "Making marks on her career track". Fermanagh Herald. 22 February 2014. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2024.